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FC Dinamo Minsk: No plans for reorganization aimed at avoiding EU sanctions

FC Dinamo Minsk has no plans for a reorganization that could help the club avoid the European Union`s sanctions, Alyaksandr Klimyankow, Dinamo`s acting director general, told BelaPAN.

The club announced on Friday that its junior teams had been affected by the sanctions imposed on the soccer club earlier this year.

"No reorganization of the club is expected in the near future," Mr. Klimyankow said. "Why should we do so under pressure from the EU? We must simply defend our stance. Who is targeted by these sanctions? At present the sanctions appear to be targeting the children whom the club wanted to take abroad for a health break at its own expense."

On March 23, the EU foreign ministers added Yury Chyzh to the list of Belarusian individuals subject to an entry ban and asset freeze over his close ties with Alyaksandr Lukashenka and also introduced sanctions against 18 entities owned by the businessman, including the popular soccer club.

Earlier this summer, Dinamo Minsk failed to rent a 70-seat coach from a Lithuanian company after the Baltic country`s bank blocked its advance payment due to the EU sanctions.

The club had planned to use the coach for transporting five of its junior teams to an international tournament in Finland in July.

The teams eventually managed to take part in the tournament after the children`s parents paid for their travel themselves.

The club had been reassured by the national soccer federation that it would not be hit by the sanctions. The incident has prompted Dinamo to seek fresh explanations from the federation over how the sanctions work.