A story in the national press reports that Blackburn Rovers players were forced to pay for their own flights out of Frankfurt following their warm-weather training camp in Austria
Blackburn Rovers players were given the option to find a flight back to the UK after being stranded in Frankfurt last week.
Rovers flew back from their pre-season training camp in Austria on Saturday after a doubleheader against TSV Hartberg. Having won those games 6-0 and 4-1, the group flew from Vienna to Frankfurt for a connecting flight to Manchester.
However, Lancs Live understands their flight back to Manchester was initially delayed by 45 minutes before being cancelled by the airline due to adverse weather conditions. That left Rovers’ players and staff, around 50 people, stuck in Germany.
Rovers put the group up in a hotel in Frankfurt for the night whilst they assessed their options. Flights the following day were already heavily booked and the cancellation on Saturday night only added to the logistical problems.
With around 50 people to try and find flights for back to Manchester, Rovers chiefs gave players and staff the option to try and find their own way back to the UK. That opened up possibilities for players to fly via different airlines and locations to get themselves home.
Around a dozen senior players took this option, with families to get home for. Considering the players had been away for a week in Austria, Rovers’ players were more than happy to pay for this after being given the option to do so.
The remaining players and staff stayed in Frankfurt on Sunday with few options available. The club put those who stayed in a hotel once again on Sunday night before the group flew home on Monday to Manchester as planned.
At no point were players forced to find their way back, nor was this a cash-related problem. Blackburn Rovers will try and retrieve the money spent by their players via the appropriate channels.
