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Lukashenka issues warning to Team Belarus ahead of key game at world hockey championship

Alyaksandr Lukashenka warned that Belarus needed to beat Latvia on Monday in what he described as a vital game at the Ice Hockey World Championship in Minsk.

"If we lose we will complicate our situation and may be eliminated from the championship. And then we will spoil everything good that has been done and dampen our people's spirits," the government's news agency BelTA quoted him as saying at a meeting with government officials.

Team Belarus, who recorded three wins and two losses earlier in the tournament, should defeat Latvia to keep their chances of advancing to the championship's playoffs.

Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Lukashenka asked the officials how well the tournament had been organized and whether any complaints had been made.

He also inquired about whether many foreign hockey fans received medical care in Minsk, and asked to be informed about the performance of the police and law enforcement agencies during the tournament. //BelaPAN