Are any kiwis heading over for this match?
All Whites v Belarus | Tues 13th June | 3:50am | Minsk | SS2
I hear Minsk is lovely this time of year
*waits for a trademark BigPete overview of the entire history of the country and every random fact you could think of*
Come on BigPete, it's your time to shine!
Belarus is the last former-Soviet state to still call its security service the KGB.
That's my random Belarus fact
I still have a considerable amount of 1989/1990 roubles buried at a secret location on the outskirts of Minsk. Treasure map available to parties interested in purchase.
Belarus is the last former-Soviet state to still call its security service the KGB.
That's my random Belarus fact
They're also the last dictatorship in Europe (although Turkey probably is one now), and have actively campaigned to re-start the Soviet Union with Russia (in fact the Belarus government still recognises the Soviet Union, so peoples of the Soviet Union can freely travel in and out even if people from Belarus can't do the same for the other countries).
But, all joking aside I'm sure Minsk is lovely at this time of year. One thing that I've realised from traveling is that governments can be cruel and evil but people are themselves really nice and hospitable. In places where they don't get very many foreign visitors they are usually hospitable and friendly to an extreme level.
Random irrelevant fact:
In 2008, they lost to England 3-1.
Didn't George Constanza once wax lyrical about a movie that involved a young girl on a journey to/from Minsk?
The photo above reminds me of my time in Sofia, Bulgaria summer of 1997
Solidly built buildings, cars and middle aged women
Didn't George Constanza once wax lyrical about a movie that involved a young girl on a journey to/from Minsk?
The photo above reminds me of my time in Sofia, Bulgaria summer of 1997
Yeah, it was a European film and therefore had lots of nudity in it which he liked.
Didn't George Constanza once wax lyrical about a movie that involved a young girl on a journey to/from Minsk?
The photo above reminds me of my time in Sofia, Bulgaria summer of 1997
Solidly built buildings, cars and middle aged women
Rochelle Rochelle, a young girl’s strange, erotic journey from Milan to Minsk.
Didn't George Constanza once wax lyrical about a movie that involved a young girl on a journey to/from Minsk?
The photo above reminds me of my time in Sofia, Bulgaria summer of 1997
Solidly built buildings, cars and middle aged women
*waits for a trademark BigPete overview of the entire history of the country and every random fact you could think of*
Come on BigPete, it's your time to shine!
Nah, we covered this when we played Belarus at the 2012 Olympics.
This is one of the dodgier countries the All Whites have arranged a match with in recent times though.
It's basically a shark hole where most people actually like Soviet-style repression in the absence of any knowledge of anything better.
It has been in the world news recently for rare anti-government protests against President Lukashenko's twenty-three year reign.
It's real crazy shark from Lukashenko this time - a “law against social parasites” tax which requires people who work less than 183 days a year to pay the government $250 annually. (At the start of 2017, the average monthly salary was $380.) Those who refuse to pay face a fine and two weeks in jail. In December, about 500,000 people (a tenth of the country) were told they had to pay.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/...
This has actually irked a large number of people from all social classes and lead to a mass protest movement.
The government has stuffed the economy leading to wide unemployment and then they tax the unemployed.
Protests have now been banned after thousands took to the streets in March and the opposition leader has been jailed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Belarusian_prot...
I don't think that avoiding playing football against a country like this achieves anything though.
In situations like this (as revealed in the fascinating doco on BBC World over the weekend about the Syrian national team) the national team will have fans who are anti-government and pro-government - and this will apply to the players too.
I hope that the All Whites do well and get some good preparation for the Confeds Cup and that things eventually improve for the people of Belarus.
So no one but me going. Looks like it will be a tough slog there. The match isn't even listed on their FA's website.
*waits for a trademark BigPete overview of the entire history of the country and every random fact you could think of*
Come on BigPete, it's your time to shine!
Nah, we covered this when we played Belarus at the 2012 Olympics.
