Football returns to stadia

With the further easing of COVID restrictions across the country, sports competitions will gradually resume

Eugen Coroianu, 04.06.2020, 13:50

After a hiatus
of nearly 3 months, football competitions will resume in Romania. The first
official match in the domestic championship will be held on Friday, June 12,
pitting Universitatea Craiova against FC Botosani in Group 1. The other round
matches will be held over June 13-15. As in other countries, matches will be
played in front of empty stands, observing the new regulations. Minister for
Youth and Sports Ionut Stroe told Radio Romania:

For the time
being, as competitions resume, our decision was for matches to be played
without fans. Of course, this void will surely impact both us, the fans, but
also the players, because they need support. Football is all about show, and
like any other sport it relies on fan support. It’s very difficult to ensure
social distancing for football matches, which is why I prefered to schedule
matches with attendance at a later date, once the threat of the pandemic has
watered down and the number of infections and deaths goes down. The health of
everyone on the stadium is of paramount importance. We’re working on several
formulas, but for the time being I’m calling on every stakeholder to display
patience, reason and restraint. That time may come sooner than expected.

The Romanian
official pointed out that, if a case of SARS CoV2 is reported in the First
League, the competition would be suspended, which is something the Professional
Football League and the Romanian Football Federation should be aware of.
Moreover, players, members of the technical and medical staff, auxiliary
personnel, referees and observers will all be tested at least 2 days before the
match, as well as every two weeks. If at any point, any of the abovementioned
displays symptoms associated with COVID-19, that person will isolate himself
and test for the virus. Romanian football teams have resumed training on May 15
in groups of limited number of people. Football referees have also resumed
physical training and will undergo physical stress tests ahead of the official
restart of the First and Second Leagues. Referees have already tested negative
for COVID-19. Starting June 1 outdoor sports competitions have resumed across
Romania, with the exception of contact sports. Fans are still banned from
attending, while all health protection measures must be observed.

(Translated by
V. Palcu)