Arsenal’s sporting director Andrea Berta and Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone were involved in a scuffle during the two sides’ Champions League semi-final second leg on Tuesday.
As the clock wound down at the Emirates Stadium, with the Gunners leading 1-0, tempers boiled over in the respective techincal areas, with Berta confronted by the visiting head coach.
Simeone was spotted walking over to Berta, who had made his way to the touchline, with the Arsenal executive waving his arms at the referee, claiming that time was up and the full-time whistle should be blown.
Simeone pushed Berta, which led to a melee between both sides’ staff and substitutes just moments before the final whistle arrived.
Simeone’s protests went in vain, as Arsenal reached a first Champions League final in 20 years with a 2-1 aggregate victory, handed to them by Bukayo Saka’s first-half strike.
The tie had been hanging in the balance going back to the Emirates Stadium after a tense 1-1 draw in the first leg at the Estadio Metropolitano.
The Gunners had led through Viktor Gyokeres’ penalty, which was cancelled out by Julian Alvarez’s spot-kick.
Arteta’s men saw a penalty decision overruled by VAR late on, when Eberechi Eze went down in the box, but was adjudged to have already been heading to the turf before contact from David Hancko was made.
Regardless, Arsenal are in the Champions League final, which will take place at the Puskas Arena in Budapest later this month.
They will play either Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich in the showpiece finale, having lost to Paris in last year’s semis and beaten Bayern in this year’s league phase.
