Sorry, You'll Have To Play Somewhere Else

That's what Mexican club Necaxa was told last Sunday as they were preparing for tonight's Copa Libertadores match against Uruguayan side Nacional (which they lost). I'm guessing that picking a pop star over a mid-week match was a money decision, but regardless, it doesn't bode well for state soccer south of the border. Money quote:

Their [Necaxa's] stadium in Aguascalientes was hosting a concert by Shakira the following evening -- with more than 24 hours needed to get the arena ready for the Colombian singer, who provided the pre-match entertainment at last year's World Cup final.

Both the Libertadores and Shakira's tour were planned months ago, yet the authorities were still caught out.

Shakira won the day and Necaxa will have to play at Mexico City's Azteca stadium, around 600 kilometres away. Any fans dedicated enough to see the match will be back in line at the travel agents looking for plane or bus tickets.

For more doozies, read the rest of Brian Homewood's Reuters piece.

Mexican soccer joy for travel agents and pop stars [Guardian]

-ac