South Korea's Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors will allow fans into the Jeonju World Cup Stadium for their K League game against Sangju Sangmu on Sunday but will limit attendance to 10% amid a recent spike in COVID-19 cases, Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday.
FC Seoul, Incheon United and Suwon Samsung Bluewings were among the top-flight clubs that closed their stadiums to fans after the South Korean government reimposed social distancing rules in Seoul and some surrounding cities.
Yonhap said Jeonbuk, three-time defending K League champions, will limit its crowd size to around 4,000, down from their initial plan of around 10,000, with all supporters set to receive a pack of hand sanitizer.
The Korean top-flight season began on May 8 in empty stadiums as part of measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus before a limited number of fans were allowed to attend K League games from Aug. 1.
The government last week gave the green light for stadiums to operate at 30% capacity but the recent surge in cases has meant clubs have had to shut their stadiums once again.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 324 new cases of COVID-19 as of midnight Thursday, bringing the country's total to 16,670, with 309 deaths. It was the highest daily count since March 8.
(Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Kim Coghill)
