Director of the hockey extra league Josef Řezníček.
Vít Šimánek, ČTK
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Even though Minister Prymula did not specifically mention sports events?
Given the situation in the Czech Republic as it develops, we have legitimate concerns that restrictions on mass events could also affect sport, including hockey and football. It is difficult to predict how the government regulation that the new minister (health) is now talking about will turn out in the end. It is necessary to wait for the final decision and build on that. But if it were with these intentions, ie 50 people inside, it would mean de facto without spectators. And this is very bad for sports, especially for hockey.
How long would it be sustainable to play without spectators?
This is a question directly to clubs. We need to meet within this issue and deal with them directly.
| Among other things, the Minister of Health Roman Prymula said on Tuesday: |
| We will discuss the proposal to limit mass events, although this will not apply to all events. It will depend on the number that will be there. It can be a limit of 100 people in the outdoor environment and 50 people in the indoor environment. But all this will be discussed in one or two days and then the measures will be published. |
| In any case, the blanket measure will have exceptions for some cultural events and the like, where the risk is lower. |
Would you be in favor of this until the moment when the order to lock the winter stadiums comes, which is the opinion of the president of Czech hockey, Tomáš Král? Or does it make no sense to play without people?
Until a new government decision comes, we will definitely play. We do everything for it. We have a certain contingency plan, if it were to (to limit sports events), but all clubs must clearly stand up for it. It is their finances, their budgets. The sustainability of the project (extra league) depends on the clubs.
| How is it with the spectators at hockey now |
| At the moment, the remaining capacity can be used by 50 percent in winters for more than a thousand people. This means that up to three thousand spectators can come to the stadium with a capacity of five thousand, and up to 5,500 people to the stadium with a capacity of ten thousand. |
Can you tell us what that contingency plan looks like?
I can’t because I don’t know him exactly. The negotiations will take place only at the end of the week, and only then will we know what the situation is across the extra league. We will see how clubs approach this at the moment. Some conditions (between clubs) prevailed, but perhaps the situation has changed dramatically.
And what did the conditions look like?
It was half and half whether to play only with the spectators or even without the spectators. As I say, maybe it has changed because we have already played something and the clubs see what it means or does not mean.
Sad look, so few people have never arrived at the O2 arena! And hockey is afraid of what’s to come …
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