Another potential spanner in the works for England
Written by Kris Mole Sunday, 16 May 2010 22:35
The England team's plans to fly out tomorrow to Austria for the high-altitide training camp have been put in jeopardy as a new cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland threatens to cause havoc once again. Earlier today, executives from the FA were liasing with both airlines and Met Office about the possibilities.
Yesterday, airports in northern England, Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland were closed, and now the England players are waiting to find out if closures will also affect London's airports.
An FA spokesman said that the association was in constant touch with the relevant authorities as it monitored the situation. Should the cloud of ash lead to closures in London, the England squad will revert to Plan B, which is to train at their normal base in the city.
After a week that has been far from ideal and relaxed in preparation to the tournament, as Capello came under scrutiny for his decision to launch his player ratings system, followed later in the week by the resignation of the FA chairman Lord Triesman, this is the last thing FA officials and England players would've hoped for.
Capello used the high-altitude training camp in Irdning, Austria when he was in charge of Real Madrid, and the Italian has emphasised its importance in preparing for conditions in Rustenburg, South Africa, where England will play their first match of the tournament against the Yanks.
If England don't manage to fly out tomorrow, the Met Office has said that changing wind patterns later in the week will see the cloud directed away from the British Isles.
After the initial round of high-altitude training, the squad will return to England to play their warm-up friendly against the Mexicans at Wembley on the 24th of May, before being granted two days to spend with families, before returning to Austria to resume the training.
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