21 Nov 2027
Sunday
Process
68 Edition

The Minsk Courier

15 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Alexandr Ksenofontov called up by his country

A window away with the national side, and a shirt at Minsk that briefly doubles as an advertisement. A call-up flatters the player and the club that built him in the same breath.

Squad

International call for Artem Turich

Artem Turich joins up with his country. Minsk lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.

Squad

Ivan Berezun knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Minsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

Back issues
67 Edition

The Minsk Courier

8 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Ivan Ageev is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Minsk is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Emir Ernisov gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Boardroom

Minsk release $402.8K for the manager

The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.

In brief

66 Edition

The Minsk Courier

1 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Ivan Berezun has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Minsk they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Artem Turich gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Ji-hun Park asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

65 Edition

The Minsk Courier

25 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Minsk lose Alexandr Gutor

58 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Alexey Tumanov gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Daouda Natama asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

64 Edition

The Minsk Courier

18 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Alexey Tumanov: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Minsk have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Dmitriy Emeljanov gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Daouda Natama knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Minsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

63 Edition

The Minsk Courier

11 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Prokhor Struk says Minsk went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market

Ivan Ageev is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Minsk is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Konstantin Lipnitskiy

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Alexey Tumanov asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Squad

International call for Alexandr Ksenofontov

Alexandr Ksenofontov joins up with his country. Minsk lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.

Market

Vsevolod Narushevich placed on the list

Minsk have made Vsevolod Narushevich available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.

In brief

62 Edition

The Minsk Courier

4 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Ivan Berezun has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Minsk they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Ilya Aleksievich stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Ilya Aleksievich and Minsk agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Boardroom

$402.8K on the table at Minsk

The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Valentin Dikhtievskiy

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Alexandr Makas is not saying it is over

“Ask me in the summer. I will know before anybody else does.” He is 36 with 16 appearances behind him, and Minsk have to plan for both answers.

Squad

Alexandr Alexandrovich asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

61 Edition

The Minsk Courier

27 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Minsk out of the cup

BATE ended it 0-2. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Alexandr Gutor

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Minsk find a way past Torpedo-BelAZ

Torpedo-BelAZ made Minsk work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Market

Daouda Natama linked with a move away

The name of Daouda Natama keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Minsk say nothing, which says plenty.

Loan watch

Ilya Dubinets keeps scoring at Smorgon

28 appearances away from home and 4 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

Squad

Alexandr Alexandrovich knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Minsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

60 Edition

The Minsk Courier

20 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Vsevolod Narushevich attracts admirers

The name of Vsevolod Narushevich has come up in conversations Minsk were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Emir Ernisov

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

No goals between Minsk and Belshina

Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Belshina will be the happier side with the point.

In brief

59 Edition

The Minsk Courier

13 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Valentin Dikhtievskiy says Minsk went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market

Ivan Ageev is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Minsk is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

Minsk see off Naftan

Three points for Minsk, 1-0 the final word against Naftan in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

Alexey Tumanov gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Osipovichi expected to open talks for Vsevolod Narushevich

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Minsk will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

Market

Talks stall between Minsk and Ivan Berezun

“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.

Squad

Ronald González wants a proper job in this side

Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Ronald González has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Minsk know, and have known for weeks.

Squad

Emir Ernisov asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Market

The window shut and Ronald González is still in the building

Minsk spent a month trying to move him and nobody rang back. He trains with a squad that has told him where he stands, and both sides start counting down to the next one.

In brief

58 Edition

The Minsk Courier

6 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Vladislav Yatskevich asks to leave Minsk

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Match

5 matches without a win for Minsk

The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Minsk are no longer polite ones.

Market

Ivan Berezun has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Minsk they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Daouda Natama

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

No place for Alexey Tumanov on the big day

He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Minsk pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.

Match

Minsk draw a blank against Isloch

The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Isloch defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.

