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Within the next fortnight, fans will finally be allowed to attend football matches, but unfortunately, Cardiff City’s game against Blackburn Rovers will still be behind closed doors.
First Minister Mark Drakeford will remove the restrictions blocking spectators attending professional fixtures outdoors, which has been in place since Boxing Day.
The news will come as welcome relief to football clubs in Wales, though the Bluebirds will still be required to host Blackburn Rovers behind closed doors this weekend while the restrictions remain in force.
Concerns had been growing about potential crowd-less events, such as the Six Nations matches in Cardiff, with professional clubs and sports organisations in Wales losing out on valuable revenue.
A government statement issued on Thursday night stated:
“Mark Drakeford will set out the two-week plan to ease the alert level two restrictions which have been in place since Boxing Day at his press conference.
“The Welsh Government is able to start removing the protections put in place in response to the Omicron wave, thanks to the support of people across Wales and the successful booster campaign – more than 1.75 million people have had the extra booster dose.
“The move to alert level zero will be phased, with restrictions on outdoor activities being removed first.”
There had been concerns over whether fans could attend Wales’ rugby matches at home, even with the possibility of the Welsh Rugby Union taking the home matches across the Severn Bridge to an English Premier League venue where fans would be permitted to attend. However, this is no longer necessary.
The announcement will also be a boost to international football fans ahead of Wales’ World Cup play-off fixture in the coming months.
The game between Cardiff and Blackburn could see a home debut for exciting prospect Cody Drameh, who recently sealed his loan move to the Bluebirds from Leeds United. Ryan Wintle and Max Watters will also feel like new signings to fans of the Welsh club having been recalled from loan spells at Blackpool and MK Dons respectively.
Cardiff have struggled so far this season, but if Wales star Kieffer Moore can remain fit, there are exciting options available to the Bluebirds with a clutch of promising youngsters beginning to make their mark.
Rovers have also been busy trying to shuffle their pack as the January transfer window remains open. Manager Tony Mowbray has confirmed that a move for Hertha Berlin defender Deyovaisio Zeefuik is nearing its completion.
The Rovers are also set to welcome back Sam Gallagher, Ryan Nyambe and Darragh Lenihan for the trip to South Wales.
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