Belarus faces a challenging preparation for their World Cup qualifier against Denmark slated for Saturday evening at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen. The national team has experienced significant travel delays, taking approximately 18 hours to make their way to Denmark, by the afternoon of Friday. Reports from the Belarusian Football Federation indicate that the team was still stuck at the Polish border, having been held up for around 12 hours.
The team’s journey began late Thursday night at 10:00 PM CET in Minsk. The crossing into Belarus was relatively smooth, thanks to the efficiency of border guards, taking just 1.5 hours. However, complications arose in neutral territory and at the Polish border, leading to an extended wait that dramatically affected their travel schedule.
In light of these unforeseen circumstances, the federation made necessary adjustments to their travel arrangements, including rescheduling a pre-booked charter flight from Warsaw to Copenhagen. Initially, the team was supposed to travel by bus to Vilnius and then fly, but that plan changed due to Lithuania’s recent decision to close its border completely with Belarus as of October 29th.
As it stands, the Belarusian national team still has a journey ahead to Warsaw before continuing to Copenhagen. The team has a packed schedule ahead of the match, with a pre-match press conference and training session at Parken Stadium set for 19:30 CET and 20:00 CET, respectively. Despite these logistical challenges, the team remains focused on the crucial qualifier ahead, demonstrating resilience in the face of adversity.