UPDATE: South African Football Players' Union Openly Backs EFF Picket

• Momentum for the reopening of football and other sports' stadiums is starting to pick up across society
• The Economic Freedom Fighters were the first large and influential organisation to join the movement a weeks ago, threatening to demonstrate
• Now, the South African Football Players Union has hopped aboard the bandwagon, uniting behind the EFF's picket in Tshwane today

The South African Football Players Union is firmly onboard with the Economic Freedom Fighters' march to the Department of Sports and Recreation in Tshwane.

The EFF's protest is to pressurise various stakeholders in local football to reopen football stadiums, and other sports generally, to the public. In their sights are the Premier Soccer League, the South African Football Association and Multichoice.

According to HeraldLIVE, the union said in a statement that players' patience was wearing thin at not being able to play in front of spectators.

The statement, released on the union's Twitter account, read:

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“The union joins the chorus of people and parties who are calling to have the gates fully opened at stadiums across the country. The status of locked doors and keeping fans at bay needs to be done away with. It is time to allow the fans back and with that the regeneration of small, informal businesses that have lost valuable income during the dark months of lockdown.

“In solidarity with the cause, Safpu will unite with the picket hosted by the EFF and pledge our support for getting stadiums across the country open, pleading for the support the players need and making a way for fans to enjoy the game they love in person, not off a screen."

Sports Brief will keep readers update as the story unfolds.

The EFF set to march on administrators demanding reopening of stadiums

The Economic Freedom Fighters will this morning made good on their promise to march and picket for the reopening of stadiums in South Africa.

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Starting last week, the party had joined a very loud chorus from the famous to the unknown desperate to return to venues to watch their favourite sports teams.

As reported on Sports Brief, the EFF had singled out the Department of Sports and Recreation, the Premier Soccer League, SAFA and Multichoice as the targets of their demonstrations.