Concerned Hleb says 'no one cares about coronavirus' with Belarus last European country left playing football

Former Arsenal winger Alexander Hleb is concerned that no one is taking coronavirus seriously in Belarus
AFP via Getty Images
George Flood24 March 2020

Former Arsenal winger Alexander Hleb has claimed that nobody seems to care about the coronavirus pandemic in his native Belarus, where football is continuing.

Sport across the European continent has come to almost a complete standstill over recent weeks amid the Covid-19 outbreak that has led to more than 15,000 deaths worldwide.

In addition to almost the universal suspension of domestic competitions, the 2020 European Championship has been delayed by a year - with the Tokyo Olympics expected to follow suit soon - and Champions League and Europa League finals postponed indefinitely.

However, the global crisis does not yet seem to have impacted upon top-flight football in Belarus, where the new campaign began with a first round of fixtures on Thursday.

It is the only Uefa member state where top-level football is continuing.

And former Arsenal and Barcelona man Hleb - who joked that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi may want to ply their trade in Belarus with LaLiga suspended until further notice - has detailed his concerns that nobody in the country seems to be treating the situation seriously.

“In Belarus, it’s like no one cares," he told The Sun. "It’s incredible. Maybe in one week or two weeks we will stop here. Maybe our President is just waiting to see what happens with the virus.

Belarus is the last European country where top-flight football continues
REUTERS

“Everybody here knows what’s happened to Italy and Spain. It doesn’t look good.

“But in our country, people in the presidential administration believe it’s not as extreme as the news says.

“A lot of young people and students here think like this. I’m keeping at home with my family. But when I go out, the streets and restaurants are still busy.”

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