Belarusian football wins fans abroad as locals boycott matches

MINSK: As Belarus resists imposing a lockdown to combat the coronavirus, its football league has stumbled into the international limelight as Europe’s only remaining top-flight competition.

But players are worried about the health risks and only diehard fans are braving matches. FC Slutsk fan Yahor Khavanski, 26, is “a bit afraid” but could not imagine quitting his weekend football fix. “The stadium holds 2,000 people, but only 300 came to the last match. You can sit anywhere you want and keep your distance,” he told AFP by phone.

Khavanski says he will keep attending matches, regardless of the risk. In his view, he faces “the same odds of being infected on public transport or in shops”.

Life has continued as normal in Belarus, whose authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko has dismissed World Health Organisation recommendations to impose a virus lockdown.

With a population of nearly 10 million, Belarus has registered 9,590 coronavirus cases. Neighbouring Ukraine, with four times the population, has registered fewer cases.

The Belarusian Football Federation (BFF) has followed the government’s lead, saying it will not stop matches under the current guidelines.

The BFF even announced this week its women’s league will kick off on April 30 following a two-week delay over fears players had come into contact with people infected with the virus.

On paper, the decision to allow matches is a huge boon to a struggling league.

Russia’s largest sports network bought the rights to air matches in March, a move followed by 11 other countries including India and Israel.

Clubs have started Twitter accounts in English to cater to the new influx of international spectators.

Fans and management at FC Slutsk wonder whether the new interest could save the club. FC Slutsk’s main sponsor is a local, state-run sugar company.

“But the sugar industry is in decline,” club president Vitaly Bunas told AFP. With the factory director in prison over a corruption conviction, Bunas says “the club’s finances are catastrophic”.