Turkmenistan is restarting its football season and fans will be back in the stadiums. Till now it has not reported a single case of coronavirus.
It followed other countries around the world by suspending the league in March.?
The national football federation cited recommendations by the health ministry and the World Health Organisation for preventing the spread of the illness.?
A month later, and despite international concerns that Turkmen authorities are underplaying the threat of the virus, football is returning, with supporters only too happy to follow the action from the stands.?
"Joy boosts our immunity," joked Ashir Yusupov, a 34-year-old entrepreneur, as per a report in AFP.?
He said he would be watching reigning champions Altyn Asyr take on early table-toppers Kopetdag in the capital Ashgabat on Sunday.?
Three ex-Soviet states have bucked the global trend for suspending professional leagues: Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Belarus.
Global interest in the Belarusian league has surged on the back of its decision, while the Tajikistan's Super Cup final earlier this month attracted a curious multi-lingual online following.?
But Belarus, which has confirmed 4,779 coronavirus cases, has been strongly criticised for allowing fans to attend games.?
Tajikistan has begun its season with matches held behind closed doors, even as its authoritarian government, like that of Turkmenistan, continues to insist there are no cases in the country.?
Yusupov said he had no fear of crowded places, despite being aware of bans on sports events in other countries.?
"We have no coronavirus, so why not restart our league?" he asked.?