A supporters club of Helsinki pro hockey team Jokerit have called for an indefinite boycott of the team’s home matches in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), if a controversial fixture against Dinamo Minsk goes ahead in Belarus on Thursday.
The board of the Eteläpääty supporters club made a unanimous decision to not attend games at Helsinki’s Hartwall Arena "for the time being", and called on the rest of the supporters club’s membership--as well as Jokerit fans in general--to join in the protest.
"Due to the situation in Belarus and human rights violations, we cannot accept playing the match in Minsk," the board wrote in a press release on Wednesday.
The association had initially expressed a hope last week that the team would not make the trip, calling on Jokerit management to either reschedule the fixture or concede the game to the Belarusian side.
However, Jokerit manager Jari Kurri said that although an effort had been made to postpone the game, Dinamo Minsk were not willing to make any changes to the fixture.
"We have decided to go to Minsk exceptionally only on game day and leave immediately after the match," Kurri said on Monday.
Belarus has seen widespread protests since the 9 August presidential election, which secured a sixth term for Alexander Lukashenko, widely regarded as Europe's last dictator.
Street protests which began in the run-up to the election have continued since the result was announced, growing to become the largest anti-government demonstrations in the country's history - often involving violent clashes between authorities and protestors.
Jokerit’s first home game of the season is due to take place next Wednesday against Neftehimik Nizhnekamski.
