[ad_1]
LOS ANGELES (AP) – The NFL on Tuesday deferred the Rams face-off against the Kansas City Chiefs from Mexico City to Los Angeles due to a bad ground at Azteca Stadium.
The league announced this extraordinary decision six days before one of the most anticipated games of the regular season.
In a press release, the league stated that it had determined that the newly remodeled field in Mexico City's historic stadium "did not meet the NFL's standards for playability and consistency and that it would not meet these standards by next Monday.
The Rams (9-1) will host the leaders (9-1) at the Coliseum. This highly anticipated match is only the fifth game since 1970 between teams who lost one match or less in the 11th week or more.
This decision creates a host of logistical problems for teams and fans traveling to Mexico, and disappoints thousands of fans eager to see a brand match in the most populous city in North America. But the league consulted the players 'association and local officials before deciding that it was not risking the players' health on damaged ground.
"The combination of a difficult rainy season and a busy schedule of several events in the stadium has caused significant damage to the field, which pose unnecessary risks to the safety of players and make the game unsuitable. "NFL match organization," said Mark Waller, NFL executive vice president for the international. "As a result, we determined that moving the game was the right decision, a decision we had to announce now to allow our teams and fans to make other arrangements."
Azteca officials have changed the gameplay from natural grass to hybrid in May, but the pitch has not been ideal for several months. Concern for the ground has increased in recent days, when aerial photos of the stadium showed severe damage to the grass, especially at the end of the stadium recently used for a big concert.
Cruz Azul, the Liga MX football club that shares the stadium with Club America, played a tournament match on the pitch last Saturday in mediocre conditions. Coach Pedro Caixinha expressed concern and the NFL continued to work with field goalkeepers to improve the pitch.
The Rams are required to keep the Colosseum available as a reserve in case of problems with international games. They immediately announced plans to sell tickets starting Wednesday, with season ticket holders able to purchase their own tickets and up to four others.
The Rams will also give thousands of seats to first responders and those affected by the recent tragedies in Southern California. Deadly fires ravaged several areas near the Rams training complex at Thousand Oaks last week. Twelve people were killed during a mass shootout at Thousand Oaks last Wednesday night.
Azteca hosted the first ever regular season game in the United States in 2005, when Arizona defeated San Francisco. The stadium has hosted several NFL shows and the Oakland Raiders, Houston Texans and New England Patriots have all played regular season games in the past two seasons.
The Ram have played in England in each of the previous two seasons. The Rams and Chiefs were to play in Mexico for the first time next week.
The Rams traveled to Colorado Springs on Monday with the intention of spending their week of practice at high altitude preparing for the conditions of Mexico City. The team is currently planning to stay in Colorado Springs before returning home this weekend.
—
More AP NFL: www.apnews.com/NFL and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL
[ad_2]
Source link
