On any given Saturday, there will probably be hundreds of people checking the betting odds for the Real Madriz game. Ordinarily, this will be due to a typing error on their phones as they seek to have a flutter. Not so at the moment because the Nicaraguan Liga Primera side are currently a bigger draw than their near namesakes in Spain.
Nicaragua is one of just a handful of countries to continue its domestic football programme amid the current coronavirus pandemic. A scroll through the odds on the Olybet betting website shows some unlikely names given prominence in the sportsbook.
As well as Madriz’s upcoming trip to Juventus Managua there is also ART Municipal Jalapa’s encounter with Diriangen FC and Chinandega vs Real Esteli.
Punters who don’t fancy their knowledge of Nicaraguan football might instead try their luck in one of the other leagues still in action.
In Belarus, where president Alexander Lukashenko maintains there is no need to close workplaces and public events due to Covid-19, teams familiar to followers of the Europa League are also in action. Dinamo Minsk travel to FC Gorodeya later today, while FC Minsk host BATE Borisov tomorrow.
Although it’s business as usual for the players, the matches are being played in near-empty stadiums due to supporter boycotts. Belarus is the only league in Europe still in action but despite the opportunity to watch their team in action, most fans have decided it is too risky and opted to stay away. Indeed, official supporter boycotts have been announced at 10 of the 16 top-flight clubs.
Defending champions Dynamo Brest have found a novel way to embrace their new-found fame in international markets. They are selling virtual tickets to fans watching overseas for around £21. The supporters are represented in the stadium by mannequins, decked out in old replica shirts and cardboard masks.
The virtual tickets costs far more than actual tickets, which usually sell for as little as 55p.
Football is also being played in Burundi and Tajikistan. The former Soviet republic has not declared a single case of coronavirus and allowed its Higher League’s new season to start earlier this month.
