MANCHESTER, England (AP) - In the latest pre-game embarrassment for Manchester United, Jose Mourinho chose to walk to Old Trafford for the team’s Champions League match against Juventus on Tuesday as traffic problems struck England’s biggest club once again.
United’s team bus arrived at the stadium just 50 minutes before kickoff because of heavy traffic on the nearby roads. The half-mile bus journey from the team’s nearby hotel ended up taking 70 minutes.
The same thing happened ahead of United’s last Champions League home game, against Valencia three weeks ago: On that occasion, United’s bus arrived at Old Trafford 45 minutes before kickoff, which needed to be delayed by five minutes as a result.
Mourinho wasn’t on the bus this time. He had decided to walk to the stadium from the hotel instead, and arrived about 30 minutes before his players.
“I walked in a hoodie, in the middle of the fans, no one recognized me,” said Mourinho, who was escorted by security as he walked.
United has a history of turning up late for matches - they have done so a number of times in the Premier League, including for back-to-back matches in London against Tottenham and then West Ham in 2016.
UEFA fined United 15,000 euros ($17,250) and warned Mourinho because of the team’s late arrival against Valencia and for being late again for the subsequently delayed kickoff. Champions League rules require teams to arrive 75 minutes in advance, so United is set to receive another fine.
United chose to stay at a hotel closer to Old Trafford for the game against Juventus, but it didn’t make a difference.
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/tag/apf-Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Please read our comment policy before commenting.