Arsenal defender Ben White was involved in a heated confrontation with Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone following the 1-1 draw in the Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday night.
The incident occurred as White headed towards the tunnel, walking over the Atletico club crest. Giuliano Simeone, the manager's son, confronted White, and Diego Simeone intervened, initially playing peacemaker before aggressively tapping White on the back twice. The pair then exchanged words before being separated by members of both squads.
The draw leaves the tie finely poised ahead of the second leg at the Emirates Stadium. Julian Alvarez's penalty cancelled out Viktor Gyokeres' spot-kick for Arsenal. White was also involved in the penalty controversy, as a shot deflected off his shin onto his arm, leading to a VAR review and the award of Atletico's penalty.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta accepted the decision, saying: 'It is the rule and they have been quite consistent with that. On that one, if you're going to give a penalty for this kind of thing you have to accept that.' However, he was critical of a later decision to overturn a penalty for Eberechi Eze, adding: 'But the one that changes completely everything, it's a penalty on Ebs. That cannot happen at this level.'
