TAJIKISTAN started a new football season on Saturday, joining a small group of countries around the world where play has continued despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Istiklol Dushanbe retained the Central Asian nation’s season-opening Super Cup on Saturday with a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Khujand.

The game was played without fans due to precautions regarding the virus pandemic. A large banner reading “stop coronavirus” in Tajik and Russian covered part of the stands.

Players and staff from both teams mingled freely after the final whistle before officials hung medals around their necks and shook their hands.

Professional football is only continuing in a few countries around the world, with Belarus, Nicaragua and Burundi among the holdouts, attracting interest from foreign fans and international gambling markets.

The attention isn't always welcome. An amateur club in Sweden complained of death threats after a practice game was given a high profile on gambling sites.

Tajikistan has not reported any cases of the coronavirus, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Istiklol won the Super Cup for the third time in a row, matching the record streaks the same club set in 2012 and 2016.

“The guys went out and did their job honestly and won the cup. Thanks to them for that,” Istiklol coach Vitaly Levchenko said in televised comments.

Tajikistan’s top league started games yesterday. The national football federation has said those games will also be held without fans until further notice, following recommendations from the Health Ministry.