Irvin Khoza says delaying opening of stadiums was because ’we value the fans’

PSL boss Irvin Khoza says clubs must adhere to the regulations for the return of fans to pave the way for football to get back to 100% capacity at stadiums sooner rather than later. Picture: Itumeleng English/African News Agency (ANA)

PSL boss Irvin Khoza says clubs must adhere to the regulations for the return of fans to pave the way for football to get back to 100% capacity at stadiums sooner rather than later. Picture: Itumeleng English/African News Agency (ANA)

Published Mar 29, 2022

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Johannesburg - The Premier Soccer League chairman Irvin Khoza says clubs must adhere to the regulations for the return of fans to pave the way for football to get back to 100% capacity at stadiums sooner rather than later.

Khoza on Tuesday confirmed that stadiums for DStv Premiership and Nedbank Cup matches will be allowed to hold 50% capacity again, starting with Cup quarter-finals on April 8.

It has been two years since supporters were allowed at the stadiums, following the outbreak of Covid-19 in March 2020.

Late last year the government announced that 2 000 vaccinated supporters can attend football matches, but, after the MTN8 final pilot project, the league reverted to playing behind closed doors.

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On March 22, president Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed that stadiums can operate at 50% capacity, provided that fans produce their vaccination certificate or a negative PCR test not older than 72 hours.

Cricket South Africa, SA Rugby and the South African Football Association all responded positively to the eased regulations and match and almost immediately made tickets available for their fixtures.

The PSL executive announced that they would meet to discuss the issue of allowing fans back and on Tuesday gave the green light.

"The executive committee has today set out the steps to be taken with the return of fans while emphasizing guidelines to be followed," Khoza said at the press briefing.

"The member clubs are encouraged to adhere to these guidelines to ensure the return of fans in a responsible and safe fashion.

"The league has earmarked the Nedbank Cup quarter-final matches of the 8th and 9th of April as the first matches that will be open to spectators.

"I must emphasise that the issue of proof of vaccination is very important for supporters when they attend. You will be required to provide your vaccination certificate and I.D. This is crucial as we are earmarking a 100% capacity return to stadiums for all fans.“

Khoza added that they were cautious about letting fans back in the stadiums to protect the fans during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Also crucially, we need to make clear that we value all the fans' support over all these years, that's why we had to take these precautionary steps to follow safety guidelines."