Barcelona SC will be able to play with 50% capacity on Yellow Night; a Guayaquil court welcomes a precautionary measure and suspended provisions of the national COE

Barcelona Sporting Club will be able to play with the public this Saturday when they hold their traditional Yellow Night in which they will present their squad for the 2022 season and will also play a friendly match. This was ordered by Kelly Parrales Córdova, judge of the North 2 Criminal Judicial Unit, based in Guayaquil. The foregoing when the protection action presented by Aquiles Álvarez, Canarian sports vice president, was accepted, who requested that the prohibition made last Monday by the Operations and Emergencies Committee (national COE) be annulled, an entity that 48 hours after taking that measure , argued that it was the responsibility of the cantonal COE to decide if it approved reduced capacity at the Monumental Banco Pichincha stadium (this after changing the decision on the admission of fans to this Thursday’s match between Ecuador and Brazil, for the tie, at the Rodrigo Paz stadium ).

“Until the filing date of this lawsuit, the Cantonal COE and the City Municipality have adopted a ruling that makes possible the authorization of limited capacity in massive sports events in the city where the club is based, which for the right to equality should be made feasible. It can be concluded that the applicant is facing a violation of his constitutional rights”, says a part of the judge’s opinion.

Provisions are annulled

Immediately, the document establishes that “consequently, the precautionary measures requested by Aquiles Álvarez Henriques are accepted, for his own personal rights in his capacity as an active member of Barcelona Sporting Club, against the Operations and Emergencies Committee ( national COE); Guayaquil Emergency Operations Committee (cantonal COE); and the Decentralized Autonomous Government of the Guayaquil canton, and the immediate suspension of all the effects of the resolution issued by the National COE on January 24, 2022 is ordered. The provisions of the cantonal COE “regarding the prohibition of capacity and development of massive sports events without an audience” are also annulled. In other words, it refers, according to the court document, “specifically to Barcelona’s request to hold the Yellow Night.”

50% capacity

Regarding the amount of public that may enter, it is indicated that “the capacity must be under the principle of equality, the same granted to the Ecuadorian Football Federation by the national COE; that is, 50%, and the organizing party must comply with all the biosafety systems that this type of event needs, as proposed by the cantonal and national COE.”

It is added that “this precautionary measure must remain in force” until the two aforementioned bodies “decide in a reasoned manner, observing due process and the constitutional rights protected with respect to Barcelona’s request.”

What the cantonal COE says

Meanwhile, in a statement released this Thursday, the Guayaquil Emergency Operations Committee (cantonal COE) reports that “the approval of Yellow Night 2022 must be taken by the Police Intendancy and the Zonal Coordination of the National Risk and Emergency Management Service.” The organization explains the following: “In reference to the Yellow Night 2022 event, and considering the expectation of an audience greater than 50,000 people, and the resolution of the National COE of January 26, 2022, numeral 3, literal b) where requests the National Service for Risk and Emergency Management to repeal resolution SNGRE-018-2022, which established that sporting events be held without an audience, therefore, the qualification of the contingency plan, including the evaluation of the risk of contagion, corresponds to the Zonal Coordination of the National Risk and Emergency Management Service, and the approval of said event corresponds to the Police Intendancy”. (D)