First half of Turkish season to be played in empty stadiums
The Turkish soccer federation has reversed an earlier decision and now says league games will be played without spectators in the first half of the new season. The federation says it is heeding the advice of Turkey’s scientific council to keep fans out of stadiums.
- Sports
- Agencies and A News
- Published Date: 03:35 | 03 September 2020
- Modified Date: 04:16 | 03 September 2020
Turkey's football federation said on Thursday the first half of the 2020-21 season will be played without spectators, changing last week's decision to allow attendance at up to 30% of capacity as the country's coronavirus cases rise.
Turkey halted its 2019-20 season in March due to the virus and resumed matches in June without spectators. In July Istanbul Başakşehir won the Super League title for the first time, breaking the dominance of the "Big Three" clubs - Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş.
The decision comes as the number of daily infections in the country have risen above 1,500 and COVID-19-related deaths have reached their highest since mid-May.