Flamengo allows football fans to return, but struggles to sell tickets

Brazilian football rushed back to playing against all expert advice in July last year, and now clubs are jumping the gun once again — allowing football fans back in stadiums while just 16 percent of the national population is fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

But it seems the public is less keen to get back to watching live football. Flamengo, Brazil’s best-supported club, are selling tickets for their Copa Libertadores match on Wednesday evening against Argentinian side Defensa y Justicia, but less than one-third of the 18,000 tickets available have been snapped up. 

However, transmission issues are not believed to be the biggest problem. Flamengo has priced their tickets between BRL 140 and BRL 500, and all football fans will have to submit negative PCR tests to gain entry. In the cheapest case scenario, fans are likely to have to fork out at least USD 60 to go to the game, amid a scenario of widespread unemployment and falling purchasing power. 

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