It would appear that a sigh of relief for Jamaica's Reggae Boyz may have come a bit too soon, following a venue change announcement by CONCACAF kingpins Mexico, which will now see the Jamaicans heading to the Azteca Stadium for the October 11 World Cup qualifier.

Originally, it was conveyed that the Boyz would have met Mexico at the Cuauhtemoc Stadium in the City of Puebla, avoiding the dreaded Azteca Stadium, a place that holds some not-so-fond memories for the national team. Sitting 2,240 metres (7,349 ft) above sea level, the Mexico City stadium and its environs is estimated to contain 30 per cent less oxygen than at sea level. Jamaica's highest point, the Blue Mountain peak, has been estimated at 7,402 feet (2,256 m) above sea level.

"Well it was expected every single team in this round of the World Cup qualifiers will rightly be using whatever it is that they have to there advantage," said Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president Horace Burrell.

Frightening

"The fact is, the Azteca can be a very frightening place to play. They have almost a perfect record there against everyone, so it's no surprise that they would want to play there.

"However, I have every confidence in both our technical and our medical staff and we will be ready for that encounter. We'll be a lot better mentally prepared so expect a keen battle," he added.

Unfriendly place

Traditionally, the high Mexican altitude has not been a friendly place for the Jamaicans to play. Stretching as far back as the 1965 World Cup qualifiers, the national team found itself at the wrong end of an 8-0 defeat at the Estadio Olympico in Mexico City after being narrowly edged out 3-2 at Jamaica's National Stadium in the first leg. Perhaps even more memorable was the disastrous 6-0 defeat during the 1998 World Cup qualification campaign at the Azteca and a 6-1 defeat in Mexico City in 1993.

In May of last year, FIFA president Sepp Blatter, citing advice from the organisation's medical committee, banned the playing of matches above an altitude of 2,500 meters, which would not have included the Azteca. However, following protest from several South American countries, led by Bolivia whose stadium was affected by the ruling, FIFA suspended the ban in May.

Other venues which would have been affected include Peru (Cuzco at 10,827 feet), Ecuador (Quito, 9,186 feet), Col****ia (Bogota, 8,660 feet) and Mexico (Toluca, 8,750 feet).