In brief

57 Edition

The Minsk Courier

30 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Vsevolod Narushevich asks to leave Minsk

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Match

4 matches without a win for Minsk

The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Minsk are no longer polite ones.

Market

Minsk turn down CR Belouizdad for Vsevolod Narushevich

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Alexandr Gutor

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

A bad afternoon for Minsk against Slutsk

0-1 to Slutsk, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

Artem Turich knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Minsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

56 Edition

The Minsk Courier

23 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Alexandr Naumovich hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Minsk can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Konstantin Lipnitskiy says Minsk went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Vladislav Lyakh gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

55 Edition

The Minsk Courier

16 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Alexandr Gutor keeps Minsk in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Market

Ivan Ageev is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Minsk is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Daouda Natama is carrying Minsk

15 goals and a season average of 7.21. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Squad

Alexandr Naumovich gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Minsk share the spoils with BATE

A 1-1 draw with BATE leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

Squad

Vladislav Lyakh knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Minsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

54 Edition

The Minsk Courier

9 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Ivan Berezun has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Minsk they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Market

Vsevolod Narushevich attracts admirers

The name of Vsevolod Narushevich has come up in conversations Minsk were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Squad

Ivan Pavlov signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Ivan Pavlov commits to Minsk for another 2 years.

Loan watch

Prokhor Struk wants to come home

“I did not go to Vitebsk to sit and watch. I want to come back to Minsk and fight for my place.” 7 appearances in 25 matches say the rest.

Squad

Konstantin Lipnitskiy gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Minsk draw a blank against Slavia Mozyr

The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Slavia Mozyr defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.

In brief

53 Edition

The Minsk Courier

2 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Minsk through in the cup

A 1-0 win over Dinamo Brest, and the draw for the next round can be watched with some interest for once.

The terraces

The ground has had enough

“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 7 of the 35 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.

Squad

Daouda Natama is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.21 with 14 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Match

Minsk come up short against Smorgon

Smorgon left with the points after a 1-2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

Ilya Aleksievich gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Ivan Pavlov stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Ivan Pavlov and Minsk agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Costly mistake from Alexandr Gutor

An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Alexandr Gutor knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.

Market

Alexandr Naumovich placed on the list

Minsk have made Alexandr Naumovich available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.

Market

Daouda Natama linked with a move away

The name of Daouda Natama keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Minsk say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

52 Edition

The Minsk Courier

26 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Minsk are in among the leaders

Position 1 and 37 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Minsk

The unbeaten run reaches 12. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

Wandinho says Minsk went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Match

5 matches without a win for Minsk

The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Minsk are no longer polite ones.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Valentin Dikhtievskiy

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Daouda Natama knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Minsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

51 Edition

The Minsk Courier

19 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Still nobody has beaten Minsk

The unbeaten run reaches 11. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Match

4 matches without a win for Minsk

The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Minsk are no longer polite ones.

Market

Uni-X Labs watching Vsevolod Narushevich

The interest is real enough to have reached print. Minsk have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.

Squad

Alexey Tumanov gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Minsk draw a blank against Gomel

The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Gomel defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.

Squad

Alexandr Makas asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

50 Edition

The Minsk Courier

12 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Alexandr Gutor keeps Minsk in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Minsk

The unbeaten run reaches 10. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Market

Ivan Berezun has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Minsk they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Daouda Natama is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.23 with 13 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Loan watch

Prokhor Struk wants to come home

“I did not go to Vitebsk to sit and watch. I want to come back to Minsk and fight for my place.” 5 appearances in 21 matches say the rest.

Match

Minsk share the spoils with Dinamo Minsk

A 2-2 draw with Dinamo Minsk leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

Squad

Dmitriy Emeljanov gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Osipovichi are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Minsk will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

Squad

Alexandr Makas knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Minsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

49 Edition

The Minsk Courier

5 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Ronald González hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Minsk can pretend not to have heard.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Minsk

The unbeaten run reaches 9. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

Vladislav Grekovich says Minsk went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Alexandr Naumovich gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Minsk and Dnepr Mogilev cancel each other out

Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Dnepr Mogilev came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.

