JEDDAH: A new “vaccine passport” scheme will allow Saudi football fans to watch their favorite teams play live in a stadium for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began last year.
The scheme begins with the match between Saudi Arabia and Palestine at Marsool Park on Tuesday night, a qualifier for the 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup, and will be extended to all domestic football matches from May 17.
Stadiums will be permitted to operate at 40 percent capacity, and face masks and physical distancing will be required. Admission will be allowed for people with “immune” status on the Tawakkalna mobile phone app, launched by Saudi authorities last year to track coronavirus cases.
Football fans were delighted on Monday. Mohammed Abullatif Al-Ghamdi, a banker in Makkah, told Arab News he was already excited. “I received both jabs recently and I hope with these new regulations fans everywhere can head back to the stadiums and cheer on their favorite teams,” he said.
“I am a fan of Al-Wahda FC, and I’m very much looking forward to the next match.”
Yazed Alayesh, a medical intern in Jeddah, told Arab News: “As a football fan myself, this rule has made it easier to watch live football again.
“The atmosphere itself is different in stadiums and it’s comforting as a fan to watch the match up close and the level of excitement is different with other fans cheering on with you rather than when you are at home watching the match by yourself.
“I took the vaccine as soon as I was allowed to, not just for my health but I know that this could be something that might be asked of me in the future. I now have the vaccine in my back pocket for various reasons, whether it be for going to football stadiums or even flying if need be, I have myself covered in advance as a precautionary measure.”
keywords
