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Charlotte FC is not in charge of postponing a game

Charlotte FC's match against Columbus was postponed due to severe weather. Who makes the call to postpone MLS games, and what happens if you bought tickets?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte FC will take the field at Bank of America Stadium Wednesday for the first time since a long-awaited match against Columbus was postponed due to severe weather. 

A lot of people have been asking why the team didn't postpone the game sooner and who makes those decisions. 

Twitter was blowing up with hundreds of tweets to Charlotte FC Saturday. The game was delayed for about three hours due to the weather. When the match finally started, the teams only played for about 20 minutes before the game went into yet another weather delay. It was eventually postponed to a later date. 

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WCNC Charlotte's VERIFY team is looking at who makes the final call to postpone a game and what happens if you had tickets to the original event. 

OUR SOURCES

First, let's look at why the match was delayed. According to the Charlotte FC Inclement Weather Policy, if lightning is detected within an 8-mile radius of Bank of America Stadium, the venue will enter a shelter-in-place protocol. That will remain in effect until there is no lightning detected within an 8-mile radius of the stadium for 30 min.

According to WCNC Charlotte's weather team, storms in the area popped up right before kickoff and continued throughout the evening. 

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So who officially makes the call to postpone a game? 

The 2022 MLS Match Delay and Postponement Policy states:

The determination of whether a match is considered delayed or postponed is made by the league office in its sole and absolute discretion. 

The teams do not make that call. 

What happens if you had a ticket to that game? 

Charlotte FC says your ticket is good for the rescheduled game. They say if you have a ticket and can't make the rescheduled game or have questions reach out to Club Service representatives. They will work through it with fans on an individual basis.  

Charlotte FC is still working with the league to get a finalized plan on when Saturday's game will be rescheduled.

Contact Meghan Bragg at mbragg@wcnc.com and follow her on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.

VERIFY is dedicated to helping the public distinguish between true and false information. The VERIFY team, with help from questions submitted by the audience, tracks the spread of stories or claims that need clarification or correction. Have something you want VERIFIED? Text us at 704-329-3600 or visit VERIFY.

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