Dimayor approves four América de Cali home games in Bogotá after earthquake damage

The Pascual Guerrero remains closed to the public, forcing the club to make some moves. América de Cali now has the answer it was hoping for: Dimayor has given the green light to shift its next four matches to Bogotá, a measure that responds directly to the damage left by the earthquake on Monday, August 10 in the region.

The Valle del Cauca club's request didn't come out of nowhere. After the quake, local authorities still haven't cleared the stadium for fans to attend, and without that clearance, playing at home simply isn't viable. Facing that reality, América's front office asked to relocate to the Colombian capital while the situation with the venue gets resolved.

Dimayor confirmed the move officially this Friday, August 21, backing the request and also thanking Bogotá's clubs for their willingness to lend their fields. The statement was clear about the reason behind the change:

"The América team still hasn't received clearance from Local Authorities to use the Pascual Guerrero Stadium with fans in attendance. Therefore, and while the issues at the main venue of the capital of Valle del Cauca are being resolved, América de Cali has the approval and solidarity of Dimayor and the Bogotá clubs to relocate the four matches in question"Dimayor

The four games América will play in Bogotá

The schedule is set: for matchday 7, América will host Junior; on matchday 9 they'll take on Alianza FC; and matchday 10 will close out that stretch against Deportivo Pasto. On top of those three league matches comes a Copa BetPlay fixture, part of the round of 16, against Deportivo Pereira.

It's worth asking how this affects the team's performance. Playing four straight games away from home isn't a small thing for any club, though in this case the priority lies elsewhere: making sure the season keeps moving while Cali deals with the earthquake's aftermath. The solidarity shown by the Bogotá clubs, explicitly noted by Colombian soccer's governing body, ended up being key to getting the request approved.

Meanwhile, the rest of the league is getting back to its usual rhythm. This very weekend, for instance, Millonarios returns to action after the pause that the earthquake also triggered, in a schedule that's gradually trying to normalize despite the difficulties the natural disaster caused in various cities around the country.

For now, América de Cali will have to focus on adjusting to playing as the home side in someone else's stadium, something that's rarely easy mentally, but that the current situation makes unavoidable. The hope is that once local authorities authorize fans to return to the Pascual Guerrero, the club can go back home as usual.