Madrid mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida has made sensational allegations that Arsenal's Champions League semi-final victory over Atletico Madrid was predetermined by UEFA corruption. The Gunners secured a 2-1 aggregate win on Tuesday night, thanks to a goal from Bukayo Saka, booking their place in the final for the first time since 2006.
In a bizarre rant on Wednesday, Martinez-Almeida claimed that UEFA manipulated the outcome to prevent Atletico from reaching the final. He questioned the appointment of a German referee and VAR official, suggesting it was deliberate given the competition between Spain and Germany for the fifth Champions League spot. 'Who, other than UEFA, would think of appointing a German referee as both the main referee and the VAR referee?' he said.
The mayor specifically pointed to a decision not to award Atletico a penalty for an apparent push by Riccardo Calafiori on Giuliano Simeone, who was flagged offside. Replays later suggested Simeone may have been onside. Martinez-Almeida also criticised the lack of television replays shown during the match, claiming it was an attempt to hide the error.
He further alleged that the referee ignored a penalty claim when Calafiori stood on Antoine Griezmann's foot, and that added time was cut short to favour Arsenal. 'There's intent in my opinion,' he said. 'Arsenal could have been beaten, but we couldn't beat the UEFA Cup.'
Martinez-Almeida concluded by praising Atletico's efforts, insisting they were not beaten by Arsenal but by UEFA. 'You can beat Arsenal over 180 minutes, but you can't beat UEFA,' he added.
