The Netherlands will allow 5,000 spectators who have tested negative for Covid-19 to attend their 2022 World Cup qualifier against Latvia this month as part of a study that could help get fans back into games quicker, the Dutch FA (KNVB) said.
Spectators at the Johan Cruijff Arena on March 27 will be divided into different sections, where some must wear face masks but others will be allowed to go without them and be able to sing and shout encouragement to the team.
The experiment, which is being run in collaboration with the Dutch government, will look at how many contact situations there are between people at the event.
“This is a good experiment with which we can show that it is possible that we can soon get people in the stadium again,” said Gijs de Jong, secretary general of the KNVB, in a statement on Wednesday.
He added that spectators would have to show they had tested negative for the virus before being allowed into the stadium.
“If they are negative, they can show that with an app at the stadium and they can enter them in combination with their match ticket. This is a way it could also work with the clubs (in the Dutch league) and the European Championship,” added De Jong.
