AS Monaco’s Champions League preparations were thrown into chaos after their barely-clothed players were forced off their flight to Brugge.
The French outfit are heading to Belgium ahead of Thursday evening’s opening game in Europe against Club Brugge, with Adi Hutter’s side hoping to improve on their showing last season in which they were knocked out by Benfica in the last-32.
However, it was far from a smooth trip for Monaco, with their flight grounded due to a technical issue.
A problem with the plane’s air conditioning system meant that the cabin effectively became a sauna, with players stripping off just to their underwear as a result.
A video posted on social media by Monaco star Jordan Teze showed the brutal conditions experienced by the players on board, with his teammates fanning themselves in an attempt to keep cool.
Teze later showed the team disembarking the aircraft, where they stood on the tarmac half-naked.
Monaco’s Champions League preparations descended into chaos on Wednesday
Players were forced to strip down to their underwear due to the air conditioning not working
Monaco coach Adi Hutter confirmed the squad would travel on Thursday instead
As a result of the bizarre disruption, Monaco decided to head to Belgium on Thursday morning.
Hutter said on Wednesday: ‘Unfortunately, we were unable to leave today. I don’t know if this setback will have an impact, as we are professionals and immediately changed our schedule.
‘We will therefore travel to Bruges tomorrow, which is the best possible solution, especially since we already did so for the match in Auxerre on Saturday by traveling the same day.’
Hutter added: ‘For technical reasons, it was impossible to travel, as everyone’s safety was not guaranteed.
‘That’s why we decided, in agreement with (CEO) Thiago Scuro, to postpone our trip.’
Monaco will hope they don’t encounter similar issues on their journey home. The French side have a quick turnaround from Thursday’s game, facing Metz on Sunday afternoon.
