The puck flew in

Lukashenko loves hockey, but the authorities loves more. Will the World Cup take place in Belarus?

Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko loves hockey. But even more he loves the authorities, for the sake of preserving which he is ready to go to anything. Belarusians are also very fond of hockey, but many even more like the freedom of choice that Lukashenko tried to deprive them with the power method. Which led to the most large -scale political crisis in the recent history of Belarus, who hit Ricochet, including sports.

In September 2011, the first match of the Continental Hockey League Championship in Minsk did not take place due to a terrible tragedy-the team of the Yaroslavl “Lokomotiv”, who was heading to the capital of Belarus, was in full force immediately after taking off from the tunoshna airport.

Today, the starting meeting between the Dynamo Minsk and the Finnish Jokerite did not take place due to the failure to appear of the club from the Helsinki.

The decision not to fly to Minsk was made literally on the day of the game.

The owner and general manager of the Joker, the three -time owner of the Stanley Cup Yari Kurri, explaining the decision, dropped the words sparingly, but expressed the essence for sure: "Now is not the best time to conduct hockey in Minsk." “Jokerite” has already been awarded a technical defeat, and the amount of the fine and the amount of compensation to the opponent will be determined after.

The decision was given to the Finnish club. The Yokerit project in the KHL is considered to be “Kremlin” in Finland, which is largely so.

His main inspirers and sponsors were Gennady Timchenko and the Rotenberg brothers, thanks to whom the six -time Finnish champion and the two -time owner of the European Champions Cup before the 2014–2015 season ended up in the KHL.

The Finnish hockey community did not like the “seizure”, and the KHL itself did not bring the expected effect-and the example did not turn out to be contagious, and the presence of the Finnish top club did not add competition, and the losses in the first four years exceeded 50 million euros. Be that as it may, “Jokerit” in the KHL remained the only representative of the Big Western Hockey Power, and when the sanctions wave covered the Russian owners and sponsors, they managed, according to the Finnish press, to “reprower” the club of the Norilsk Nickel subsidiary, and Yari Kurri, who was based in Finland, became the owner of the Norilsk Nickel.

That is, “Jokerit” as it was and remained a Russian project with all the consequences, and to go against his former owners, leading and league, he is not in any way with his hands.

And here - Belarus with a flared political fire, a shock reaction to the rally of violence of the Lukashenko regime in all of Europe, which Finland could not be passed. And “Jokerita” by the will of the calendar the season was to start, as luck would have it, in Minsk, where August events still bleed, protests, albeit not so large -scale, continue, and it does not smell with stability.

They began to put pressure on the Finnish club from all sides - and from Belarus calls not to support Lukashenko’s regime, and their local fans, which threatened to boycott the home matches of the club, and the Finnish media in Minsk: “People are trying, raping, killing. And the Finnish hockey team flies there, as if nothing was happening. The Russian owners of "Jokerite" are associated with the Kremlin. It is very important for them that the match is held in Minsk right now. ”

To support the West, which declared himself the absolute winner of the presidential election campaign Lukashenko, as usual, called the main culprit of the Troubles, Russian power cannot even in a terrible dream. Therefore, the match in the absence of events of an irresistible nature (tea, not war) was supposed to take place in any case.

“Jokerite” at least, at least another decision threatened with major troubles. The situation was required to leave technically.

When a reference to “deadly threats in social networks from Belarus” did not play, and the leadership was at an impasse, the players themselves, according to some certificates, decided that they would not go to the airport, which the club informed the KHL leadership. The punishment cannot be avoided, but there was no honor - there was no such formulation, but the acts of “Yokerite” are opponents of violence and the usurpation of the authorities living in various countries, they regarded that.

You might think that the case is small, and the “bagel” for the expression of solidarity is completely small loss. Yes, and Barys from Astana, then flew to Minsk as nice, and others will fly too, do not pick them up. But someone was no longer silent, that's what important. Moreover, it is from the hockey environment, the most dependent and conservative.

