Coronavirus: In Belarus, Momo Yansane continues to play despite everything

Text by: David Kalfa Follow

Momo Yansane is a striker at FC Isloch, a club from Belarus. The 22-year-old Guinean international tells RFI about his daily life in the Belarusian championship, the last in Europe still active despite the global coronavirus pandemic. "It scares me but I am convinced that people are professional and mature here", he explains to rfi.fr. Interview.

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RFI : Momo Yansane, what is the level of the Belarusian championship ? Is it better than in Morocco, for example, where you played for FUS Rabat ?

Momo Yansane : Belarus is Europe and Morocco is Africa. The rhythm is the same. But the game is dynamic in the Belarusian championship, there are a lot of contacts, desire and commitment. And then the level has increased recently.

[…] The Championship is very very well organized. Everything is in place. There is a whole bunch of trophies: the man of the match, the best player of the month, the best player of the season, the best goal of the month. There is even a trophy for best African player. It's like in England or in France.

The goal scored by Momo Yansane.

Are Belarusians passionate about football ?

There are quite a few football enthusiasts here. I cannot say that 100% of the population is passionate about soccer because there are many other sports that Belarusians are interested in. Already it is snowing a lot and there are disciplines like skiing. And all sports are practiced here. The president of the country, for example, is not fully into football and prefers ice hockey. […]

The Belarusian championship is obviously the last in Europe where we still play. Suddenly, football fans, who are lacking in football, are interested in the Vysheyshaya Liga. How does it feel to know that many more people than usual watch your matches ?

[…] It is true that many people are interested in our championship because the other championships are stopped. […] It is a chance for us. It allows us to give a good image of Belarus. Many people are interested in matches. Recently, I scored the best goal of the month. Knowing that the matches are being followed, that motivates me deeply. […]

Around the world, national championships have stopped because of the coronavirus. Are you worried that we will continue to play in Belarus ?

People all over the world are worried, with all these positive cases and all these deaths. This virus is eating away at our world. Here, however, it plays without worry. I am worried. My life is in danger. But working allows me to eat. So there is nothing we can do at the moment, except to follow the instructions of the Belarusian federation, CAF and FIFA.

Did the local authorities still take safety measures to protect the health of the players and spectators ?

[…] Yes, there are no more greetings and direct contacts. The necessary precautions have been taken by the federation and by the State.

Do people in Belarus look worried about the Covid-19 ?

I cannot tell you that the Belarusians are not worried. They are. But they are very mature people. […] People protect themselves. But they don't talk about it. They prefer to be quiet and focus on what they have to do. But they are still worried. They see on social networks what is happening elsewhere. […]

Do you fear the health situation in Belarus or not ?

The situation scares me, yes, but not 100%, because security measures have been taken by the state. And then you have to make a choice. I can't say that I'm not going to go to training. I am a simple player. My club pays me, feeds me and houses me. I have to follow the decision of the club and the federation. […]

Each time my family, my mom and my sisters in particular, call me to see where my situation is, if things are going well, if I am not affected by this epidemic. It scares me but I am convinced that people are professional and mature in Belarus. They have been taking the health situation seriously here for a while. So I'm not totally worried, either.

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