Unlikely Belarusian football heroes FK Slutsk have further endeared themselves to their newly acquired Western fans when defender Egor Semenov received his Player of the Week award from two models wearing raunchy bondage gear.
Semenov was voted the Belarus Premier League’s best player in the 4th round of matches for his performance in a 1-1 draw with Vitebsk and was presented with his award by two models wearing bright yellow bunny masks, fishnets, leather corsets and suspenders.
This is, naturally, how defender Yegor Semenov of FK Slutsk was presented the Belarusian Premier League's player of the week award. pic.twitter.com/lYnbMAczoe
For a team with such a name, it was perhaps a fitting way to crown their star player with the prestigious award, much to the amusement of football fans and journalists alike.
Some considered it a positive that the models were “at least wearing masks” in a country with lax laws to prevent the spread of coronavirus, whereas others felt the composition was even logical given the club’s name.
They do Player of the Week awards differently in Belarus. Not necessarily in a good, different way. I mean, the social distancing is out of the window in this! https://t.co/68BWo7vcG7
Semenov was grateful for the award, and had a message for those watching around the world: “Of course [the support] is interesting. It’s unfortunate that this is all happening int he backdrop of a pandemic. We want fans to watch us in a peaceful and healthy time,” he said.
“We need to do these things so fans will see, so that the fans like it, so that they can see that their help and support doesn’t go unnoticed. We see it and we value it – we’re very pleased.”
Vysshaya Liga, the top tier of football in Belarus, is currently the only division in Europe still operating despite the global covid-19 pandemic, and is subsequently currently enjoying a spike in interest from fans all over the world itching to get their football fix.
FK Slutsk have become something of a second-team among English-speaking fans in lockdown from the UK to Australia owing to their comical name and where those in quarantine are devoid of any live sports action and looking for a betting fix.
The increase in attention has spawned supporter’s groups on Twitter, in which newfound ultras have bestowed the nickname ‘The Sluts’ upon the team and their new following, and have suggested the club’s shirt next sponsor should be Pornhub.
Highlights. Slutsk – Vitebsk
Belarus Premier League. Matchday 4. FC Slutsk – FC Vitebsk – 1:1.
— ABFF | Belarus Premier league, Belarusian cup (@BelFootFeder) April 11, 2020
Slutsk’s draw at home to Vitebsk sees the two teams level on points with seven from four games played in 4th and 5th position respectively, just two points off top spot. Next up for Slutsk is a trip to FC Shakhtyor Soligorsk on Friday.
Elsewhere ultras of another Belarusian team, FK Neman Grodno, announced they would boycott their team’s matches fans and called on other fan movements to likewise stop attending matches, claiming they were “aware someone is lying to us” about the disease and that is was time to put their health first.
When fans looked like they were taking heed of the advice, some clubs invented ingenious alternatives to cope with falling attendances.
PR-loving Dinamo Brest sold tickets to fans unable or unwilling to further attend matches to a ‘virtual attendance’ where their faces would be stuck on mannequins wearing football shirts from around the world sat in the stands in the absence of real fans. The club even created a VIP spot in which they placed the image of Belarus football great Aleksandr Hleb onto a doll.
