The San Francisco 49ers NFL American football team has said it will continue to manage non-NFL events at Levi’s Stadium after city leaders in Santa Clara earlier this week voted to terminate an agreement with the franchise.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the City of Santa Clara said the 49ers have “grossly mismanaged their procurement authority, violated state laws, and refused to produce the Stadium Authority’s own contracts and documents to assess the extent of violations”.
The 49ers would still be permitted to play home games at the 68,500-seat stadium if the event-management agreement is terminated but would not organise concerts, college football games and other non-NFL events. Levi’s Stadium is owned and managed by the Stadium Authority, a separate arm of the city.
In a statement reported by CBS yesterday (Wednesday), the 49ers said the team “will continue to manage Levi’s Stadium and attract the greatest events in the world to the Bay Area”.
The statement added: “The city’s latest announcement is just another step in a self-destructive process they began years ago as part of a petty political vendetta. All of those efforts failed, just as this latest attempt will also fail.”
A second reading of the terms will take place on October 8. If the Stadium Authority board votes to adopt the change, the terms could come into effect on November 8.
In May, the City of Santa Clara questioned the 49ers’ ability to manage the stadium after threatening to cease the team’s right to issue contracts involving venue operations and cut the franchise’s management fee.
In January, it was revealed that the 49ers were set to receive a $36m tax refund and see future payments slashed by half following a ruling on the status of the stadium that Santa Clara County claimed would have “significant financial consequences” for the local region.
Image: Visit Santa Clara
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