Poland’s Legia Warsaw face Alexander Lukashenko-affiliated-Belarusian side Dinamo Minsk in the Europa Conference League on Thursday evening, in a match that will be under special supervision owing to the potential for political demonstrations.
Many Belarusians live in Warsaw, including a large number of political refugees.
The Minsk club declared a month ago that it would not want to use the pool of tickets designated for Belarusian fans. This was primarily related to concerns over potential political demonstrations.
This could include fans bringing white-and-red flags to the stadium. The flag is not recognized by the Belarusian state and considered an opposition symbol to the regime in Minsk.
TVP Sport reported that the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be monitoring the situation in Warsaw on Thursday evening.
Belarusian organizations based in Warsaw expressed interest in tickets for the match. But they will not be allocated a block of tickets. Belarusians in attendance at Legia’s Polish Army Stadium will likely just be those who have bought tickets individually.
Belarus is under sanctions for helping Russia invade Ukraine, which also affects football. Its clubs have not been suspended by UEFA but they cannot play European matches at home. Dinamo are playing their home games in Azerbaijan behind closed doors.
On the pitch, Legia have gotten off to a flying start in their European campaign. They defeated Spaniards Real Betis 1-0 in their opener and followed that up with a 0-3 victory over Serbians TSC. The Belarusians, on the other hand, have lost their first matches.
The Minsk club declared a month ago that it would not want to use the pool of tickets designated for Belarusian fans. This was primarily related to concerns over potential political demonstrations.
This could include fans bringing white-and-red flags to the stadium. The flag is not recognized by the Belarusian state and considered an opposition symbol to the regime in Minsk.
TVP Sport reported that the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be monitoring the situation in Warsaw on Thursday evening.
Belarusian organizations based in Warsaw expressed interest in tickets for the match. But they will not be allocated a block of tickets. Belarusians in attendance at Legia’s Polish Army Stadium will likely just be those who have bought tickets individually.
Belarus is under sanctions for helping Russia invade Ukraine, which also affects football. Its clubs have not been suspended by UEFA but they cannot play European matches at home. Dinamo are playing their home games in Azerbaijan behind closed doors.
On the pitch, Legia have gotten off to a flying start in their European campaign. They defeated Spaniards Real Betis 1-0 in their opener and followed that up with a 0-3 victory over Serbians TSC. The Belarusians, on the other hand, have lost their first matches.
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