Lukashenka: There's nothing to watch in Belarusian football
There's currently nothing to watch in Belarusian football. Aleksandr Lukashenka gave this assessment of the state of affairs in this sport at a meeting in Minsk, writes BelTA.
Photo: kremlin.ru
"Why did I turn to sport — not just to hockey: I'm already starting to be criticized for paying more attention to hockey. If the footballers play like our hockey players do, I will gladly pay attention to football too. But there's nothing to watch there yet," he said.
He recalled a recent friendly football match between the national teams of Belarus and Burkina Faso. The game ended in a 2:2 draw, although the Belarusian team was leading 2:0 during the match.
"Well, yes, Burkina Faso is not a bad team. We were seemingly leading 2:0. And then at the finish — as usual. What does this say? It says that we don't prepare, we don't know how to play physically. Or the coaching staff (although I can't say they started badly), led by Goncharenko, didn't prepare the team properly to withstand until the last minute and win," Aleksandr Lukashenka noted.
He emphasized that no one, including the relevant minister, can reproach him for not paying attention to football: "For us, 'paying attention' means 'give money.' Well, we gave the Minsk Dinamo players a minister (referring to Interior Minister Ivan Kubrakov, who also serves as chairman of the supervisory board of the Dynamo BFST) and money. And what, did they start playing better? Did they distinguish themselves in cups, or anywhere else? So there's no need to be offended that I pay less attention to football. Not less at all, it's enough."
Lukashenka noted that it so happened in his life that he is now seen more often on the hockey rink. Perhaps that's why the impression might have been created that it is the number 1 game in Belarus.
"Football and hockey are the main sports everywhere, because they are mass sports, they are people's sports. In my personal life, I always admitted that I played football, not hockey. In summer — football, in winter — hockey. From school age," Aleksandr Lukashenka noted.