Charlotte (AFP) – The National Football League on Thursday said there were no plans to move this weekend’s clash between the Carolina Panthers and the Minnesota Vikings from Charlotte after an explosion of racially charged rioting in the city.
Unrest in Charlotte on Wednesday left one man on life support as protests against the killing of an African-American man by police on Tuesday turned violent.
The NFL said in a statement there were no plans to reschedule Sunday’s Panthers-Vikings game.
“We are planning to play the game as scheduled on Sunday,” the statement said.
“We are monitoring events in Charlotte and have been in communication with local officials and authorities and both the Carolina Panthers and the Minnesota Vikings.”
Panthers president Danny Morrison said the club would continue to monitor security in the period leading up to the game.
Some reports said officials were concerned at the possibility law enforcement resources might be stretched by having to police unrest as well as the game at Bank of America Stadium.
Last season, the Baltimore Orioles baseball team postponed two home games because of protests following the death of Freddie Gray, who died in police custody on April 12, 2015.
Those postponements led to the spectacle of Baltimore and Chicago playing a game in an empty stadium at Camden Yards.
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