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Zenit’s Gazprom Arena to provide vaccinations on match days

Russian Premier League football club Zenit St Petersburg has announced that COVID-19 vaccinations will be made available to fans at every home match it plays for the duration of the season.

Any adult fans visiting the Gazprom Arena will be offered the chance to take the Sputnik V vaccination, with a station to be set up on the third floor of Stand C near sectors C110-11.

The centre will open two hours before kick-off and fans will be required to bring their passport and national health card. Fans will be seen by a medical professional for approval before receiving the vaccination.

The offer was announced ahead of Zenit’s 4-0 win against Akhmat Grozny on Saturday. The programme will remain in place until the club’s final home match against Lokomotiv Moscow on May 2.

Unlike many other European nations, Russia has been allowing a proportion of fans at Premier League matches so far this season. The average attendance at the 67,000-seat Gazprom Arena is around 17,000.

Zenit is currently top of the Russian Premier League after 22 matches of the season.

Gazprom Arena is also scheduled to be one of the host venues during this summer’s UEFA European Championships. The stadium will stage three group stage matches and one quarter-final during the tournament.

The local organising committee in St Petersburg said recently that it is hoping to open Gazprom Arena at around 50% capacity during the rescheduled tournament, which will run from June 11 to July 11. UEFA is set to make a final decision on fan attendance next month.

Gazprom Arena will also host the final of the UEFA Champions League in 2022. The stadium had been due to stage this year’s match but the fixture will instead be played in Istanbul, the original location for the final of the 2019-20 season.

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