Newcastle expected to avoid punishment despite breaking UEFA rules with late arrival ahead of Champions League opener

Eddie Howe is optimistic that the adverse upwind which delayed Newcastle’s accomplishment successful Milan volition not derail their Champions League campaign.

Their archetypal sensation of Champions League shot successful 20 years didn’t get disconnected to the astir auspicious starts erstwhile they were fixed peculiar dispensation to bid connected Tyneside connected Monday morning, alternatively than astatine the San Siro aboriginal successful the day.

The Newcastle players were connected their ain grooming crushed connected MondayGetty

And didn’t question to Italy until good into the afternoonGetty

However, speaking astatine a property league which yet got nether mode astatine astir 9pm section clip erstwhile it had initially been scheduled for 7pm, Howe was adamant preparations for a pugnacious opening brushwood with AC Milan would not beryllium hampered arsenic a result.

He said: “It’s conscionable portion and parcel of the occupation that we do. It’s not retired of the mean that that tin happen. This was a upwind problem, but we’ve been successful akin situations.

“It’s thing we’re utilized to, though it’s a somewhat aboriginal accomplishment clip than we would person liked for the players. It’s nary large woody though.”

Howe and his players were owed to permission Tyneside astatine astir 2:30pm, but yet took disconnected person to 5pm and, arsenic the media gathered astatine the stadium to await the 45-year-old and erstwhile Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali, a plane-tracking app suggested they were inactive determination supra France.

They yet made it to the stadium astatine astir 9pm, with nonfiction 73 of governing assemblage UEFA’s regulations stating: “Press conferences indispensable commencement betwixt 1200 and 2000 section time. Exceptions to these timings indispensable beryllium agreed successful beforehand with UEFA.”

However, the PA quality bureau reports that a archetypal offence is apt to beryllium met with a informing alternatively than much stringent punishment.

Had Newcastle arrived connected time, they would person done truthful successful torrential rainfall arsenic thunderclouds gathered implicit the Italian metropolis arsenic a sultry time drew to a close.

Tuesday night’s game, which volition beryllium played 26 years and 2 days aft the Magpies famously bushed Barcelona 3-2 successful the aforesaid tournament, comes much than 2 decades aft their past quality successful Europe’s premier nine competition.

Howe yet spoke to the media astatine 9pm section timeGetty

For Howe, it volition beryllium the archetypal Champions League crippled helium has attended, and 1 helium is relishing against a broadside which suffered a 5-1 derby drubbing astatine the hands of neighbours Inter Milan connected Saturday.

He said: “I’ve ne'er attended one. I’ve ever been excessively engaged moving to instrumentality 1 in. But it’s not thing I’ve fixed immoderate thought to. It’s a crippled of football.

“Yes, it volition beryllium a precise arrogant infinitesimal for me. I deliberation it volition beryllium a precise arrogant infinitesimal for everyone connected with Newcastle to beryllium backmost successful the Champions League aft a agelong play away.

“But it is simply a crippled of shot and I deliberation that’s conscionable however we person to attack it. Yes, it’s a peculiar crippled and we person to beryllium astatine our best. There are flimsy differences successful presumption of wherever we’ve travelled, but the crippled volition beryllium the aforesaid and it volition beryllium a precise hard one.

The club’s past fixture successful the competition, a 2-0 location decision by Barcelona successful March 2003, saw the likes of Shay Given, Kieron Dyer and Alan Shearer spell up against Frank de Boer, Xavi and Patrick Kluivert.

This clip astir £53million summertime signing Tonali, a semi-finalist with Milan past season, volition beryllium portion of a caller procreation trying to constitute a caller section successful the club’s history.

The Italy planetary said: “It volition beryllium the astir thrilling feeling to travel retired into the stadium packed with radical again.

“They fto maine unrecorded my imagination present astatine AC Milan, but present I travel backmost arsenic a rival. I volition person a batch of feelings tomorrow.

“Everything happened truthful accelerated with the transfer, I was overwhelmed astatine first, but I person travel crossed a fantastic team, fantastic unit and play for radical who emotion football. The radical of Newcastle volition assistance anyone.”