Serie A Preisdent Paolo Dal Pino has given an update on the situation of fans in stadiums with the club season set to kick off in less than a month’s time.
Speaking to Italian news service ANSA, as reported by FCInterNews, the Serie A President stated that there is still a significant amount of progress that will need to be made before clubs can allow supporters to attend games in person without limitations.
Inter, like all football clubs, have been hard hit by the loss of revenue caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with no fans allowed in the stadium since the beginning of the pandemic, including for all of the 2020-21 season.
Apart from the financial impact of the lack of fans, the emotional element of playing in front of empty stands has been felt by players and coaches, and a return of supporters is keenly hoped for.
Dal Pino’s words suggest that a return in some capacity could be on the way, but that it could still be some time before full-capacity crowds are allowed back in to stadiums, and the that transition back to normalcy as well as the economic recovery will still take some time.
On this transition, the Serie A President stated, “We are still far from the goal of having the stadiums open without limitations for green pass holders. The dialogue with CTS [COVID-19 governing task force in Italy] and the Government is ongoing because we believe the current constraints to be too restrictive for our sport, which takes place outdoors and with fans verified at their entrance.”
He continued, adding that “We see inconsistencies compared to other situations, since the green pass represents a permit, we will continue to ask for it to guarantee unconditional access.”
