Football: Fans detained as Belarus thrashes San Marino in Nations League

Photo: Radio Svaboda
Photo: Radio Svaboda

The riot police detained several Belarus fans who were holding national white-red-white flags at the Nations League match against San Marino in Minsk on Saturday, reports Radio Svaboda.

The crowd was heard shouting "Long Live Belarus!" - a somewhat semi-banned slogan in Belarus under the rule of President Aliaksandr Lukashenka.

After the police walked several fans out of the recently opened after reconstruction Dynamo Stadium, the remaning crowd in the fans' sector began to sing the song "The Warriers of Light" that was an unofficial anthem of the Maidan revolution in Ukraine.

The sports newspaper Pressball notes the detentions took place after the match when the police blocked exits from the fans' sector for 15 minutes.