THE PBA is again doing it slowly but surely.
No fans will be allowed at the venue when the 2022 PBA Governors’ Cup resumes on Feb. 11, according to Commissioner Willie Marcial.
The PBA chief said the venue, likely the Smart Araneta Coliseum, will only be limited to teams, league staff and personnel, and television crew once games in the season-ending tournament get going again less than two weeks from now.
But not for long, though.
“Wala munang fans. Sa simula tingnan muna natin. Tapos siguro after a week, baka puwede na tayong magpapasok ng fans,” said Marcial.
The restart to the conference became moot and academic on Sunday upon the announcement of the Inter-Agency Task Force on the downgrading to Alert Level 2 of quarantine protocols in NCR Plus and adjacent provinces.
Full scrimmages back
Teams can already get back to full scrimmages starting on Feb. 1, just in time to complete the league’s allotted 10-day buildup for ballclubs to get back in playing condition prior to the resumption of the season.
No fans were allowed in the stands when the season-ending conference began back in December at the Ynares Sports Arena, only to allow live audience back a week after when games were transferred to the Big Dome.
“Ganun din naman ginawa natin dati di ba?” said Marcial. “So ngayon after a week, tingnan natin ulit baka puwede na tayo magpapasok ng fans.”
Depending on the number of COVID-19 cases, the commissioner hinted fans could be accommodated in the games as early as Feb. 16.
Since the league allowed live audience again, the biggest crowd the PBA had was close to 5,000 during the Manila Clasico game between Magnolia and Barangay Ginebra last Christmas Day at the Araneta Coliseum.
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