Simeone hotel joke backfires as Atletico complain to UEFA prior to UCL semi v Arsenal | OneFootball

Diego Simeone joked about the reasoning for Atletico Madrid picking a different hotel in London to the last one they used when facing Arsenal, and the club have now complained about antics outside of it to UEFA.

Atleti head to London for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Arsenal with the tie level at 1-1. The Spanish side are faring better than they did when they last faced the Gunners, who pumped them 4-0 in October.

At the time, Simeone said Mikel Arteta’s side were “the best team we have faced this season.”

So Atleti must be better than them to reach their first Champions League final since 2015/16. It’s been suggested that superstition from the 4-0 battering last time has meant Atleti have picked a different hotel in London to they one they stayed in in October.

But Simeone joked the reasoning was different, saying: “We are doing better than in October – and the hotel was cheaper. That’s why we changed!

“We are confident in terms of what we want with the game, but it is not just down to us. We are convinced about what we need to do.”

While Atleti know what they need to do on the pitch, they also need to shake off a bad night’s sleep, as Spanish outlet Marca reports they were ‘targeted with pyrotechnics’ during the night.

Atletico Madrid report the incident to UEFA

The report suggests this was an attempt to disrupt the Atletico’s side’s rest at a Shoreditch hotel, and they have ‘already reported the incident to UEFA.’

A first round of fireworks were reportedly set off around 1.30 am, and after about 20 minutes, it was repeated ‘with more force,’ interrupting the sleep of ‘more than one footballer and member of the expedition.’

Atletico reported their ‘displeasure of the sequence of events’ swiftly, pointing out that those who set off fireworks had ‘no impediment’ to approaching the hotel.

So, for the most important game of the season, some of those involved might be the most rested. With that said, the report does not make out that a lot of people were impacted.

In any case, it’s funny that Simeone joked about the hotel a day prior to the game, before his club had to complain about antics outside of it the following day.