Sports clubs want fans returning to matches

Sporting associations and clubs are lobbying the authorities to allow crowds to return to matches. The government will next week examine lifting a 1,000-person limit on public gatherings, according to two newspapers. Sports bodies, led by football and ice hockey, are warning the death of clubs unless crowd limits are eased. Both the SonntagsZeitung and NZZ am Sonntag report that on Wednesday the government will look into safety concepts that could allow this to happen at matches. A decision is not expected until later this month. Several clubs are reported to have presented their plans of how to safely increase crowds. The measures include abolishing standing areas for fans, ticketing procedures that keep track of people attending matches, compulsory mask wearing and closing down food and drink stalls at stadiums. “You can no longer justify permitting dance and cultural events with several hundred participants, where coronavirus measures may be less strictly observed than in...