TOTTENHAM’S Europa League opener against Qarabag was severely delayed due to travel chaos.
The Azerbaijani side were staying in Stratford but did not turn up to Spurs’ stadium until 7.45pm due to serious traffic.
That was only 15 minutes before the planned kick-off – which was then pushed back to 8.35pm.
Qarabag’s coach ended up having a police escort for the last mile of their 12-mile journey.
While their late arrival could land them in hot water with Uefa, whose regulations state that both teams must be at the stadium at least 75 minutes before kick-off, as per article 54.01.
But because this is their first offence this season, the club and their coach Gurban Gurbanov will likely only get a warning from European football’s governing body.
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Travel to Spurs was a nightmare due to a multitude of reasons.
Part of the A10, the major road in the area, was closed, while for supporters coming from the south there were major delays on the M25.
A person hit by train at Tottenham Hale train station meant many Greater Anglia trains were cancelled between there and Broxbourne.
And there were severely limited trains coming in from the Hertfordshire direction.
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Gurbanov’s reigning Azerbaijani champions were not the only ones to get caught out by the issues.
TNT Sports pundits Peter Crouch and Glenn Hoddle abandoned their car and legged it down the street to make it in time for the start of their coverage.
Ex-Spurs striker Crouch, 43, said: “Hopefully (the Qarabag team) ran down the High Road like me and Glenn! We gave up wit the car.”
Tottenham legend Hoddle, 66, added: “Peter and I limped.”
Qarabag are not the first to be caught out by the congested roads in N17.
Spurs’ last European fixture – the last-16 Champions League tie against AC Milan in March 2022 – kicked off ten minutes later than planned due to both sides being held up in traffic.
It made Spurs’ fans wait an extra 35 minutes for their first European game in 18 months, who named a strong line-up.
Captain Son Heung-min, Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson all started up top, the latter two having netted in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Brentford.
There were still six changes though, which saw 18-year-old pair Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall make their first European starts of their respective careers.
Boss Ange Postecoglou, managing his first Spurs game in Europe, said: “It is going to be a great experience for our young players. It is different to domestic competition and they will learn a lot.
“Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall have shown great energy. They want to make a career for themselves and my responsibility is to give them opportunity.
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“For a club like us, all these competitions are important. We have not had success for a very long time.
“For a club our size, not winning becomes a millstone around your neck and you have to win something to release that.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
