Gates reopen for Charlotte FC match after weather delay at Bank of America Stadium
Potentially thousands of Charlotte FC fans were shut out of Wednesday night’s match, forced to stand outside, as lightning and storms delayed kickoff at Bank of America Stadium.
Entry for the match against Chelsea FC was cut off for at least one hour. Around 50,000 fans were expected.
Gates finally opened at 7:55 p.m., and kickoff was moved to 8:35 p.m., Charlotte FC said in a tweet.
One fan tweeted: “Can we all just agree that closing the gates is not effective at getting people to shelter in place? @CharlotteFC @cltfcfantv #ForTheCrown”
oh geez we have to figure out a better way one of those trees gets hit and 100s are hit. https://t.co/SfbeAs3ePC
— Brad Panovich (@wxbrad) July 20, 2022
WCNC chief meteorologist Brad Panovich responded to an image showing a mass of fans sequestered outdoors on an uptown street near the stadium, gathered under trees. He wrote: “Oh geez we have to figure out a better way one of those trees gets hit and 100s are hit.”
Fans finally being allowed in for Chelsea-Charlotte FC pic.twitter.com/NbKfgW1jjZ
— Scott Fowler (@scott_fowler) July 20, 2022
This is a developing story.
