Thai leagues get go-ahead to allow fans

Thai leagues get go-ahead to allow fans

Fans will be allowed to attend domestic league matches.
Fans will be allowed to attend domestic league matches.

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has allowed fans to watch domestic league matches when they restart next month, the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) announced on Thursday.

The FAT added it was now waiting for further instructions from the CCSA to prepare guidelines for both clubs and spectators.

Footballing activities in the country were halted in March this year due to a Covid-19 outbreak. The domestic leagues are set to restart on Sept 12 and will conclude in May next year.

The CCSA decision was expected after Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn recently promised that he would ask the government to allow the Thai league matches to have spectators when the season resumes.

FAT secretary-general Patit Supaphong yesterday hailed the decision which was conveyed to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports on Monday.

"It is a very good news for Thai football and we are ready to have fans at the league games," said Patit.

"We had been expecting the decision, but we still have to wait for official guidelines from the CCSA.

"When the FAT drafted the proposal for the government to let us stage matches behind closed doors, we had also prepared one to allow limited number of fans at the venue of league matches.

"In our proposal, we had limited the number of spectators to one-fourth of the total capacity of the venue.

"However, the CCSA and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports would have their own ideas on how to go about it, so we better wait for the official guidelines.

"I am confident that our plan will be workable after minor tweaks.

"The most important thing is that we have been allowed to have spectators at the venues when the Thai league resume from the fifth round of matches."

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