Arsenal respond to 'furious' Atletico Madrid as Champions League row kicks off

Arsenal have issued an apology to Atletico Madrid following a Champions League dispute that threatened to boil over. Atletico Madrid lodged an official complaint with UEFA after discovering there was no hot water available in the showers following their training session at the Emirates.

This forced the Spanish side to depart the ground without showering and return to their London hotel still in their training gear. Spanish press revealed that Atletico were left "furious" by the incident, which saw players stuck in sweaty kits after their pre-match preparation at the Emirates.

The situation harked back to old-fashioned gamesmanship reminiscent of clubs like Wimbledon, who would famously cut off hot water supplies to unsettle visiting teams.

However, Arsenal maintain it was a genuine error that impacted both changing rooms and was fixed immediately upon discovery of the fault.

While the issue affected both facilities, Atletico notified Arsenal personnel at 6.45pm, with the Spanish outfit scheduled to complete training at 7.30pm.

They ultimately wrapped up their session early at 7.15pm and chose to return to their accommodation, with Arsenal confirming the matter was resolved by 7.25pm.

Arsenal have now offered their apologies to Atletico for any disruption caused.

UEFA regulations permit visiting teams to train at the host stadium on the evening before Champions League fixtures.

Not every club exercises this right, with Arsenal typically conducting their preparations in London before travelling abroad. Diego Simeone, the Atletico boss, is back on the touchline tonight after serving a one-match ban following a fracas with fans at Liverpool last month.

There's a great deal of mutual respect between Simeone and Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta as they prepare for their Champions League phase showdown.

Arteta said about Simeone: "If I have to choose it in words, it is the willingness to win. The way they live. The way they behave, the way they act in everything and the purpose they have to win and they find a way to do that. They change a lot of players and the competition in Spain has increased.

"They have two very big clubs but they have always been there. That is something driven by their mentality and their passion and after that specifically the way he sees the game and he tries to encourage his teams to play. The main thing is that.

"The way they have won major trophies, been in Champions League finals and made all the right steps when they need to do the important step. We need to try and do that and we are on the journey to try and achieve that."