WeeklySA_AdminPANDEMIC CHALLENGES: Efforts by tournament organisers to observe Covid-19 protocols at games often swamped by teeming crowds
The Vuvuzelas may be out of tune and the Makarapa hats speckled with cobwebs. Standing idle in the outside but all fired up for minor repairs are rust infested braziers, while the empty gas cylinders gather dust in the corner and in need of a refill.
This somewhat sums up the humdrum existence of soccer fans and vendors alike as they navigate their lives in the new dismal normal, a tad more than a year since spectators were red carded from the stands ostensibly as a precautionary measure for the spread of Covid-19.
The ban on fans, though coincidental, was but fortuitous footwork which scored a spectacular windfall for a TV pay channel with the “sole” rights to beam live games across to homes and shacks of football starved and locked-down soccer fans.
connects with the ball on air.
If the mental turmoil of being barred from the stadiums was a new emotion for the fans, the “Babize Bonke” tag line was a master stroke for the DStv pay channel, which also happens to be the headline sponsor for the PSL. Working like a charm, the slogan precipitated a frenzy which saw soccer fans scurrying to have their pay channel accounts updated, so as to be able to enjoy access to live soccer matches via satellite in the comfort of their homes. A win-win situation, if you like.
Many are called
But as a blind spot, the ban unwittingly exposed in high definition the glaring inequalities in society; most significantly by dividing soccer fans into two halves (excuse the pun); the haves who could afford to pay the exorbitant premiums and the have nots, those who cannot afford, let alone own a TV set. At best, Babize Bonke conjures the Biblical injunction: “Many are called,but a few are chosen”. At worst, Babize Bonke is hollow as it can never be “universal” in its coverage of the people’s game.
Football is a game of pent up emotions and lofty opinions, but few can demur that the absence of fans has had a debilitating effect on the sport.The jury is still out but some commentators already posit that the resultant “culture shock” was more telling on those teams who habitually play in front of capacity crowds than their counterparts who week in play in stadia with traditionally less bums on the seats.
Coach potato
Inadvertently, the absence of fans has also been a boon for coaches, some of whom having been spared the wrath of the fickle and violence prone fans when things go awry for their team. For the coach potato, however, it is well and good to watch a game on TV, what with the benefit of slow motion, seeing different angles, listening to expert though sometimes trite commentary etc. But minus the fans on the stands, the TV experience is piece meal, almost surreal. Fact is, there is nothing to beat the feeling of being there.
Though they may be barred from watching their elite heroes in stadiums, it is obvious by attending township games in droves the fans are missing the cheering, booing, and singing which goes with being at the games. But with South Africa’s latest Covid-19 figures taking the total number of infections since the coronavirus outbreak past the 1.6 million mark, the return to the stadiums might just not happen anytime soon.
Health experts further warn that in the current situation it would be a wrong signal to allow spectators back and more vigilance is needed. In the mean-time spectators must endure watching the elite league on TV replaced with stadium seats outfitted with fake fan cutouts. The ghost stadiums are a clear indication that something fundamental has changed in the world.
The fans, like players waiting for a VAR decision, will unfortunately have to exercise some patience until the powers that be give an all-clear signal to return to the stands. Theirs is merely to heed the Babize Bonke call to congregate before their TV sets while hoping that soon they will return to the stands. One day.
