Next week, the Belarusian football team Dinamo Minsk will arrive in Finland, and they will visit HJK’s home field in the Conference League match on Thursday, October 24.
Dinamo Minsk’s participation in UEFA tournaments is possible, as the European Football Association has not barred the Belarusian national team or club teams from their tournaments. Consequently, the national team of Belarus will also arrive in February to play against Finland in the European Futsal qualifiers.
Urheilu is told by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that, in principle, citizens of Belarus can normally apply for visas to EU countries, as the Union has only set restrictions for the country’s leadership to travel to the EU area. However, each country also has its own restrictions.
For example, visas to Finland applied for in Belarus are currently processed by Estonia, which makes decisions based on its own rules. However, the Dinamo Minsk team has already received a Schengen visa and can therefore travel to Finland.
Ultra supporters showed their support for Ukraine
Minsk’s away supporters are not arriving in Helsinki, as the club will not help arrange tickets for the match. The club’s decision is due According to Tribuna of “ideologues”. They practically monitor that Minsk follows the political line of the government of Belarus.
In the background are the repressive measures that followed the presidential elections in Belarus, as a result of which several thousand Belarusians moved to Poland. Some of them were also active supporters of Dinamo. A few years ago, several ultra supporters opposed to Lukashenka went to Brussels to hang several red and white flags and banners in memory of those who died in the war for Ukraine.
After this, the club’s “ideologues” decided not to help with the purchase of tickets in order to combat “destructive behavior” and “anti-state attitudes”.
Lukashenko’s warning to the players
Dinamo Minsk is in close contact with the government of Belarus, as the state supports the club. Also the autocratic president of the country Alexander Lukashenko has regularly intervened in the club’s affairs.
For example, three years ago, Lukashenko took a strong stand on Dinamo Minsk’s performances and sent a warning to the club’s players and staff.
– If your performances are weak, you will be under my control on a daily basis. I come there very often. The players and coaches really get to feel it. You better play nice, media site belarus.by wrote Lukashenka said.
The players were intimidated
Represented Dinamo in 2020–2021 Andrij Batsula confirmed that the players experienced pressure in the club. For example, in 2020, after the presidential election, players were asked several times to sign a letter supporting Lukashenko.
– Was there any intimidation at Dinamo? Yes. The players were wanted to support Lukashenko and sign a letter supporting his regime, Batsula told the Tribunal.
– The club management came to our training center and told the players directly that if they don’t sign, they may have problems. The club management told us: “We have been given information that we must pass on to you. If you don’t sign, we don’t know what will happen. Will you get paid anymore, will you be sent to the army? Who knows.”
Batsula also claimed that the Minister of Sports of Belarus Sergei Kovaltshuk made all decisions regarding the club.
– The club’s management constantly ramped up with the minister. The club’s problem is that it cannot even transfer players without the minister’s permission.
Lukashenko has publicly criticized Kolvaltshuki about the state of football in Belarus, for example when Belarus did not qualify for the World Cup. In December 2022, the president asked Kovaltshuk why Dinamo hasn’t done better.
Lukashenko is also known as a hockey supporter. He made headlines with his comments in 2021, when Dinamo Minsk beat Jokerit 5–3 in the KHL. Playing Jokers in Minsk had attracted criticism because of the country’s human rights situation. After the match, Lukashenko was happy that it was about the most important victory for Dinamo.
HJK’s hands are tied
HJK spokesperson Pekka Mäntylä describes that the setting is also special from the club’s point of view. He says that, after all, playing against Dinamo has been discussed quite a bit within the club or team.
– It has mostly been established that we go with these when we can’t do anything else. It applies not only to the opponent but also to the start time. 22:00 on a Thursday night is not optimal either, but both come from UEFA, says Mäntylä.
– Sure, in principle we could announce that we don’t want to play against Minsk, but that would also mean that we would have to give up a place in the entire Conference League, Mäntylä adds.
HJK lost 0–3 to Lugano in the league stage match of the Conference League. After Dinamo, HJK will face Olimpija Ljubljana, Panathinaikos, Molde and Betis.