Since March, Belarus is the only country in Europe that still holds a domestic tournament. In the context of the COVID-19 epidemic causing many stagnant activities in the entire old continent, the pace of life in Belarus is still normal.
However, Belarus has been "out of shape" for the past month. From only 86 cases and no deaths, the country recorded nearly 24,000 cases and 135 deaths at noon on May 12.
Due to the rapid spread of the epidemic, the national championship organizing committee was forced to postpone the match between Minsk and Neman Grodno on May 15. Not only that, the match between Arsenal Dzerzhinsk and Lokomotiv gomel in the first division of Belarus could not take place on June 16 as planned.
Secretary of the World Professional Players' Association (FIFPro), Mr. Jonas Baer-Hoffmann, once commented that the decision to continue the Belarus national championship amid the pandemic was "incomprehensible".
The tournament even continued despite the pressure and fear of weighing on the players' psychology. FC Minsk striker Ognjen Rolovic once shared with Daily Mail:
"It's crazy that we are the only people in Europe who still play football. They act as if the epidemic is not a big problem, they should not be afraid. There is a strange mentality in Belarus that if you don't dare to play, you are not a man."
