Turkmenistan restarts football season

Turkmenistan rebooted its domestic football season yesterday, with fans returning to stadiums in one of the few countries yet to declare a case of coronavirus.

Around 300 people attended a top-of-the table clash between last season's champions Altyn Asyr and league leaders Kopetdag in a 20,000-capacity stadium in Ashgabat.

The two teams played out an attritional 1-1 draw with both goals coming in the second half, the AFP reported.

The Central Asian state followed other countries around the world when it suspended its eight-team league in March just three games into the season. The national football federation cited recommendations by the health ministry and the World Health Organisation for preventing the spread of the illness.

But a month later, and despite international concerns that Turkmen authorities are underplaying the threat of the virus, football made a return to Turkmenistan.