Arsenal Faces Travel Chaos Before Champions League Match in Naples

Arsenal’s Champions League preparations were thrown off course on Tuesday when travel chaos forced the club to cancel its pre-match press conference in Naples.

Mikel Arteta was due to speak to the media at 7:15 p.m. local time ahead of Wednesday’s clash with Napoli, but the manager never made it to the podium. A major technical issue with the UK’s air traffic control system triggered widespread disruption, delaying or cancelling hundreds of flights — including Arsenal’s.

The squad is not expected to land in Naples until around 9:30 p.m. local time, leaving no window for the usual pre-game media duties.

Under normal circumstances, managers are obliged to address the press before Champions League fixtures, with UEFA ready to fine clubs that fail to comply. This time, the governing body will not sanction Arsenal, accepting that the situation lies beyond the club’s control.

So Arteta’s first public words of this European campaign will have to wait until matchday itself, when Arsenal step out at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona for a 9 p.m. local kickoff on Wednesday.

It is the start of another tilt at the one prize that continues to elude the club. Arsenal came painfully close last season, reaching the 2025-26 final only to lose to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties. That shootout still lingers in the background of everything they do in Europe.

Domestically, the picture looks very different. Arsenal finally ended a 22-year wait for a league crown last season, lifting the Premier League trophy for the first time since 2004. That title has reset expectations around the club and around Arteta himself.

They have carried that momentum into the new campaign, opening the league season with three wins from three. Confidence is high, the squad is seasoned by recent scars, and the target is clear.

The journey to fix last season’s heartbreak now begins on a disrupted night, with a late arrival, no press conference, and all the talking saved for the pitch in Naples.