Football is suspended in the UK and across
most of world because of the coronavirus
pandemic - but the game rolls on in Belarus.

The Belarusian Premier League rarely gets a
mention in normal circumstances yet it is
attracting attention from foreign fans as one of
the few places around the globe -
and the only
place in Europe - where football is still being
played.


On Saturday, there were six top-flight games in
the eastern European country including the
derby between FC Minsk and Dinamo Minsk
watched by a capacity 3,000 crowd in Belarus'
capital.
"It so happened that this derby was practically
the only official football match on earth,
" read
Dinamo's match report after their 3-2 defeat.
There have been fewer than 100 cases and no
deaths from coronavirus in the former Soviet
republic, which has a population of around
9.5m.

While most European countries are quarantining
their citizens and shutting borders,
the
president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, is
not worried and has even suggested citizens
drink vodka to combat the disease.


Belarus Football Federation spokesman
Aleksandr Aleinik said precautions were being
taken to allow games to go ahead.


"We've taken all the measures recommended by
the Sports Ministry. All those who are in contact
with fans are supplied with gloves,"
he added.
The decision to carry on has helped the Belarus
Football Federation secure broadcasting deals
with sports networks in 10 countries,
including
Russia, Israel and India, where fans have been
left with nothing to watch.


Aleinik called it an "unprecedented situation".
Dinamo Minsk, seven-time Premier League
winners,
had a player sent off in the 58th
minute as they lost to neighbours FC Minsk,
who
lead the table two games into the 2020 season.


Alexander Strok, a Dinamo Minsk spokesman,

hopes the international attention will help the
players "get more responsible" after two straight
defeats.


Fans around the world have been posting
messages about football in Belarus on social
media with Starboard Wunmi tweeting:

"You
know you're obsessed with football when you're
checking out the recent form of Slutsk and
Dinamo Brest before their games kicks off in the
Belarus Premier League."


David Watson added: "By the end of this
everyone will have a team they support in
Belarus."

https://www.0.https/www.bbc.com/sport/football/52084121?iorg_service_id_internal=624173547714020%3BAfrYcPEieJoXHJO

Nice call with load up on Vodka. I told them the same thing here they think it's a joke. The clowns calling for death to Christians for going to church should choke on this. The day Christianity leaves this planet, that day it dies