Government set to make U-turn on fans return to stadium

Hope soccer fans returning to the stadium after close to a year lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic may not immediately come true after all.

Government had projected that October 1st would be ideal for gradual return of fans who have been known around the world to play the role of 12th player for every team, considering their ability to ginger players to go the extra mile in the quest for laurels.

Unfortunately government is reportedly set to delay the return following rising cases of the dreaded pandemic that brought sporting activities and indeed other activities globally to a standstill.

According to the Times, it is now almost certain that fans will not be back at football stadiums, even in reduced numbers, by the originally planned date of October 1st.

The report explains that could be of huge concern to some football clubs, especially those lower down the Football League pyramid.

A government official had hinted, the health and safety of the public has to come first during these challenging times, and it’s encouraging to see that the government has responded to the recent rise of COVID-19 cases.

One has to hope that swift action this time can help prevent a second wave of hospitalisations and deaths as we saw in March and April, and perhaps then pave the way for fans to get back to games later in the year or in early 2021.

Football won’t be the same without supporters present, but it’s at least a relief that the game was able to get going again at all after its three-month suspension earlier in the year.

While it is a relief that games have been able to return pretty smoothly since June in UK and many other parts of the world, it is simply not the same without the atmosphere that fans bring to grounds.