NFL owners committee recommends Raiders-Chargers for LA

A six-member NFL owners committee recommended a stadium project in suburban Carson on Tuesday as the new Los Angeles-area home of the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders.

The Chargers, Raiders and St. Louis Rams -- all of whom once played in Los Angeles -- are looking to return to the LA area in new stadiums and seek support from league owners at a special two-day meeting in Houston that ends on Wednesday.

A report on the league's website confirmed committee support for the Carson plan, which would see the Raiders and Chargers both move into a new $1.7 billion (1.57 billion euros) venue rather than the Inglewood venue envisioned by Rams owner Stan Kroenke, a 70,000-seater arena that could run to $2 billion.

The report noted that full ownership typically does not go against such recommendations, but this is far from a typical matter.

Talks, deals and compromise solutions have been pitched and blocks of owners have been vocal about both proposals even as presentations were made on behalf of each project.

Relocation requires votes from 24 of the league's 32 club owners, meaning only nine votes are needed to thwart any plan.

Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the United States, has not been home to an NFL club since the Raiders relocated to Oakland and the Rams departed for St. Louis, both coming after the 1994 season.

League officials have been critical of current venues in San Diego, Oakland and St. Louis. Oakland in particular has been a headache, in part because it is also home of baseball's Oakland A's, the only NFL stadium shared with a baseball tenant.

Since the NFL last relocated a franchise, when the former Houston Oilers moved to Tennessee in 1997, the NBA has seen three clubs change home cities and baseball and the National Hockey League have each had one club relocation.

Source: AFP