Rukh's sporting director Volodymyr Lapitskyi commented on the decision to return the fans to the stands and explained why the number of spectators at the Lviv Arena, where the Yellow and Blacks will host Polissia, will be limited.
Володимир Лапіцький (фото: fcruhlviv.com)- There has been a lot of talk in Ukrainian football about bringing fans back to the stands. There are restaurants, shopping centres and leisure facilities in the country, so of course we would like to be able to go to a football match. At the same time, it is much more pleasant for the players when there are fans. When you play in front of empty stands, there is no drive, because the game itself is for the audience and the club works for that. Every player wants to score a goal and run not to empty stands, but to people who support them and share this joy with them.
Finally, spectators are allowed to attend football matches. This Sunday, 25 February, we will be able to share the football passion with our fans in the stands during the game against Polissia Zhytomyr. The stadium can accommodate up to 1000 people, including teams, club staff, officials and fans. Tickets are already on sale and we invite spectators to come to the match and support the Yellow and Blacks.
The decision to have 1,000 people at the stadium was made by the Arena Lviv management, as this is the number of people that can be safely accommodated during the match. The club and the stadium staff still have time to settle all the mechanisms of this process before the match. There are clubs and stadiums that will allow more fans into the stands. However, Arena Lviv representatives clearly stated how many people can attend the stadium.
Of course, it's February and the weather is cold, but I don't think this will deter the fans. "Rukh and Arena Lviv will do everything possible to make sure that people who come to the football game are safe and will develop a set of actions to be taken in case of an air alert. I hope everything will be fine and we will be glad to see every fan who comes to the stadium," Lapitsky told the club's press service.
