Clubs fail to meet alcohol sale demands

WORRIED about the amount of smuggled alcohol at stadiums on match days, the Premier Soccer League (PSL) yesterday announced that they will be tightening security measures at stadium checkpoints.

Of late, fans have been smuggling alcohol into the stadia with cooler boxes seen in the terraces, something that bothers the PSL.
How alcohol finds itself into the stadium baffles the league which the gave green light for clubs to sell beer at matches on 17 March 2023, provided that the teams meet requirements.

The PSL allowed the sale of alcohol at stadiums by clubs in a move aimed at generating extra revenue and encourage fans to come early and enjoy their drinks while watching their teams in action.

For clubs to sell alcohol inside the stadium, they need to secure written permission from the facility owner. The clubs must also get an amended lease of agreement that allows the sale of alcohol, police clearance as well as liquor licences from the Liquor Licensing Board.

Before they are allowed to sell alcohol inside the stadium, clubs are also required to indicate the selling points inside the match venue.

A key note, as in the English Premiership, fans are banned from consuming alcohol “in view of the pitch”. Alcohol is sold in the concourses of stadiums before and during the game but cannot be brought into the stands. Thus spectators are free to do so before kickoff and during halftime.

With the state of the country’s facilities, which fall far from the world-class stadiums, will the league and clubs be able to restrict fans from drinking their alcohol at the forecourts?

Chronicle Sport has it on good authority that giants Dynamos have been at the forefront trying to be the first ones to get cleared to sell alcohol at their games.

The PSL communications officer Kudzai Bare could not be drawn into confirming if all clubs had started the processes of having alcohol sold in their stadiums.

“The clubs will be in a better position to tell you where they are in terms of the procedures that they should go through. For now, no club has met the required standards but we are certain the clubs are working on it,” said Bare.

The league went on to remind fans that vending and consumption of alcohol inside the stadium is illegal.
“This serves to advise that the sale and consumption of alcohol during Premier Soccer League matches is prohibited. PSL Clubs are currently working to meet the required conditions for the sale of alcohol at the stadiums.

“Football stakeholders and fans are reminded that bottles, cans, cooler boxes, and other containers that can be potential missiles are not allowed in the stadium.

“The police will be conducting thorough checks and searches prior to admission into the stadium. All prohibited items will be confiscated,” read the statement.
— @innocentskizoe