It is learned that fans will soon be seen thronging the sports arenas in India. The country’s sports authorities on Saturday lifted restrictions on spectators’ management by allowing full-capacity crowds at stadiums for outdoor events during the upcoming tournaments. The matches of the Indian Super League (ISL) being organized in Goa are being played in empty stadiums. It is pertinent to note that the numbers of Covid-19 positive cases reported in the state are well under control. Most of the entertainment venues have opened. The hospitality industry too is back on track. The tourism department will be celebrating Carnival in the state from February 13 to 16. It would thus seem proper to have the remaining ISL matches played by allowing 50 per cent of the sitting capacity in the stadiums to be filled with spectators. Allowing 50 per cent spectators will facilitate proper social distancing on the stands. The league phase of the tournament will go on till February 28. For football-crazy Goan fans, when the biggest football event in Asia is being organized in their own backyard, it is a case of so close yet so far. The organizers could reassess the Covid-19 situation in the state and decide as to whether to open the gates of the stadiums in order to fill 50 percent of the sitting capacity.
