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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Premier Soccer League (PSL) has opted to allow only 500 fully vaccinated fans per game for this weekend’s Chibuku Super Cup quarter-final double headers at Baobab Stadium in Mhondoro Ngezi.

All four quarter-final matches will be played at Baobab Stadium, with two games on Saturday and the last two on Sunday.

Tickets have been equally distributed to clubs, with each getting 250 and then the PSL set to distribute proceeds from sales.

While appreciating Government’s decision to allow the return of fans to watch matches inside the stadia, PSL chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele said they decided to gradually start introducing supporters with 500 people per game to avoid being overwhelmed.

Fans that will watch the Saturday morning match between Chicken Inn and Ngezi Platinum Stars will leave the stadium after the game to make way for sanitising of  the facility before the 3pm encounter between FC Platinum-Highlanders.

The same process will apply on Sunday when fans watching the Cranborne Bullets versus Harare City match make way for the Dynamos and Black Rhinos game.

“We have to preserve the gains we’ve made and don’t want football to be a Covid-19 super spreader, hence the decision to start with a low number of spectators. We’re grateful to the Government for the green light to have fans inside the stadium, but first, we have to use these games as a trial run.

“Unfortunately, we can’t open up for 2 000 fans at once. As weeks go by and as we eliminate hurdles we might face, then we’ll increase the number of fans and reduce the gate charges,” Ndebele said.

Charges for the quarter-finals have been set at US$20 for the rest of the ground and US$50 for the VIP.

When purchasing a ticket, one has to produce a national identity card and vaccination card.

Fans have between today and midday tomorrow to buy their tickets from their respective club offices.

The clubs will in turn submit to the PSL details of those that have bought tickets at 1pm tomorrow.

The charges appear steep to an ordinary football follower, but they were designed for purposes of easy control of fans.

The PSL appealed to fans to follow Covid-19 protocols and emulate supporters in Europe where numbers have been increased.

Meanwhile, fans have welcomed equal distribution of tickets to clubs.

However, most feel the gate charges are prohibitive.

“In most cases, soccer in Zimbabwe is for the majority from the low class of society and most won’t afford this amount. We appreciate the distribution of tickets, but the pricing is too much,” said Gertrude Sibanda.

Trust Jim said: “Hopefully the tickets will go down soon. It seems now the pricing has been done to make the access of live action elitist.”

Thabeth Mlotshwa said they will go to Ngezi because “we miss the roadshows”.

“Just to feel the stadium atmosphere is what we want.” — @ZililoR