Football fans in South Africa are up in arms. Supporters of the beautiful game want to return to stadiums with immediate effect. Football lovers have been banned from attending live domestic soccer matches in South Africa for two years now, due to strict COVID-19 regulations in the country. Now, members of the National Football Supporters Association (NAFSA) have organised a march to hand over a memorandum of demands during the Soweto derby at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday.
According to the organisers of the planned protest on Saturday, more than 2 000 football supporters from across the country will be at the march to show their dissatisfaction. The march to demand the opening of stadiums to the general public will also be attended by people from affected industries. The livelihood of stadium vendors and security personnel at the matches who now don’t have any form of income, are also affected by the banishment of fans at live football matches.
“I think the major demand as the supporters’ association is one we need to go back to the stadium. It’s been too long now, it’s over two years since the COVID-19 pandemic and yes the country is open to have 2 000 spectators in the field of play, however in football we don’t even have a single spectator allowed to be back at the stadium in terms of the Premier Soccer League games and also in rallying behind and talking to the PSL assisting them in also pushing the minimum 50% capacity to open stadiums for supporters,” says NAFSA Acting Chief Executive. Siyabulela Loyilane.
NAFSA has already held a series of meetings with the various stakeholders without much success. The association has already met with the Sports Minister, Nathi Mthethwa, and the South African Football Association (SAFA) and recently with the Premier Soccer League’s executive committee to register its plight.
“I believe that we are more than ready because the rest of the economy is open except for football, other sporting codes are open and having spectators in their different events but in football we are not having those, and one question that is also a burning issue in terms of football supporters and we are throwing it back to the authorities to say you then saying that football supporters are the only ones who are spreading COVID in the country,” Loyilane added.
Strict government COVID-19 regulations only permit 2 000 people to attend outdoor activities. Recently SAFA and the PSL allowed 2 000 vaccinated fans to attend soccer matches. 2 000 fans were allowed to attend two recent Bafana Bafana World Cup qualifying matches against Ethiopia and Ghana late last year, and the PSL allowed a limited number of fans to attend the final of the MTN-8 at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium last October.
“I think it’s long overdue, we as supporters, we are disappointed that up until now we haven’t gone back to the stadium. It’s disappointing because now you can see it’s the derby without fans once again. You know we speak to the players, the players say guys if you are not there at the stadium you know we don’t perform to our best – so we are saying to those that are at the helm to say guys we as supporters are asking you to make sure just open doors for us. Let us be at the stadium even if you open 50%,” says Masilo Machaka, a Kaizer Chiefs supporter.
“It’s a derby and you can’t have a derby between Pirates and Chiefs at the stadium not having the supporters being part of that because remember when the supporters are there, they know how to cheer the players, the players know how to perform. The singing never stops for ninety minutes,” says Dejan Miladinovic, an Orlando Pirates supporter.
NAFSA has given the authorities 10 days to attend to their demands. The supporters association insists that this will be a peaceful march that is not intended to disrupt the match between Orlando Pirates and bitter rivals Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday. More protests are being planned in other provinces going forward.
