MEXICAN FOOTBALL RETURNS TO NORMAL...

Saturday May 9, 2009
Mexican football returns to normal _ sort of
STEPHEN WADE
AP Sports Writer

MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexican football returned to normal this weekend, with a few glaring differences.

Almost all of the country's stadiums were open to fans - from the first to third division - but capacity was limited to 50 percent with fans encouraged to wear masks. Seating was spread out at every venue to keep body contact to a minimum, and hand disinfectant was as readily available as beer and tacos.

This is fallout from the swine flu outbreak, which shuttered all of Mexico's stadiums last weekend and left fans outside while the matches went on inside.

"We're happy to be back. Last weekend was like losing your girlfriend," said Oscar Montes, waiting to enter Mexico City's 105,000-seat Aztec Stadium for Saturday's match between America and Necaxa. "I guess last weekend was needed, but it all seems a bit overblown."

Swine flu is blamed for the deaths of 48 people in Mexico and two in the United States. In the last several days health officials have lowered the alert levels, allowing fans to return to their rituals.

Montes and his friend Gerardo Cuellar are both supporters of Necaxa, a struggling team trying to fight off demotion to a lower division. This was the last weekend of the regular season, and Necaxa needed a victory over America to have any chance of remaining in Mexico's topflight.

Cuellar was pessimistic.

"It's kind of bittersweet that we have football again," he said. "At least we can see matches in person, but I'm afraid of what we are going to see."

Mexican Football Federation officials earlier in the week said all the country's stadiums would be open on Saturday and Sunday. However, outbreaks in several regions promoted officials to close three first-division stadiums on Saturday. The matches were: San Luis vs. Toluca, Jaguars vs. Cruz Azul and Atlas vs. Pachuca.

Three other first-division stadiums were open on Saturday, and all three games on Sunday were expected to be played with fans.

To the untrained eye, the vast asphalt area outside Aztec Stadium returned to its fairground atmosphere, filled with dozens of tented concession stands selling team flags, caps and grilled delicacies to mostly young men who were either wearing Necaxa or America shirts - or no shirts at all.

For the trained eye, things were still askew.

"Business is very light," said Jorge Torres, running a T-shirt stand just a few meters (yards) from the turnstiles. Aztec Stadium was closed to fans last weekend, and was one of three stadiums in the country closed to fans the weekend before.

"My financial losses were about like losing a half month's worth of work," he said. "And these two teams today are not playing very well, so they won't draw many extra fans."

Alberto Macias concurred.

Macias was trying to make a few pesos reselling tickets. He said he bought about 100 for 80 pesos (about $6) each, and hoped to unload them for 100 pesos (about $7.50).

"I haven't sold one," he said. "I think that's how it's going to be. It all still feels strange."