Champions League winner makes determined plea to UEFA over Arsenal – ‘should intervene’
Arsenal will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich in the Champions League final, but former Netherlands international Wesley Sneijder has jokingly called on UEFA to ‘intervene’
Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Jesus of Arsenal celebrate(Image: Offside via Getty Images)
Former Champions League winner Wesley Sneijder has joked that UEFA should “intervene” to stop Arsenal from competing in the final of the competition.
The Gunners saw off Atletico Madrid in their semi-final second leg on Tuesday evening to book their place in the final, which takes place in Budapest on May 30. Bukayo Saka netted the decisive strike at the Emirates Stadium, securing Arsenal a 2-1 aggregate triumph over Atletico.
Arsenal will now turn their attention to the final later this month, where either Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich await as their opposition. The second leg of the remaining semi-final sees Munich welcome PSG to the Allianz Arena on Wednesday evening, with the French side holding a 5-4 first-leg lead.
JOIN US ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page
Arsenal’s match-winning strike arrived in the 44th minute, moments before the interval, and it was following the game that Sneijder criticised both sides’ displays in north London.
The former Inter Milan midfielder and Netherlands international proceeded to argue that the second leg between PSG and Bayern Munich ought to be considered the Champions League final.
“I said after 35 minutes, UEFA must intervene,” Sneijder stated on Ziggo Sport. “They need to call London: both teams off the pitch, and tomorrow the final will be played between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.
“I knew this would happen, Atletico dropped back and gave away possession, and Arsenal had a lot of control over the ball.”
Sneijder then went on to praise both Arsenal and manager Mikel Arteta for reaching the final, which will be the first time that the Gunners will have competed in the showpiece fixture since their defeat to Barcelona back in 2006.
“I looked at the players again, and Arteta already deserves a statue,” Sneijder said. “He simply doesn’t have any top players, and with the current squad, he manages to push Atletico back, which is impressive.”
Arteta reflected on the triumph over Atletico and the feelings he experienced after securing a place in the final, with the Gunners maintaining their unbeaten record throughout the tournament.
“Yes, because we know how difficult and challenging every opponent is at this level,” Arteta said. “Atletico, they are an incredible team, the way they compete, the solution they have, the answer they have to everything that you try to do to them immediately, it’s incredible.
“The reason that they’ve been there, they’ve done an outstanding job there, and the margins are so small, and tonight they go for us.”
