Newcastle unintentionally violated UEFA’s Champions League protocols when their trip to Milan faced a delay exceeding two hours due to an Italian storm.
Manager Eddie Howe’s team departed from Newcastle 140 minutes later than scheduled for their journey to northern Italy.
According to UEFA’s regulations, teams must conduct their pre-game press briefings between 12 p.m. and 8 p.m. local time the day preceding the game.
A storm hit Milan around 5 p.m. shortly after Newcastle’s departure, although it’s unclear if this was the direct cause of the hold-up. Upon reaching San Siro, Howe cited the weather as the cause of their delay, noting they remained on the tarmac for almost two hours before ascending.
In spite of the setback, Howe remains confident that the weather-related delay won’t hinder Newcastle’s Champions League journey.
Despite starting their European trip under challenging circumstances and opting to train in Tyneside instead of San Siro on Monday, Howe assured that the team’s readiness for their challenging match against Milan remains unaffected.
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.”
