No audience allowed - but here hundreds of guests cheer: "It's a bit fuzzy"

The government has banned public gatherings and public events with over 50 people, which also applies to all sporting events.

Therefore, some viewers probably reacted when they saw Tuesday's elite series match in speedway between Västervik and Vetlanda.

Västervik writes on its website that "as you know, the match is run without an audience", but the TV pictures showed a large number of people in the stands.

- It was our restaurant guests who were present. We do not let in audiences with admission, but it is our partners. There were about 250 people, says Seimour Östervall, chairman of Västervik Speedway, to SVT Sport.

According to Andreas Nilsson, administrator at the Police's legal department in Region South, Västervik can receive a maximum of 50 visitors according to its permit.

Does it matter if you are sitting in a restaurant? Are you a visitor then?

- As long as you can watch the match, you are counted as an audience, says Nilsson, who explains that there is an exception:

- If the restaurant has daily operations and serves lunch and so on, we can not prevent them from doing so, even if they happen to have a view of the arena.

But according to Bo Essén, alcohol manager in Västervik municipality, the restaurant does not have daily operations.

- No, they do not. They are allowed to have sponsor tents at matches and serve their sponsors.

Seimour Östervall confirms that the restaurant does not have daily operations.

Without that permission, you are not allowed to count the restaurant guests as guests, but they are counted as the audience?

- Well, yes, there is nothing I know. It's a little fuzzy.

How do you interpret the fact that the police themselves say that you are not allowed to do so if you do not have daily activities?

- It sounds a little strange, but we have to take it the day when someone hears about it. Our agreement has been running for several years so it sounds very strange when Environment and Health (Västervik municipality, editor's note) has been here and gone through everything and we have corona-adapted and everything, says Östervall.

In the depot there are strict safety and hygiene rules as well as mouth protection, but in the stands the TV pictures showed that people were shouting and drinking beer. What do you think of that contrast?

- Yes, but you may have seen what it looks like in the Polish league matches? That's probably the case in all arenas, you know. I do not think that the guests in other arenas are wearing mouth guards either.

If it turns out to be a violation of the law, the penalty could be a fine or imprisonment for a maximum of six months, according to Andreas Nilsson.

- You have to go in and take a closer look at what it looks like in this case, but if it counts as a public event where the restaurant is included, then they are violating that ordinance and the law, Nilsson says.