The Oakland Raiders NFL American football franchise appears set to relocate to Las Vegas after the league’s commissioner, Roger Goodell, rejected a stadium proposal that sought to keep the team in California.
Last October, the Nevada state legislature approved the Raiders’ plans to build a new $1.9bn (£1.5bn/€1.7bn) stadium in Las Vegas, a move that seemingly paved the way for the team to relocate from California.
Oakland is keen to retain the franchise, however, and submitted its own plans to the NFL in a bid to prevent the Raiders from moving to Las Vegas.
Oakland has submitted a bid for a $1.3bn multi-purpose stadium complex, which would house the Raiders and also provide a space for Major League Baseball franchise, the Oakland A’s.
NFL owners are expected to vote on the Raiders’ relocation later today (Monday) and Goodell (pictured) suggested that the move is likely to be given the green light when dismissing Oakland’s stadium proposal over the weekend.
In a letter reported by the East Bay Times newspaper, Goodell stated that Oakland’s proposal is not “clear and specific, actionable in a reasonable time frame, and free of major contingencies”.
The letter added: “Key issues that we have identified as threshold considerations are simply not resolvable in a reasonable time.
“We also accept that you do not wish to exercise (and may not be able to exercise) the contractual termination rights related to the A’s.”
The Oakland proposal centres on a 55,000-seat stadium for the Raiders and includes hotels, restaurants and a new ballpark for the A’s.
The Raiders intend on building a 65,000-seater in Nevada near the Las Vegas Strip. The team needs approval from 24 of the league’s 32 owners to press ahead with the relocation.
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