MINSK, Belarus (AP) — They don’t chant, they don’t move, and they mostly wear the wrong colors.
They’re not even real.
Defending Belarusian league champion Dynamo Brest has started boosting its home crowds with mannequins in soccer shirts and adorned with the faces of “virtual fans” who bought tickets online.
Belarus is the last country in Europe still hosting professional sports in front of spectators amid the coronavirus pandemic, but attendances are shrinking as fans decide the stadium is too risky.
Fan boycotts have been announced at 10 of the 16 clubs in the top division.