Fans to return for Spain’s Copa del Rey finals – report
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MADRID (Reuters) – Supporters will be able to attend the two Spanish Copa del Rey finals next month, radio station Cadena Ser reported on Wednesday.
Seville’s La Cartuja stadium, which holds 60,000 spectators, will be at 20-25% capacity for last season’s rescheduled final between Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao on April 3 and this season’s showpiece between Barcelona and Athletic on April 17.
However, only spectators living in Andalusia will be able to buy tickets for the game, the report said, as travel between Spanish regions is not permitted due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The Spanish soccer federation declined to comment on the report but said it was holding a meeting with Athletic and Sociedad on Thursday to make arrangements for the final, with the prospect of fan attendance to be discussed.
Spectators have been barred from elite Spanish soccer matches since March, 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to Athletic and Sociedad agreeing to postpone last season’s final by a year so fans could attend.
General view of La Cartuja stadium in Seville, Spain, 12 November 2020. Spain and Germany will play a UEFA Nations League soccer match at La Cartuja stadium on 17 November 2020. EPA-EFE/Raul Caro
The Basque government criticised the move, saying mass gatherings should not be permitted while the virus remains a threat.
“We don’t think it’s the best time to invite people to attend a football match while we’re still telling them not to not gather in crowds or meet up in their homes with anyone outside their households,” regional government spokesman Bingen Zupiria said.
“The health situation does not permit a trip like this and obliges us to take a lot of care when we are watching the game and when we want to celebrate the result.”
The two Basque sides have never before met in a Copa del Rey final and even agreed to surrender potential qualification for this season’s Europa League so the match could be played in front of their fans a year later.
La Liga president Javier Tebas said he hoped fans would be able to start attending league games in late April, once the central government had re-assessed the situation following Holy Week. (Reporting by Richard Martin, Editing by David Goodman and Ed Osmond)
