Lockdown extension sinks PSL’S hopes for 50% venue attendance
Sport bodies ask for hike in fan capacity at all stadiums
The push by sporting organisations, including the PSL, who submitted a proposal to the government for the current 2000 capacity at stadiums to be increased to 50%, has been dashed by the extension of the national state of disaster by a month, until April 15.
The PSL petitioned the government through a proposal, requesting it to allow more fans back to match venues but the move was scuppered by the extension of the Covid-19 health and protocols announced by the minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs Nkosazana DlaminiZuma.
This week’s extension marked two years since the national lockdown was first declared in response to the Covid-19 pandemic that was first detected in South Africa in March 2020.
As things stand, the country remains under lockdown level 1 but due to low infection rates there is hope that next month the restrictions will be eased. However, it will be too late for football to allow vaccinated fans back as the PSL season ends in May.
The decision by the government to extend the National State of Disaster for yet another month on Tuesday was met with sharp criticism by health experts and opposition political parties.
SA Ruby has been bullish in petitioning the government, lamenting that sport will go bankrupt if match venues stayed closed.
Under its president Mark Alexander, SA Rugby made a virtual presentation before the sports portfolio committee this week, making it discernibly clear that rugby was looking forward to a 100% capacity when South Africa hosts the Rugby World Cup Sevens in September.
Tickets for the tournament in South Africa, from September 9 to 11, went on sale on February 28 and there was no way that the rugby fraternity would limit the number of fans at the Cape Town 2010 World Cup Stadium.