Belarusian football wins fans abroad as locals boycott matches

MINSK, Belarus: 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.

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.

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.

Yet fans in Australia have crowd-funded nearly $4000 and launched a Facebook group for FC Slutsk’s new followers abroad, an initiative Bunas said was “surprising but welcome”.

The boost of attracting new fans abroad has come against the backdrop of dwindling spectators.

Dinamo Minsk’s match against Neman Grodno, held in the country’s largest stadium last weekend, was played in front of only 317 people.