Belarus (BFF) denies that the decision to
play on had anything to do with gambling
or sponsorship.
BFF director of communication Dmitri
Gerchov says: “We are not dealing with
gamblers. We have Parimatch betting
only as the sponsor of Super Cup and
the partner of the federation. There are
a lot of activities with them and they
are not connecting with broadcasting.
“We are selling TV rights to the
broadcasting companies that are willing
to show our championship.
“The BFF is monitoring the situation
not only on an everyday basis, but in a
24/7 format, constantly checking the
news and keeping in contact with ministry
of health.
“We are quite flexible and use all
the technologies available to get the
data that might influence our decision
because safety and the health of peopleare our main priorities.”
The first death in the country was
confirmed at the end of March and
discontent is rumbling. “I do hope that
they will stop playing in the highest
league and postpone our start [on
April 18] but you never know,” says
Alex Vazhnik from Krumkachy Minsk.
When football does stop the game
in Belarus may never get so much
attention again.Coronavirus in football