Football competitions all around the world have been halted due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, yet there is one European league that is still being played as normally as ever, with fans attending games as well.
The Belarusian Premier League has soared in popularity over the last few weeks, by being the only football competition that is still being played, not only in Europe, but in the whole world. Fixtures are being played as normal, and fans are still attending the games as they used to do, without them taking any note of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) guidelines for social distancing. On Saturday, there was the derby between the two teams from Minsk, the capital of Belarus, where FC Minsk won 3-2 against Dinamo Minsk. During that game, there were 1,750 fans present.
As of 31 March 2020, Belarus has 152 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with one death. 47 of the 152 have recovered, taking the total tally of active cases to 104.
And there are some measures being taken at these football games, with fans having their temperatures checked before entering the stadium and some fans were wearing protective face masks.
Since practically all football was halted around the world, Belarus' football federation has secured broadcasting deals in ten countries, some of them being Russia, Israel and India.
Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko claimed that by driving tractors, going to saunas and drinking vodka could help tackle the virus, urging people to drink 40-50 millilitres of vodka.
Quite a strange situation, but if it is our only way of getting some football during these difficult times, then why not? If you feel unwell or have any symptoms, be sure to contact your country's helpline as soon as possible.
Comments