Football stadiums in Portugal remain closed to fans due to Covid-19

  • Lusa
  • 24 September 2020

The Deputy Secretary of State and Health said that football matches will continue to be played behind closed doors, due to the daily increase in coronavirus cases in the country.

António Lacerda Sales, Deputy Secretary of State and Health, said that given the daily increase in coronavirus cases in Portugal, football matches will continue to be played behind closed doors.

“When the time is right, although we don’t know when it will be, we will open the stands for sure. But for now, with these numbers and this growing trend, it’s not predictable that this will happen, although there may be changes that will lead us to make other decisions,” Lacerda Sales said in an interview with SIC Notícias on Wednesday evening.

He said the issue will be assessed by the government, along with the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) and the Portuguese Professional Football League (LPFP), but always “depending on epidemiological developments” in the country.

António Lacerda Sales said: “people can watch soccer on television, at home.”

He also pointed out that “people’s behaviour in soccer is always one of great emotions and passions,” although he pointed out that “Portuguese fans know how to behave, are disciplined, and have a conscience”.

On Monday, the LPFP president, Pedro Proença, confirmed that the organization presented the government with a proposal to re-fill the stands “up to a maximum capacity of 30%” and regretted that the proposal was not accepted.

However, Proença expressed hope that this scenario could be changed at the beginning of October.