Belarus Premier League goes on amid coronavirus pandemic

Minsk (Belarus), March 30 (IANS) The coronavirus pandemic has forced football to come to a halt virtually across the world, also sport for that matter, but not in Belarus.According to a BBC report, the Belarusian Premier League is attracting attention from foreign fans as one of the few places around the world -- and the only place in Europe -- where football is still being played."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 as per BBC Sport.There were six top-flight matches in the eastern European country on Saturday, including the derby between FC Minsk and Dinamo Minsk watched by a capacity 3,000 crowd here.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 President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has suggested citizens to drink vodka to combat the disease and is not worried.The country, which has a population of around 9.5m, has seen less than 100 cases and no deaths from coronavirus.Most of Europe is under lockdown and are shutting borders with the deadly virus bringing them to their knees with each passing day.
--IANS dm/bbh