Newcastle manager Eddie Howe explains being late for Champions League opener in Milan due to weather problems, but assures that such situations are not uncommon.
Newcastle unintentionally broke UEFA rules for getting ready for the Champions League because their flight to Milan got delayed for over two hours because of a storm in Italy.
Eddie Howe and his team left Newcastle for their flight to northern Italy, but their departure was delayed by two hours and 20 minutes.
As per UEFA rules, teams must conduct their pre-match press conferences on the day before the match between 12pm and 8pm local time.
A storm hit Milan at 5pm, shortly after Newcastle departed. It’s unclear if the storm caused the delay.
Eddie Howe explained that the team’s flight to the San Siro was delayed due to weather conditions. They had to wait on the runway for almost two hours before they could take off.
Newcastle’s press conference began at 9pm, two hours after its scheduled start time.
Howe said the weather wouldn’t ruin Newcastle’s Champions League journey.
The team had a rough start to their European journey. Instead of training at the San Siro, they had to train in Tyneside for a long time.
During his press conference, Howe emphasized that the delay in their arrival would not affect their preparations for the challenging match against Milan.
He said: “It’s just part and parcel of the job that we do. It’s not out of the normal that that can happen. This was a weather problem, but we’ve been in similar situations.
“It’s something we’re used to, although it’s a slightly later arrival time than we would have liked for the players. It’s no big deal, though.”
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