Squad

Alexey Tumanov asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

48 Edition

The Minsk Courier

28 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Minsk are in among the leaders

Position 1 and 33 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Minsk

The unbeaten run reaches 8. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Market

Lokomotiv Gomel come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Minsk did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Match

Minsk and Neman take a point apiece

It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Francisco Campo Mina

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Ilya Sviridenko asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

47 Edition

The Minsk Courier

21 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Still nobody has beaten Minsk

The unbeaten run reaches 7. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Match

Minsk get the job done against Vitebsk

A 2-1 win over Vitebsk, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

Daouda Natama is carrying Minsk

11 goals and a season average of 7.23. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Market

Lokomotiv Gomel watching Vsevolod Narushevich

The interest is real enough to have reached print. Minsk have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.

Squad

Alexey Tumanov gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Artem Turich finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Minsk have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

Market

Vsevolod Narushevich told to find a new club

“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Vsevolod Narushevich has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Minsk.

Squad

Ilya Aleksievich has taken the shirt

At 36 he is in the side on merit and somebody else is watching from the bench. Places at Minsk are won quietly and lost loudly.

Loan watch

Ilya Dubinets first choice at Smorgon

15 starts and a season average of 7.02. The loan is doing exactly what it was arranged to do.

In brief

46 Edition

The Minsk Courier

14 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Alexey Tumanov hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Minsk can pretend not to have heard.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Minsk

The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Loan watch

Prokhor Struk has seen enough of Vitebsk

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Minsk, and 4 appearances in 17 say he has earned the hearing.

Market

Ronald González told to find a new club

“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Ronald González has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Minsk.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Daouda Natama

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Minsk find a way past Torpedo-BelAZ

Torpedo-BelAZ made Minsk work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Minsk lose Vladislav Yatskevich

43 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Artem Turich asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Squad

Vladislav Varaksa is off the mark for Minsk

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

In brief

45 Edition

The Minsk Courier

7 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Minsk through in the cup

A 2-1 win over Slutsk, and the draw for the next round can be watched with some interest for once.

Squad

Alexandr Naumovich gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

The armband comes off Alexandr Gutor

Minsk will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.

Squad

Artem Turich knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Minsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Match

Minsk and Belshina cancel each other out

Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Belshina came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.

Market

Daouda Natama linked with a move away

The name of Daouda Natama keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Minsk say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Alexandr Makas is off the mark for Minsk

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

Market

Talks stall between Minsk and Gleb Sereda

“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.

Loan watch

Ilya Dubinets wants to stay at Smorgon

“I am playing every week here and I feel like a footballer again.” 13 appearances and 2 goals on loan, and a decision waiting in the summer.

In brief

44 Edition

The Minsk Courier

31 May 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Minsk are in among the leaders

Position 1 and 25 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Match

Minsk get the job done against Naftan

A 1-0 win over Naftan, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

Daouda Natama is carrying Minsk

10 goals and a season average of 7.25. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

In brief

43 Edition

The Minsk Courier

24 May 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

The manager makes an example of Alexandr Gutor

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Minsk share the spoils with Isloch

A 2-2 draw with Isloch leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

Squad

Ilya Aleksievich asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

42 Edition

The Minsk Courier

17 May 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Minsk find a way past Slutsk

Slutsk made Minsk work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Minsk lose Vladislav Yatskevich

73 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Loan watch

Prokhor Struk wants to come home

“I did not go to Vitebsk to sit and watch. I want to come back to Minsk and fight for my place.” 3 appearances in 13 matches say the rest.

Squad

Vladislav Varaksa gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Alexey Tumanov knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Minsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad

Ronald González unhappy with how he is being used

Asked to play a role that is not his, or taken off before the hour once too often — Ronald González has let it be known that he does not like the way Minsk are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.