This is one of the dodgier countries the All Whites have arranged a match with in recent times though.
It's basically a shark hole where most people actually like Soviet-style repression in the absence of any knowledge of anything better.
It has been in the world news recently for rare anti-government protests against President Lukashenko's twenty-three year reign.
It's real crazy shark from Lukashenko this time - a “law against social parasites” tax which requires people who work less than 183 days a year to pay the government $250 annually. (At the start of 2017, the average monthly salary was $380.) Those who refuse to pay face a fine and two weeks in jail. In December, about 500,000 people (a tenth of the country) were told they had to pay.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/...
This has actually irked a large number of people from all social classes and lead to a mass protest movement.
The government has stuffed the economy leading to wide unemployment and then they tax the unemployed.
Protests have now been banned after thousands took to the streets in March and the opposition leader has been jailed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Belarusian_prot...
I don't think that avoiding playing football against a country like this achieves anything though.
In situations like this (as revealed in the fascinating doco on BBC World over the weekend about the Syrian national team) the national team will have fans who are anti-government and pro-government - and this will apply to the players too.
I hope that the All Whites do well and get some good preparation for the Confeds Cup and that things eventually improve for the people of Belarus.
Belarus haven't won in 5 matches, also they have a game coming up on the 10th, 3 days before NZ game. They are going to have a lot of tired players.
Most of the team play in club sides based in Belarus, others play in Israel, Ukraine, Russia, Greece, Kazakhstan and France 2nd divison.
I know a little about the Belarus players, and by looking at their team they certainly haven't picked their best team - we got a really solid chance against em. A big player to watch out for is Egor Filipenko in defense, he played for Malaga last season and is now at Maccabi Tel Aviv, the biggest club in Israel. Most of their team seems to be new blood, their forwards have 10 caps between them. They've left out names such as Bressan (easily their best player for me), Rodionov (experienced striker), Hleb (remember him?) and Sharkov (censored, but yes that really is his name and he really is very good).
Is this game on the tele?
Is this game on the tele?
3.50 am Tues, Sky Sport 2
Keen for the game to get started, big test for the boys. Hope Hudson took away ideas from the NI game. Score predictions?
I have a tinkling feeling that we might win.
Anyone got a stream link to the game?.
Stream anyone?
I'm sitting in a cafe terrace north of Marseille...its late afternoon and its a heatwave......currently 37 degrees!!!!
Whats the temperature in Wellington at the moment?..LOL
Got a good feeling about this game.....we could get a result here.
http://cricfree.sc/football-live-stream normally has a stream of most games you could give it a try. Fresh outside in Auckland
looks like fever pitch in Minsk today standing room only...
http://www.usagoals.me/c/football/2086574/1/belarus-vs-new-zealand-live-stream/
http://www.usagoals.me/c/football/2086753/2/belaru...
This is not bad if you speak Ruski
great play for lads wood couldn't quite tap it home, should have been 1-0
lucky
double post
better then listening to to Fred
A lot of ball chasing so far.
progress score and update please chaps
0-0 wood missed a good opportunity at 2 mins but mostly Belarus at the moment.
Cant see any improvement from the Nth Ireland game so far. Hope the 2nd half is better.
It is very hard to watch football in Russian at 4am
Line-up is something like:
Marinovic
Durante
Boxall
Themi
Colvey
Rojas
McGlinchey
Thomas
Wynne
Smeltz
Wood
It's mainly all going Belarus' way and we haven't really done anything of note (40 mins in). Belarus were first to the ball at a couple of corners, where on another day we may have been punished - a bit disconcerting as we will probably have a lot to defend at Confeds. Our strikers just aren't getting any service - I'm surprised Tuiloma isn't starting alongside McGlinchey, as our midfield is a bunch of wingbacks and wingers (plus weemac). The crowd really is Belarus' 12th man..
1-0 Belarus, poor marking from the corner.
Poor defending .