The Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, has strongly criticised UEFA following Atlético Madrid’s elimination from the UEFA Champions League.
Speaking after Atlético’s defeat to Arsenal last night, where the Madrid team was defeated 2- 1 on aggregate, Martínez-Almeida suggested that the Spanish club was unfairly treated and claimed that decisions during the match showed bias.
“When I saw the draw, I thought we had been matched with Arsenal, but I was wrong, we were matched with UEFA,” the mayor said.
He argued that certain moments in the game pointed to what he described as a “predetermined intent” to stop Atlético from reaching the final.
According to him, the officiating played a key role in the outcome. He claimed that Atlético were not only facing a strong opponent in Arsenal but were also up against decisions that made progression “impossible.”
The mayor added that while teams can compete over two legs against opponents, “you cannot beat UEFA.”
Atlético Madrid have not officially backed these claims, and there has been no immediate response from UEFA regarding the allegations.
However, such statements from a high-ranking public official are likely to increase pressure on football authorities to address concerns about refereeing standards and fairness in major competitions.
