As the world goes on lockdown, one small European country remains open and active. President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus has yet to enforce a quarantine of any kind on his country, allowing Belarus to continue normal day-to-day functions. 

The Belarusian Premier League remains open and is now the only European soccer league left standing. With Lukashenko calling the coronavirus pandemic a “psychosis” and casually suggesting the people in Belarus should take two shots of vodka to feel better, the Belarus Football Federation has deemed it safe to remain active. 

Belarus, whose national team has not qualified for a major tournament since the country’s independence, now has soccer fans from across the globe. Fans in Europe who are desperate for action have turned to Belarus as their only remaining option for a country to watch. Before the pandemic, the Belarusian Premier League had only two TV deals. Now they broadcast to over 10 different countries.

But, despite the increasing international interest in Belarusian soccer, local fans are still worried. As the pandemic has increased in intensity, both fans and players are worried about the President’s lack of action. Recently, fans have begun to boycott matches, causing games to be played in front of half-empty stadiums. Tensions continue to grow as fans urge each other to stay home. 

However, the Dynamo Brest Club of the Belarusian Premier League has found one creative solution to fill these desolate stadiums. They are selling virtual tickets that allow buyers to not only receive a match-day program but also have their faces plastered on fashion dummies that fill the barren stadiums. In recent games, the crowd in Dynamo Brest’s stadium has been an interesting mix of fashion dummies sporting faces from across the European continent and real-life Belarusian fans who decide to attend games in person. 

At the end of March, the Belarus Football Federation validated their decision to remain open by stating the country had a limited number of coronavirus cases. But as of April 17, the country has 4,204 reported cases and 40 deaths. As that number continues to grow, so does the unrest of both players and fans. President Alexander Lukashenko still supports his decision to keep the country open and until the President changes his mind, it is likely that Belarusian soccer games will go on for the rest of the continent to watch.