In brief

41 Edition

The Minsk Courier

10 May 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Ilya Aleksievich gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Daouda Natama linked with a move away

The name of Daouda Natama keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Minsk say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Ilya Sviridenko knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Minsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

40 Edition

The Minsk Courier

3 May 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Minsk up to position 1

18 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Squad

Alexandr Gutor signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Alexandr Gutor commits to Minsk for another 2 years.

Squad

Konstantin Kuchinskiy gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

39 Edition

The Minsk Courier

26 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Minsk run riot against Slavia Mozyr

4-0, and the margin flattered nobody — it could have carried another goal or two without complaint. Afternoons like this are why people keep coming.

Match

9 unbeaten for Minsk

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 9 matches without defeat is a foundation Minsk did not have in the autumn.

Squad

Daouda Natama gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Étienne Camara knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Minsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad

Ronald González finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Minsk have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

Squad

Ronald González scores at last

The wait is over, and the relief was visible from the back of the stand. 1 for the season, and the next one always comes easier.

In brief

38 Edition

The Minsk Courier

19 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Douglas Owusu: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Minsk have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Match

8 unbeaten for Minsk

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 8 matches without defeat is a foundation Minsk did not have in the autumn.

Squad

Vladislav Yatskevich out for 101 days

The medical room confirms 101 days on the sidelines for Vladislav Yatskevich, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Loan watch

Prokhor Struk has seen enough of Vitebsk

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Minsk, and 1 appearances in 9 say he has earned the hearing.

Match

Honours even between Minsk and Smorgon

1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

Squad

Valentin Dikhtievskiy gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

37 Edition

The Minsk Courier

12 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Étienne Camara says Minsk went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Match

7 unbeaten for Minsk

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 7 matches without defeat is a foundation Minsk did not have in the autumn.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ilya Aleksievich

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Minsk find a way past Dinamo Brest

Dinamo Brest made Minsk work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Wandinho asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Market

The Daouda Natama talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Minsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

36 Edition

The Minsk Courier

5 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Minsk march on in the cup

Niva are out and Minsk go through, 1-0 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.

Match

6 unbeaten for Minsk

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 6 matches without defeat is a foundation Minsk did not have in the autumn.

Squad

Wandinho stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Wandinho and Minsk agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Alexandr Naumovich gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Honours even between Minsk and Gomel

1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

Squad

Ilya Aleksievich loses the armband

The captaincy has been taken off Ilya Aleksievich. Minsk will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.

In brief

35 Edition

The Minsk Courier

29 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Kacper Tobiasz

There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Squad

Vladislav Lyakh gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Minsk lose Ilya Bondarenko

38 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

In brief

34 Edition

The Minsk Courier

22 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Minsk cannot stop winning

3 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.

Squad

Vladislav Yatskevich out for 131 days

The medical room confirms 131 days on the sidelines for Vladislav Yatskevich, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Konstantin Kuchinskiy

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Minsk get the job done against Dnepr Mogilev

A 1-0 win over Dnepr Mogilev, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Loan watch

Prokhor Struk wants to come home

“I did not go to Vitebsk to sit and watch. I want to come back to Minsk and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.

Squad

Artem Sakovich makes his debut at 20

At 20 years old, Artem Sakovich became the latest name off the academy production line to be handed a senior shirt.

Squad

Konstantin Lipnitskiy knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Minsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Loan watch

Ilya Dubinets keeps scoring at Smorgon

3 appearances away from home and 1 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

Market

The Alexandr Alexandrovich talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Minsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

33 Edition

The Minsk Courier

15 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Ronald González gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Minsk get the job done against Neman

A 1-0 win over Neman, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

Étienne Camara is off the mark for Minsk

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

In brief

32 Edition

The Minsk Courier

8 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Ilya Aleksievich signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Ilya Aleksievich commits to Minsk for another 2 years.

