Vaccinated fans appeal to return to stadium
Mpumalanga’s numberone soccer fan, Thabo Manyovu Mnisi, is pleading with government to allow all vaccinated soccer and rugby supporters to attend live matches at Mbombela Stadium.
Manyovu was addressing the deputy president, David Mabuza, and the sport minister, Nathi Mthethwa, during the mass vaccination campaign held at Mbombela Stadium on Friday.
“This stadium is home to soccer teams, TS Galaxy and TS Sporting, and also home to the Pumas rugby team. These teams come and battle their hearts out in this very stadium without their supporters cheering them on.
This is a difficult exercise and a foreign experience for our teams and players who are used to having spectators around,” said Manyovu. “Now that we are here in numbers to vaccinate, we want to plead with government to allow all those who have been vaccinated to attend soccer and rugby games at this stadium.
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I strongly believe that this will encourage all those who are unvaccinated to consider taking the jab so they can be part of live games,” he appealed. Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Mbombela Stadium has become silent when teams such as the Pumas and Galaxy play before empty stands. Mabuza responded by promising that the nation would return to play, but only if it gets vaccinated and vaccinated now.
“It is a very important step that you have taken today to get all South Africans to face in one direction. We are here to say that return to play is possible and it is in your hands. It is in our hands to get back to our stadiums. This clearly states that by taking the vaccines we will be able to one day return to our stadiums and play,” said Mabuza.
