Menzi Magubane
Many football lovers on social media are voicing their disappointment and blaming the government for not allowing them to return to stadiums.
But if fans who were bashing the government and the South African Football Association (SAFA) want to continue pointing fingers, they should point them at the Premier Soccer League (PSL).
After President Cyril Ramaphosa downgraded the country back to lockdown level 1 last month, most activities, including sports activities, were allowed to resume under the Covid-19 protocol.
Minister of Sport Nathi Mthethwa, along with the minister of Health Dr Joe Phaahla, agreed with SAFA to allow a limited number of vaccinated fans back into the stadiums.
SAFA used the Bafana Bafana fixture against Ethiopia at the FNB Stadium two weeks ago to test the waters and allowed 2,000 fans to watch that match under the condition that they have been vaccinated.
Even though FNB Stadium has a capacity of over 90,000 it was refreshing to see the 2,000 fans back again.
Understandably some supporters thought that with SAFA allowing those 2,000 fans back in, they would also be allowed to return to the stadiums to support their favourite teams in the DStv Premiership.
But they were met with disappointment when the PSL issued a statement separate from the one published by SAFA, saying they were not yet ready to welcome fans back to the stadiums.
After engaging with SAFA, the PSL said: “Until further notice, the PSL Covid-19 protocol continues to limit attendance to 165 persons required at the match.”
According to the PSL, the upcoming MTN8 final match between Mamelodi Sundowns and Cape Town City at Moses Mabhida Stadium will be used to test the protocols that will be put in place.
But 165 people at a 50,000 capacity stadium is a joke. What kind of protocols are there to be tested?
Of those 165 people, 55 will be media personnel while the rest will definitely be filled by dignitaries which means fans will still not be allowed.
In all, the PSL has failed football lovers and with the talk of a Covid-19 fourth wave on the horizon, it doesn’t look as if those fans will be coming back anytime soon.
Image source: @yeswecrann
