Sweden’s 8-fans-only-formula in stadia!

Article posted by Coliseum, April 16^th, 2021

Image: Friends Arena

Football fans in Sweden are being allowed to go back to the stadium fold – but only eight people are being allowed in at one time per game!

‘BILD’ stated that the heads of the Swedish football league ‘Allsvenskan’ had presented the Government with a plan as to how fans can safely take part in the games. The Swedish Government decided to allow only a handful of fans in the stadia fold. It is still not clear as to how long the regulations will apply.

Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for men’s association football clubs. It was founded in 1924, and is the top flight of the Swedish football league system, operating on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan.

Sweden presently has the highest coronavirus incidence value in Europe. The seven-day incidence is currently at 437 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants. Despite the high infection rate in the country, the rules for shopping centers and zoo is different from venues – much more than eight people can be accommodated in these places and this move is making people see red.

‘BILD’ further stated that 5,000 visitors were allowed to visit the famous Skansen Zoo in Stockholm (Sweden) recently. At the Swedish first division club AIK from Solna’s 2-0 victory over Degerfors, the match was only viewed by eight fans in the stands recently.

AIK is a Swedish football club competing in Allsvenskan, the top flight of Swedish football. The club was founded 1891 in Stockholm and the football department was formed in 1896. The top-notch club’s residence is the 50,000-capacity Friends Arena in Sweden.

Degerfors IF is a Swedish football club located in Degerfors (Sweden). The club formed on January 13^th, 1907 is currently playing in the highest tier in Swedish football, Allsvenskan. The 10,605-capacity Stora Valla is the home ground of the club.

‘The Daily Mail’ stated that the handful of Swedish football supporters in stadia was forced to come up with novel ways to generate atmosphere in the venues.

Only eight people are allowed to meet outside in Sweden under coronavirus restrictions and top-flight football has not been exempt.

As the Swedish first division returned for the 2021 season, the arenas in Sweden with only eight fans being allowed in each stadium were eerily quiet.

‘The Daily Mail’ further stated that led to chants of ‘Everyone in Gothenburg Smells like Fish!’ from the eight-strong home support, who was undeterred by the lack of other fans joining in.

Swedish football striker who plays for Degerfors Edvardsen seemed to take the chants in good spirit and lamented there weren’t more supporters there to sing it – “It was a shame it was only eight, it would have been much better if it had been 50,000 people shouting it. But I did hear that they were shouting it. It was pretty funny actually.”

The restrictions on football supporters in Sweden have come in for a lot of flak as shopping centres, bars and animal parks are all open to far greater numbers of people.

Last August, the country’s Health Agency approved plans to allow up to 500 supporters back after raising the limit on public gatherings from 50. But, as Sweden’s COVID-19 scene took a turn for the worse in recent months, it was decided that only eight fans will be allowed in each venue in the country.

Sweden reported the highest number of new infections per head over the past week.

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