Why Lukashenko Is Afraid Of Football Fans, While Merkel Is Not

And it has nothing to do with the fact that the German chancellor loves football, and the Belarusian ruler loves hockey.

When you see how the Belarusian authorities treat football fans, sometimes it seems that they are really afraid of them. It is enough to recall the cordons of OMON, which line up around the stadiums on the eve of matches. Or thorough personal searches which the fans have to face, before they get to the stadium.

When you look at how the Belarusian authorities behave with football fans, sometimes it seems that they are really afraid of them. It is enough to recall the riot police cordons around the stadiums before matches. Or the higher-level security screenings, which the fans have to go through, before they get to the grandstand.

A two-year-old incident, when policemen forbade the head coach of the Belarusian national football team to smile at the entrance to the stadium, is revealing the situation perfectly well.

When you are in Germany, you understand that football here is not just a popular game, but almost a purpose of life for millions of people. The Germans say: "You may change your wife, but not your favorite football club." And it's not an exaggeration – German fans can support throughout life a football team, which they loved as a child. That's why almost all strata of the population come to the stands – from elderly couples to underage hooligans.

However, at that they manage to maintain order at football matches in Germany, without humiliating human dignity.

Here, football fans are not considered a scum of society – on the contrary, they have a very serious influence. Fans' organizations in Germany can comprise several tens of thousands of people, the vast majority of whom are decent and respectable people, who come to football after work to spend time with their family or friends.

The fan club leadership is elected democratically via voting. Fans' organizations are not only engaged in football issues, but even raise money, if one of the club’s fans is in a difficult life situation.

There are social organizations – fan projects, which are affiliated with German fan clubs. Being a part of fan environment, they are looking for difficult teenagers – and conduct educational work with them. Fan projects have their own premises, which serve as houses for fans of one or several clubs.

In most cases, there are sausages and beer on sale at German stadiums, – the police can prohibit the sale of alcohol at the stadium only if the match is classified as dangerous. In other cases, you can buy beer in the stands.

Football is inseparable from politics in Germany – every self-respecting German politician realizes that football fans are part of a democratic society. That's why German Chancellor Angela Merkel is often seen in the stands, and football lovers are treated as polite as possible there.

Football is one of the opportunities to get additional votes during elections. And it is well understood in countries where these elections are conducted honestly and openly.

In Belarus, it’s more simply to keep a strict hand over the football fans, even despite their small number, – the conclusion, as they say, is forced upon you.

Pavel Ros, gazetaby.com