What are the facts?

The past weekend saw supporters returning to the stadium in the Nedbank Cup, which was a bit of a relief for the clubs, because the PSL covers the costs of hosting matches whenever knockout competitions matches are played.

But, as clubs return to league action this week, the cost of having to welcome supporters will fall on their shoulders. The PSL has categorized matches, and this gives clubs an indication of how much security they need to have at the match. In cases where clubs have not provided adequate security for the category of the game, they have been fined by the PSL.

President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation last week and, while he indicated that South Africa would no longer be in a State of Disaster, he stated that “indoor and outdoor venues can take up to 50% of their capacity, provided that proof of vaccination or a COVID-19 test not older than 72 hours is required to enter the venue”.

The PSL will follow the regulations and could keep it at a 50% capacity until the end of the season, even if there is a change on the government’s stance. With the requirement of vaccination certificates and negative COVID-19 test results, clubs will have to ensure there are more people at the match venues to verify the documents that the supporters produce on matchday, which will come at a cost for clubs who don’t have a partnership with municipalities in their area.

While supporters are happy to be making a return to the stadium, the financial side will definitely add to the club’s budget as they head towards the end of the season.