The most hyped game of the year — a potential electric Super Bowl preview — has a new, safer venue.
Monday night’s Rams-Chiefs matchup, which was slated to take place in Mexico City, is being moved to Los Angeles, ESPN first reported Tuesday. The league and its players had been concerned about the field at Azteca Stadium, to the point a boycott was floated.
The hybrid grass at Azteca started to deteriorate because of soccer teams Cruz Azul and Club America, who both play their home games at the stadium. Aside from being overused for soccer matches, Azteca has hosted a number of concerts recently, including a few from singer Shakira, which damaged the surface, according to the Associated Press.
Multiple players on the Rams and Chiefs had been “strongly considering” not playing due to the horrid condition of the field, ESPN.com reported, citing sources.
“It’s not fair to risk our health,” one player said on background.
“The field is not in the best condition and that concerns me for the next tournament,” Cruz Azul coach Pedro Caixinha said. “We all know that it’s not right, that it has not been right and that it will not be all right, but those are the circumstances, and if we can help, we will do it.”
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