Newcastle could face Uefa punishment without kicking a ball as storm throws Champions League plans into chaos
NEWCASTLE could face a Uefa punishment because of a storm that has disrupted their Champions League plans.
Eddie Howe‘s pre-match press conference was delayed by the torrential weather spreading across Europe.
Howe and his Newcastle squad landed in Milan around 7:50pm local time on Monday night.
Uefa rules state press conferences must take place between 12-8pm.
Newcastle had scheduled their press conference to take place at 7pm, but stormy conditions disrupted their journey to northern Italy.
The Magpies boss eventually spoke to the assembled media at 9pm.
Toon were supposed to travel to Milan Malpensa Airport at 2:30pm, but their flight only took off at 4:49pm.
Howe revealed he and the squad were forced to wait on the runway for some time before departing.
He said: “I believe it was a weather problem, so we were delayed taking off. We were sat on the runway for quite some time. It was nothing that’s too out of the ordinary for us. We do a lot of travelling in the UK, and it can happen from time to time. We’re here now.
“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.
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“It’s been a long day for us, we had an early start and a late finish. It’s been a day of preparation, trying to get all of our game plan right and make sure we’re as well organised as we can be for tomorrow’s game. It’s been intense. As soon as the game finished against Brentford, we immediately turned our attention to this one.
“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.
“The thought of not coming earlier in the day was so we could do our tactical work behind closed doors. For me, that’s so important, that we get our work done and are able to work because it’s such a small amount of time between games. It was really valuable that we did that.
“I don’t think it impacted the flight schedule, the weather did that. We wanted to train and prepare for the game, whereas if you train here then that goes out of the window.”
And although the delay was out of the club’s control, Newcastle could still be sanctioned after breaking Article 73.
The regulation states: “Article 73 of the UEFA regulations state: “Press conferences must start between 12.00 and 20.00 local time. Exceptions to these timings must be agreed in advance with UEFA.”
However it is possible Uefa will let Newcastle off the hook as the bad weather was unpredictable and out of their control.
The Magpies take on AC Milan at the San Siro on Tuesday in their first Champions League game for 20 years.