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Why football life is normal in Belarus despite coronavirus outbreak

BATE's Vitali Rodionov (left) and Stanislav Dragun during a Europa League game against Arsenal at the Borisov-Arena stadium in Borisov, Belarus, in 2017. [File]

With professional soccer at a virtual standstill around the globe, fans in need of their weekly fix are turning to the Belarusian Premier League to fill the void as it carries on with matches despite the coronavirus outbreak.

The league, one of Europe’s least glamorous competitions whose teams rarely reach the group stage of Uefa’s elite Champions League, is drawing foreign fans’ attention and a string of new broadcast deals.

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