Belarusian match called off after coronavirus cases

The Belarusian Football Federation (ABFF) has postponed Friday’s Premier League match between champions Dynamo Brest and Slutsk after Dinamo confirmed that several players tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The ABFF said in a statement on Tuesday that the game in Brest on the border with Poland will take place on Aug. 12.

Dynamo, who won their maiden Belarusian title last year, said on Monday that several players were quarantined but refused to disclose the names of infected players.

As of Tuesday, there were more than 64,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in Belarus, with more than 430 deaths.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, in power since 1994, has been publicly sceptical about the need for strong action to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The ex-Soviet republic was the only European country not to suspend its soccer league amid the COVID-19 pandemic.