London's Arsenal will avoid disciplinary repercussions from UEFA due to the cancellation of Mikel Arteta's essential pre-match press conference ahead of their away fixture in the Champions League against Napoli.
The Gunners' head coach was scheduled to speak to the media on Tuesday at 19:15 BST. However, the event was scrapped due to a major air traffic management failure in the UK, which caused significant delays. The team's flight only arrived in Naples around 21:30 local time.
UEFA regulations mandate that clubs must fulfil their media obligations a day before matches. Nonetheless, the European football governing body deemed the travel incident as a force majeure, acknowledging that the press conference disruption was unavoidable due to circumstances beyond the club's control.
This logistical chaos has hampered Arsenal's preparations for their opening match in this season's premier European competition. Following last season's heart-wrenching defeat to PSG in the final, Arteta's men are determined to make a decisive push for silverware.
