The Cheetahs are upbeat over the possibility of fans returning to rugby stadiums, after the South Africa national football team was given the green light to host a limited number of supporters.

The South African Football Association confirmed on Tuesday that it had been given the go-ahead for fans to return to stadiums when Bafana Bafana host Ethiopia at FNB Stadium in a 2022 World Cup qualifier in Johannesburg early next week.

It has been over 18 months since spectators could watch live sports matches in the country due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Under current lockdown regulations, up to 2,000 people are allowed to attend outdoor events, but this does not include sports fixtures.

Speaking to OFM Sport, Cheetahs managing director Harold Verster said they are working hard behind the scenes with SA Rugby to allow fans to attend rugby matches.

“We have noticed that supporters will be allowed to be in attendance as certain football matches and we are keeping an eye on the situation,” Verster said.

“We are also in close contact with other stadiums as well as SA Rugby and the Department of Sport.

“I believe that we will receive the green light shortly, but there will be certain limitations such as fans will need to be vaccinated to enter the stadiums.

“Those are, however, things we will deal with when they arrive at that stage.”

The Cheetahs are reportedly planning a tournament for November with the Sharks and either the Vodacom Bulls or Lions, as well as two teams from Europe.

The four franchises – the Sharks, Bulls, Lions and Stormers – are currently in Europe for the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, but that tournament will take a break between the fifth (22 October) and the sixth rounds (24 November).

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