The Chiefs and Rams will play their Monday night showdown. But the venue has changed.
After consulting with the NFLPA and inspecting the field at Azteca Stadium, sub-standard conditions have forced the NFL to move Monday night’s game between the two 9-1 teams from Mexico City to Los Angeles. The Rams were the original home team for this game before the NFL moved it to Mexico.
“The combination of a difficult rainy season and a heavy multi-event calendar of events at the stadium have resulted in significant damage to the field that presents unnecessary risks to player safety and makes it unsuitable to host an NFL game,” said Mark Waller, NFL executive vice president of international.
“As a result, we have determined that moving the game is the right decision, and one that we needed to announce now in order to allow our teams and fans to make alternate arrangements.”
The move put several Chiefs fans in a logistical and financial bind. The trip — airfare, lodging, tickets and entertainment bookings — exceeded $2,000 for some, and they spent Tuesday afternoon looking for ways to change flights to Los Angeles or cancel travel and accommodation plans altogether without penalty. The NFL said game ticket reimbursement details are to be announced.
Brian Stewart, a Chiefs fan from Springfield, arrived in Mexico on Monday in anticipation of the game. When he received a text from his son informing him of the site change, he figured it was a joke.
“I thought he was just jacking with me,” Stewart told The Star. “I understand player safety, but you know what, this has been going on for a month now. I’m frustrated they waited until less than a week before the game. That’s the problem for me. Everyone in the world knows you don’t book travel plans a week in advance.”
The field at Azteca Stadium was switched from a natural grass surface to a hybrid grass-synthetic in the spring, but it’s been heavily used for concerts and soccer games. That foot traffic combined with significant rain in the region prevented the grass in the turf from taking root and growing.
Reports of the poor conditions first surfaced after a Shakira concert tore up the field on Oct. 11. Photos circulated of the field after that and sparked concern among teams and league officials. There was another concert there this month.
Groundskeepers in Mexico City were having trouble getting the kikuyu grass to take root, George Toma, legendary Kansas City groundskeeper, told The Star.
“A college grounds keeper was down there two months ago and he told me they’re having a hard time to get the kikuyu to root into the soil,” Toma said.
After officials met in Mexico City on Tuesday and evaluated the field, they determined it wasn’t a safe playing surface. NFL players also threatened to not participate in the game, citing safety concerns if it went on as scheduled, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Because the Chiefs were planning to fly to Mexico City on Sunday, their schedule isn’t disrupted. Instead, they’ll fly to Los Angeles. The Rams will practice in Colorado Springs, where were set to adjust to Mexico City’s high altitude. They chose to stay because some players’ homes were affected by wildfires back in the LA area.
The LA Coliseum is available to host the event because league rules mandate the home team participating in an international game make its home stadium available in case the game has to be moved.
As for tickets, Rams season-ticket holders can purchase their current seats until 7 p.m. Central time Thursday. Season-ticket holders will also have access to a three-hour presale Wednesday before tickets go on sale for the general public at 3 p.m. Central.
Tickets for the general public can be purchased at therams.com. Tickets are mobile-only and can be accessed on the LA Rams or Ticketmaster app.
The Rams will also provide thousands of complimentary tickets to first responders in the Los Angeles community along with people impacted by recent tragedies, such as the wildfires and mass shooting in Thousand Oaks.
The Star’s Sam McDowell contributed to this report