Volcanic eruptions in the dugouts?

THE Champions League is known for its reunions but Barcelona managers Pep Guardiola might have wished for an easier trip to meet up with a former colleague.

It is 985 kilometres from Barcelona to Milan and two coaches set out at 2.15pm on Sunday afternoon with an overnight stop in Cannes. A luxury coach, for the team of course – six plasma screens, 2 DVD players, wifi, lounge area, etc – followed by a rather less luxurious vehicle for Guardiola and other staff.

Barcelona airport was among those closed by the volcanic dust cloud on Sunday, and although flights restarted shortly after the team departed, all air traffic across northern Italy remained suspended yesterday.