JAKARTA - The Belarusian League is reaping the benefits of broadcasting rights in various countries after deciding to continue the competition amid the COVID-19 pandemic or the corona virus that is sweeping the world.
Almost all of the top leagues in Europe decided to suspend their competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but this did not happen in Belarus, which President Alexander Lukashenko has fully supported.
Lukashenko has not even taken the precautionary measure of distancing to its citizens, which almost all countries in the world have adopted, and he himself claims he still regularly plays ice hockey with his colleagues.
"It is better to die on your feet than to fall on your knees to defend your life," he told a local television station after playing ice hockey, which was reported by Soccerway, Monday, March 30 morning.
"There is no virus in this (field) ... I don't see it," added the president who has been in power since 1994.
Although only BATE Borisov and Dinamo Minsk are known globally, the decision to continue the competition has allowed the Belarusian League to earn a lot of revenue from buying new broadcast rights in at least 10 countries including Russia, Israel and India, which are no longer able to enjoy the top leagues. Europe because of corona.
Defeat ... # ДаПерамогіРазам pic.twitter.com/Ibtvbl8ouu
- FC BATE Borisov (@FCBATE) March 28, 2020
The Belarusian League operator also still allows supporters to watch their favorite teams' matches live in the stadium.
Belarus has so far only reported 94 positive cases of corona according to data from the WHO official website as of March 29, but has not taken many significant preventive steps.
⚽ Чемпионатный матч со "Славией" в Мозыре сыграем в субботу, 28 мартаВ расписание текущего розыгрыша чемпионата Беларуси внесены изменения, вызванные решением УЕФА о переносе поединков плей-офф квалификации EURO'2020 с конца марта на июнь.https: //t.co/ 3OQFmsNM2q pic.twitter.com/YAThbmSmMV
- FC BATE Borisov (@FCBATE) March 20, 2020
Previously, former Barcelona and Belarusian national team star Alexander Hleb quipped his country's government for not caring about the corona pandemic.
"The corona virus has stopped the Champions League and Europa League. This is good, because you have to stop it. UEFA has done the right thing," Hleb told The Sun a few days ago.
"But in Belarus, I don't think anyone cares. Incredible. Maybe in a week or two we will just stop. Maybe our President is still waiting for what this virus will do to our country.
😖 Несмотря на меньшинство, парни практически отыгрались. Невероятное дерби. # Fcdm1927 # столичноеДерби pic.twitter.com/LR79mLJji6
- ФК Динамо Минск (@FC_Dinamo_Minsk) March 28, 2020
"Everyone here knows what happened to Italy and Spain. It doesn't look good. But in our country, people in the presidency believe it's not as extreme as the news says.
"A lot of young people and students here think like this. I stay at home with my family. But when I go out, the streets and restaurants are still busy."
For that, he made a sarcastic joke by inviting Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to play in the Belarusian League because there football continues to roll.
"Maybe Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo can come to the Belarusian League to continue their football careers. You know? This is the only place in Europe where you can play football," he concluded.
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