Diego Simeone in touchline altercation with Arsenal executive during Champions League semi-final

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Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone was furious with Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta late in their UEFA Champions League semi-final on Tuesday -Credit:Harry Murphy - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images


Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone was spotted pushing Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta just moments before the final whistle as the Gunners defeated the La Liga giants to book their place in the UEFA Champions League Final.

Arsenal narrowly beat the Spanish side 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium, with Bukayo Saka netting the all-important goal just before the break to secure the club's first Champions League Final appearance since 2006.

Several players and backroom staff were cautioned on both benches as the clock wound down. A flashpoint then erupted in the 95th minute when the ball went out of play between the two dugouts, as per football.london.

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Bukayo Saka scored the sole goal of the night to secure Arsenal a spot in the Final in Budapest -Credit:Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images

Both Mikel Arteta and Berta were visibly urging the referee to bring the game to a close, with the Arsenal boss in his technical area. Berta had positioned himself near the fourth official when Simeone made a direct move toward his former colleague, forcefully pushing him back in the direction of the tunnel.

The two men share a well-documented history from their time together in the Spanish capital, with the Italian having departed the club only last summer to take up his role with the Gunners.

The Arsenal sporting director clocked up 13 years at Atleti, working with Simeone to spearhead transfer operations at the La Liga side.

Any warmth between the pair was nowhere to be found, however, as staff from both benches were forced to intervene and separate the two men, while the fourth official stepped in to usher Simeone back into his technical area.

The Atleti manager was visibly directing the referee to push the Arsenal technical staff further back from the touchline.

Commentating for Amazon Prime, Jon Champion remarked: "All sorts of antics and now it's kicking off down in the technical area."

"I don't think I've ever seen so many people down on the touchline," co-commentator Alan Shearer added.

"This has been fizzing for a fair while," Champion continued. "Nelson Vivas and a couple of members of the Atletico coaching staff being sent back to their dugout. Calafiori of the Arsenal bench [also being sent back]."

With their spot in the Final now secured, Arteta's Gunners will have one eye on Wednesday's game between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, eager to discover which side they will face in Budapest.

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