American Football: Snowstorm brings down Metrodome roof

The inflatable roof of the Metrodome sports stadium collapsed yesterday after a snowstorm dumped 17 inches (43 centimetres) on Minneapolis.

No-one was hurt, but the roof failure sent the National Football League scrambling to find a new venue for the Vikings' game against the New York Giants.

The teams had been scheduled to play at noon yesterday. The game was pushed back to tonight when Saturday's blizzard kept the Giants from flying to Minneapolis. But after the Teflon roof collapsed overnight, the commission that runs the Metrodome told the NFL that the stadium wouldn't be ready for a game on Monday or Tuesday.

Bill Lester, executive director of the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, said a crew that had been working to clear snow off the roof was pulled off late Saturday night due to safety concerns."There were no injuries, which we're thankful for," Lester said.