Liverpool’s Flight Delays Affect Champions League Preparations
FRANKFURT, Germany — Liverpool’s travel plans ahead of their Champions League match against Eintracht Frankfurt were hindered when their flight was halted at Liverpool John Lennon Airport due to a technical issue.
Arne Slot’s side is set to face Frankfurt on Wednesday, hoping to avoid their fifth consecutive loss, a feat not seen since September 1953. The team was originally scheduled to depart Liverpool on a charter flight following a training session at 4 p.m. BST.
However, after an extended delay, the club announced that Slot’s press conference at Deutsche Bank Park, intended for 7:30 p.m. CET, was canceled due to the ongoing issue with the aircraft.
A club statement read: “Liverpool’s pre-match press conference for the Champions League clash with Eintracht Frankfurt has been canceled. Arne Slot and a team member were expected to speak to the media upon arrival in Germany, but the delay in the Reds’ flight means the briefing cannot take place.”
Reports indicate that the flight eventually took off at 7:51 p.m. BST, nearly four hours later than originally intended.
Slot reassured that the delay would not impact the team’s preparation for the match. “No, it will not affect our build-up to tomorrow’s game,” he told UEFA.com. “We have trained here at the AXA; normally we would have left for Frankfurt earlier, but now we’re just a few hours behind schedule. That should not serve as an excuse for the game.”
By not arriving in Germany the night before the match, Liverpool technically infringes upon Article 48 of UEFA’s regulations, which mandates clubs fulfill media obligations. However, Arsenal successfully avoided penalties last season after their flight to Lens was delayed due to severe weather, as it was considered an uncontrollable situation.
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