After more than a year-and-a-half of being locked out of stadiums, football fans will finally be allowed to watch a game in-person from next week. The FNB Stadium in Johannesburg is set to host a World Cup Qualifier between Bafana Bafana and Ethiopia, and vaccinated citizens will be granted free entry to the event.
Fans are back! Bafana Bafana vs Ethiopa will have a crowd
However, it’s understood that the crowd will be exclusively made up of the vaccinated. Earlier this week, President Ramaphosa confirmed that the upper limit on outdoor gatherings had risen to 2 000. That’s just about enough to cobble together some sort of atmosphere, even in a 90 000-seater stadium.
All COVID-19 protocols will be in place at the FNB, but this move represents a key moment in South Africa’s vaccination drive. Cyril himself said that not enough jabs were being administered in Mzansi at the moment, and this ‘general hesitancy’ has spurred the government on to develop a so-called ‘vaccine passport’.
Vaccinated fans ONLY, free entry for the jabbed at South Africa World Cup qualifier
Those who can show proof of vaccination will soon be the only ones who can enter sporting events, attend certain bars and restaurants, and participate in society as normal. The vaccine passport proposal is a controversial one, but Ramaphosa says he is willing to do ‘whatever it takes’ to get the national vaccination rate up to 70%.
SAFA, meanwhile, released a statement on their plans to grant free entry to fans for Bafana Bafana vs Ethiopia on Tuesday 12 October – revealing that the upcoming Soweto Derby will also be used to promote the vaccination drive.
“With regards to fans returning to the stadiums, SAFA NEC resolved that football should play a major role in the vaccination drive. Meanwhile, only fans that are vaccinated will get free entry into the forthcoming Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup match between South Africa and Ethiopia that is scheduled to take place at FNB Stadium on 12 October.”
“The NSL has resolved to use the Soweto Derby to also encourage mass vaccination drive. The more people vaccinated, the more the economic opportunities are opened for those selling their products. Taxi drivers who take fans to the stadiums will also be encouraged to vaccinate and football will engage various taxi associations to work together.”
from The South African https://ift.tt/3a1QNlg
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