Technical problem delays Spain football team's flight to Japan by 24 hours

Madrid, July 13 (IANS) The Spanish football team for the Olympic Games will fly to Japan later on Tuesday after a 24-hour delay due to 'mechanical problems'.The Olympic-bound team was due to fly to Kobe from Madrid on Monday (July 12), but the flight was cancelled due to a "last minute mechanical problem" and the players will now travel 24 hours later.The squad travels to Japan after 13 days of training in Benidorm (eastern Spain) and after incorporating six players (Unai Simon, Eric Garcia, Pau Torres, Dani Olmo, Pedri and Mikel Oyarzabal) who were with the Spanish team that reached the semifinals of the European Championship, before losing on penalties to eventual winners Italy on July 6, reports Xinhua.The six full internationals have been able to enjoy a few days of holiday and have not participated in the training sessions held by Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, although FC Barcelona has protested against 18-year-old Pedri's participation in both the European Championship and the Olympic Games.The Spanish will play their only warm-up game against Japan on July 17, before starting their Olympic campaign against Egypt on July 22.Following Spain's promising display in the Euros and the fact that players such as Mikel Merino, Dani Ceballos and Oscar Mingueza are all included in the squad means the side travels with high hopes of a medal and will be one of the favourites for gold in Tokyo.IANSakm/