More viewers in mid-February? NSA chief says it’s possible

The two biggest sports, which are hugely dependent on admission revenue from spectators, are still suffering unbearably. Football and ice hockey are bearing the coronary problems as hard as the whole economy. As of 26 November 2021, a government regulation is in force that will not allow more than 1 000 spectators into sports venues.

Logically, clubs lose a lot of money every game they play. This could change in the future. While the omicron option is causing even more damage to the sport these days by postponing matches, the outlook for the coming months is not as black as it was at the end of the calendar year.

At that time, the new health minister Vlastimil Válek threatened even more tightening:: ‘I am glad that we managed to negotiate that there will be no tightening of the measures as was proposed. The measures remained the same,” Filip Neusser, chairman of the National Sports Agency (NSA), told iSport in an interview.

He disclosed that the Ministry of Health is currently very cautious about the omicron mutation, but that they are also at the same time preparing, in cooperation with the sports associations, the conditions for the return of spectators to sports venues:: “There, the main point is that the blanket measures per 1,000 spectators do not reflect the different sports venues,” Neusser added.

Even according to him, it is still incomprehensible that in a small hall for 1,200 spectators and in a stadium for 15,000, the same limit of 1,000 spectators applies. Not to mention the fact that, especially at football matches, fans took it in their stride when they all piled into one sector to create at least a partially dignified backdrop.

Staggering no longer applies. These days we can also see a different approach in hockey stadiums. While in Trinec the organizers strictly enforce the wearing of masks and cleave the spectators for such violations, elsewhere the covered mouths are not as much of an issue.

RETURN HOPEFULLY IN FEBRUARY

“It’s a very sensitive topic, clubs have been playing with thousands of spectators and tracks for quite a long time,” says Josef Řezníček, the director of the extraliga, who spoke briefly to iDnes. The federation asked the National Sports Agency last week to relax the existing measures.

The current rules are likely to continue for some time. However, the NSA is reportedly working well with the Minister of Health:: “Theapproach of Minister Válek to sport is perfect from our side and I would like to thank him very much,” says Neusser.

According to the NSA, the current restrictions could ease as early as mid-February, when the omicron is expected to be on the wane, as experts predict.

A new coronavirus wave is keeping some hockey clubs isolated these days. Clubs are rescheduling games and hoping for better tomorrows. Otherwise, it would have to be a game schedule adjustment. According to the director of the competition, the top Czech hockey competition is on edge these days.

Both the players themselves and the spectators in the stands would warmly welcome such hopeful forecasts for the coming months.

Source:: iSport, iDnes