The Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, has launched a fierce criticism of UEFA following Atlético de Madrid’s elimination from the UEFA Champions League at the hands of Arsenal.
Atlético bowed out at the semi-final stage after a 1-0 defeat in the second leg at the Emirates Stadium, sealing their exit from the competition with a 2-1 aggregate defeat.
However, the result has been overshadowed by growing controversy over officiating decisions across both legs of the tie.
Martínez-Almeida did not mince words in his reaction, suggesting that Atlético were effectively competing against more than just their English opponents.
Speaking in the aftermath of the tie, the mayor delivered a pointed critique of European football’s governing body. “When I saw the draw, I thought we had been matched with Arsenal but I was wrong. We were matched with UEFA,” he said, casting doubt on the fairness of the contest.
Refereeing Decisions Under Intense Scrutiny
The mayor went further, implying that key moments in the tie reflected a broader agenda. He argued that certain refereeing decisions appeared to follow a pattern that ultimately worked against Atlético’s chances of reaching the final.
According to Martínez-Almeida, Atlético’s supporters should feel a sense of pride, not necessarily for the performance on the pitch, but for enduring what he described as institutional pressure.
He maintained that fans could clearly see their team was being treated unfairly.
“You can beat Arsenal over 180 minutes, but you cannot beat UEFA. The referee was the executor of that will,” he added, in one of the strongest accusations made by a public official in relation to the tie.
The controversy largely stems from several contentious incidents that Atlético players, coaching staff, and sections of the Spanish media believe could have changed the outcome of the match.
Among them were three potential penalty claims involving challenges on Atlético attackers inside the box. Two of those incidents centered on Giuliano Simeone, who was involved in separate appeals for fouls by Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhães.
However, on both occasions, the referee waved play on, with VAR declining to intervene in the first and supporting the on-field decision in the second.
The most debated moment, however, involved Antoine Griezmann, who appeared to be stepped on inside the penalty area by Calafiori. While many expected a penalty to be awarded, the referee instead ruled that Atlético defender Marc Pubill had committed a foul earlier in the same sequence.
That decision has drawn particular criticism, with many observers arguing that the supposed foul by Pubill was minimal and should have been reviewed more thoroughly. Critics also questioned why VAR did not advise an on-field review of the earlier contact.
Despite the uproar, Atlético manager Diego Simeone struck a more measured tone in his post-match assessment. While acknowledging the controversial moments, he admitted that his side’s attacking output fell short of the level required to secure victory.
Atlético managed just five shots over the course of the match, with only two on target, a statistic that underlined their struggles in the final third. Simeone suggested that while refereeing decisions may have influenced key moments, they were not the sole reason for the team’s elimination.
Nevertheless, the broader reaction from within Spain has been one of frustration, with parts of the media reporting concerns about inconsistency in officiating at the highest level of European football.
Martínez-Almeida’s remarks have added a political dimension to the debate, amplifying calls for greater transparency and accountability in refereeing decisions.
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