... In Belarus itself, athletes, and this happened, perhaps, for the first time, arbitrarily opposed almost immediately after the shock counterattack of the security forces, in the tenth of August. Big sport in authoritarian regimes, by definition of satisfaction, is considered as one of the supports of power, and nothing else. To go against the authorities, as a rule, means destroying a career or at least ruin the reputation.

Alexander Lukashenko in this regard felt quite protected. But after hundreds of peaceful protesters became the victims of his security forces, it became impossible to remain silent even the most loyal. In any case, the same four -time Olympic champion in Biathlon Daria Domracheva was one of the first to call to stop violence.

360 famous athletes signed an open letter with hard opposition requirements, as a response, in case of non -fulfillment, promising to leave the national team. There was also the appeal of the ten top sportsmen with the emotional spear of the three-time Olympic prize winner Alexandra Gerasima, and the recent action of the players of the Krumkachi club, who went on a field in T-shirts with the inscriptions “We are against violence” and the names of colleagues beaten by riot police. Of the hockey players, however, the voice is heard only by those who live and play abroad.

Because hockey - under the special protection of Lukashenko, and the leading club of the country is completely patronized.

What he just did not suffer from the Dynamo poor fellow, and promised to disperse repeatedly for inexpressive performances, and to deprive the content of it, and expel it from the KHL - and all this was perceived as "beating - means loves."

On Hockey, Lukashenko made a bet six years ago when Minsk hosted the World Cup - the first big tournament after many years of isolation. Minsk residents did not have to persuade the guests well, they were sincerely happy, and this championship became one of the best in the new century, not only by the number of spectators, but also in cordiality. The merit in this was not Alexander Lukashenko that he tried in every possible way to portray, but ordinary lovers of hockey and just inhabitants of the country. I saw and felt the heat with my own eyes.

... It was May of the 14th year, a sign in all respects, promising unprecedented political shocks. Hockey Russia, which experienced the Sochi Olympic failure, how the air was needed at the World Cup, and in many ways it was helped by the Minsk atmosphere of those days. It’s not that all his escapades, reprisals and cleansing were forgiven by Alexander Lukashenko, but he closed his eyes for a while, partly hoping for the softening of the disposition of the collective farm dictator. He really tried to seem like a family father, and for hockey too. The permanent president of the International Hockey Federation Rene Fasel, in any case, was impressed - it was noticeable.

It is no coincidence that at the first opportunity he blessed the joint application of Minsk and Riga for the joint holding of the World-2021 championship. The application won recently, in Cologne-2017, when Lukashenko was partly trying to play the role of a peacekeeper in the European political arena.

And now Riga through the lips of the Prime Minister of Latvia Krosheanis Karinsha not just expresses concern, but begins specific negotiations with the leadership of the IIHF to find another partner in holding the championship. She is not on the way with Belarus Lukashenko, and if they leave everything as it is, then Latvia will be removed from the run. And Rene Fasel, who several times declared that the IIHF is working with both organizing committees and there was no decision-making schedule regarding the change in the venue of the World-2021 championship, nevertheless, he was not earnest.

To lose Minsk Arena, one of the best hockey sites in Europe, oh, how I do not want, but the power of public opinion and the possible boycott of the championship by leading hockey powers can dramatically change the position of the IIHF. The second consecutive in the threat of the World Cup after a Swiss championship ruined this year will be a real catastrophe for the hockey world. And there is a considerable danger in the hockey family.

Lukashenko thinks that everything will cost. Most likely, he will hold on to the edge of the abyss for some time, and nothing will forgive anyone.

But with the dream, once again, to show off against the backdrop of guest flags in the bed of Minsk Arena, apparently, will have to part, and very soon.

The bell from Jokerite has already sounded. In less than a month, the Dynamo Riga should arrive in a month - but this is unlikely, almost no options, and you can completely forget about partnership. And the fans of the Dynamo Minsk even earlier announced an unlimited boycott of home games: “We are ashamed to identify themselves with citizens who support the lawlessness of the security forces and genocide of the Belarusian people.”

The chief hockey player himself did everything so that his favorite puck arrives. No matter how much the ice applies, it will not help.