San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh has revealed that he respects the decision of the Seattle Seahawks to refuse to sell tickets for the NFC Championship game to people from California.
Only supporters in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Alaska, Hawaii and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta will be able to buy tickets to the title match, to ensure the Seahawks have as much home support inside CenturyLink Field as possible on Sunday.
"Well, it's within the rules," Harbaugh told the Bay Area News Group. "It's within the spirit of the rules of the National Football League. I actually respect it, what you're trying to do for your team, put them in the best possible position to win that you can.
"And I respect that their organisation does that for their team. They do that in a lot of ways, with their team, with their fans, with their organization. So, what do I think of it? I respect it."
The 49ers and the Seahawks meet for the third time this season in the Championship game, with each side claiming one win each from their two previous clashes.
Simon Sinclair
