Atlético planning the return of the public at the Metropolitano
Atleti will be at home for the first game of the 2021-22 season. The club hopes that by early July, they will know the number of fans who can attend the Metropolitano.
Atlético are busy planning for the return of spectators for home games at the Metropolitano. The club's social department are hoping that fans will be able to return to the stadium from the first LaLiga game of the 2021-22 season. Real Madrid have asked the club if they could play their first league games at the Metropolitano while work continues at the Santiago Bernabéu - when Atlético play away from home. Both factors mean that Atleti have little time to lose to have everything in place for the opening day.
Fans set to return in LaLiga
By early July, Atleti hope to have confirmation as to how many season ticket holders will be allowed into the ground for the first matches of the campaign. Like the rest of the clubs in Spain, Atlético hope that the coronavirus situation will have improved by September and continue to get better so that they will be able to increase the number of fans inside the stadium as the season develops. Those hopes are pinned on the capital's vaccination rollout and decreasing number of Covid-19 cases, hospitalisations and deaths.
Atlético have approximately 130,000 club members, of whom, 58,000 are season ticket holders. The Metropolitano has a capacity of 68,000, so getting the fans back is no small matter for the club. Atlético are studying several different alternatives to get club members back inside the Metropolitano for games but first they need to know how many will be legally allowed into the stadium.
Being crowned league champions has only stoked the feeling of euphoria among Atleti fans, who are dying to see the team live again. There is a waiting list of over 5,000 fans for tickets, which means the club could easily fill the ground for the opening game of the new season. There won't be room for everyone and Atlético have spent months modifying their stadium to fall in line with the requisites of a brand new situation due to the pandemic.
Atlético had their first dress rehearsal a few days ago when the stadium hosted a pre-Euro 2020 friendly between Spain and Portugal. It was a taste of what to expect when the season gets underway in August. Atlético played their last game in front of the public against Sevilla on 7 March last year. On that occasion over 60,000 fans were in attendance, practically a sell-out.