Live football! We should get excited… shouldn’t we? Well. It’s not as simple as that. Football fans across the world have been turning their attention to the Belarusian Premier League, as it is the only top-flight division in Europe continuing to play amid the coronavirus outbreak. For some, whether the league should be going ahead is not even a debate, but Belarusian authorities are persevering, and as a result, the league is gaining traction. Here, for the next few hours, we will follow a top-of-the-table clash between Energetik-BGU and Minsk. Kick-off is midday UK time, and Michael Hincks will bring you live updates as he quickly gets to grips with a league defying the status quo.

Belarusbank-Vysshaya Liga / Matchday 3

05.04.2020

Energetik-BGU

Completed

FC Minsk

A. Nosko(22')
J. Yakhshiboev(90+3')

Live

Live Updates

ByMichael Hincks

Updated 05/04/2020 at 12:59 GMT

13'

CLOSE! It's Energetik who are on top despite that one chance for Minsk. Jakhshibaev sends in a dangerous corner for the hosts but it evades everyone somehow.

10'

Reassuringly, albeit bizarrely, they've shown a replay for an incident that led to a corner, so at least I should have two bites at the trying-to-work-out-which-player-did-what cherry.

CHANCE! It's a goal-mouth scramble inside the Energetik box but somehow the hosts prevent Minsk taking the lead. I'd love to tell you which player I think had the blocked attempt, but they've chosen not to show a replay.

And by supporters, there is one very vocal one in particular.... maybe for the best I don't understand.

On the pitch, it's Energetik who have made the more, er, energetic start, but we're yet to have a shot.

There is, unsurprisingly, no English commentary on my stream. I am instead being treated to the views and chants of the supporters nearest to the mic...

We've got Minsk in white, with a navy number for shorts. The home side are sporting all orange - a strong look, almost as strong as the wind which already appears to be causing havoc some three minutes in.

KICK-OFF

KICK-OFF! The match is finally under way...

TEAMS

Minsk XI: Leonov, Chagovets, Gribovski, Khvashchinskiy, Nasibulin, Prischepa, Sazonchik, Shramchenko, Vasyliev, Yarotski, Zaleski

TEAMS

The Enegergetik XI: Sadovsky, Atemengue, Girs, Jakhshibaev, Mawatu, Musahagian, Nosoko, Shkurdyuk, Sokol, Svirepa, Tweh

11.55

Okay, okay, okay... five minutes to go. So what do we have here?

It's a top-of-the-table clash in Belarus, albeit after two games played for both Energetik-BGU and Minsk, who both have six points from six.

Shall we try and find the teams?

11.53

And it's not just Belarus...

Football in Nicaragua is enjoying a surge in popularity as one of the few national leagues where games are still ongoing but players in action there are concerned about the spread of the new coronavirus and say fear has changed the way they play.

Read the full story below

Football

Nicaraguan footballers playing on but players fear coronavirus

05/04/2020 at 08:27

11.51

"We are like another planet."

There's 10 minutes to go before kick-off, so we'll start counting down to the match shortly.

Here's a piece from Matt Law for the Telegraph, who spoke to Isloch Minsk Raion player Sandro Tsveiba about playing on amid the outbreak...

“In the world, something has happened, but, here, life is going on. We keep training and days are as normal, so nothing changes.”

'We are on another planet' – Football in Belarus carrying on as normal despite coronavirus crisis

11.45

This defiance means we find ourselves into the third matchweek of the Belarusian Premier League, and there is no sign of the league being postponed any time soon.

Reuters reported last week that the league have struck broadcasting deals with sports networks in 10 countries.

“This is an unprecedented situation,” said Alexander Aleinik, a federation spokesman.

Image credit: Getty Images

11.37

“It’s better to die standing than to live on your knees,” President Alexander Lukashenko said last weekend. “There are no viruses here (at the rink)... I don’t see them.”

The number of cases has increased since Lukashenko - a keen ice hockey player - made these comments, but they have not been enough to halt sport, or enforce restrictions on public life.

11.33

As of April 4, Belarus' Ministry of Health said there have been 440 cases of coronavirus - 394 currently hospitalised, 41 recoveries, and five fatalities.

11.26

This is not your usual build-up to a football match. At this point, normally I would be sifting through stats, checking team changes, getting clued up on shirt numbers and names, and wondering what victory would do for both sides…

But we’ll get to that shortly (we have more than 30 minutes before kick-off), so first it’s worth taking a closer look at how the Belarusian Premier League is still going ahead.

Image credit: Getty Images

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