For many football fans, the ending of leagues early has become something they are likely going to have to accept. But for many fans, the loss of games has meant a loss of personal time and enjoyment. And while that pales in comparison to what is happening the world over, some leagues have not stopped. And this has led to some of the smallest football leagues in Europe gaining much more interesting followings than many would have assumed.

A fine example of this comes from the Belarus Premier League. The top flight in Belarus has gained many new admirers, with fans who are desperate for some football to watch tuning in to watch the BPL. With the nations president Alexander Lukashenko unwilling to shut down the league and much of the country, it has become in many ways ‘the only show in town’.

That’s why so many fans today in Belarus are happy to see their league finally get some kind of recognition. For years, the league has been derided as one lacking quality – but that looks set to change. Clubs like Dynamo Brest and BATE Borisov might be regular names in European competition, but now they are becoming household names for fans who would normally never give their league a second glance.

This is a fine example of how something we are so used to – something like football – becomes so routine. Without our own teams to play in or teams to watch, people are getting their fix in any many ways. From watching classic old games to switching on to the game in Belarus, this just goes to show how football-hungry the whole world is.

If we can see thousands of people signing up to watch the Belarusian league, it just goes to show how many people let football become such a focal part of their lives.