Market

Viktar Signevich is a Minsk player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Market

Dzmitry Kendysh comes home

The shirt still fits. Dzmitry Kendysh is back at Minsk, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.

Market

Uladzislau Yablonski is a Minsk player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Market

Sergei Signevich is a Minsk player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Match

Minsk see off Vitebsk

Three points for Minsk, 3-2 the final word against Vitebsk in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

Makar Suschiy gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Douglas Owusu finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Minsk have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

Squad

Ji-hun Park finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Minsk have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

In brief

31 Edition

The Minsk Courier

1 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Ronald González asks to leave Minsk

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Minsk lose Wandinho

17 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Valentin Dikhtievskiy

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

30 Edition

The Minsk Courier

22 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Francisco Campo Mina asks to leave Minsk

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Market

Pavel Tarletskiy moves on

Vitebsk pay $120.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Vladislav Lyakh

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Marley Tavaziva signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Marley Tavaziva commits to Minsk for another 3 years.

Squad

Ronald González knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Minsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad

Alexandr Ksenofontov loses a friend at Minsk

The move was somebody else's story. What it left behind was a dressing-room stall nobody has taken and a player who keeps looking at it.

In brief

29 Edition

The Minsk Courier

15 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Pavel Tarletskiy hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Minsk can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Ronald González gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Vladislav Lyakh asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Market

Minsk put Alexey Tumanov up for sale

The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Alexey Tumanov may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.

Market

The Daouda Natama talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Minsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Ilya Aleksievich has company in his position

The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Ilya Aleksievich keeps the shirt for now, at Minsk's convenience rather than his own.

In brief

28 Edition

The Minsk Courier

8 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Ji-hun Park signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Ji-hun Park commits to Minsk for another 3 years.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ilya Sviridenko

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Gleb Sereda asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

27 Edition

The Minsk Courier

1 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Minsk turn down Volna Pinsk for Prokhor Struk

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Wandinho out for 46 days

The medical room confirms 46 days on the sidelines for Wandinho, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Daniil Pesnyak signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Daniil Pesnyak commits to Minsk for another 3 years.

In brief

26 Edition

The Minsk Courier

25 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Ilya Sviridenko hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Minsk can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Makar Suschiy says Minsk went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Alexandr Naumovich gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Boardroom

Wages eat 100% of everything Minsk earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Market

Pavel Tarletskiy told to find a new club

“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Pavel Tarletskiy has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Minsk.

Squad

Vladislav Yatskevich knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Minsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

25 Edition

The Minsk Courier

18 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

The manager makes an example of Francisco Campo Mina

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

The Daouda Natama talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Minsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Alexandr Gutor asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

24 Edition

The Minsk Courier

11 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Artem Turich signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Artem Turich commits to Minsk for another 5 years.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ronald González

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

Nobody at Minsk has picked up the phone to Marley Tavaziva

10 months to run and not a word offered. A club that lets the calendar negotiate for it usually ends up losing to the calendar.

In brief

23 Edition

The Minsk Courier

4 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Wandinho out for 76 days

The medical room confirms 76 days on the sidelines for Wandinho, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Alexandr Makas

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

A long bet from Minsk on Daniil Pesnyak

He is 19, and nobody at Minsk signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.

Market

Minsk sign Gleb Sereda, one for the future

Gleb Sereda is 19, and Minsk have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.

Market

A long bet from Minsk on Evgeniy Tishkov

He is 19, and nobody at Minsk signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.

Market

A long bet from Minsk on Timofey Statkevich

He is 19, and nobody at Minsk signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.

In brief

22 Edition

The Minsk Courier

28 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

Wages eat 172% of everything Minsk earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Vladislav Lyakh

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Alexandr Makas asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

21 Edition

The Minsk Courier

21 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Vladislav Varaksa gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Vladislav Lyakh asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Market

The Daouda Natama talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Minsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

20 Edition

The Minsk Courier

14 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Ilya Sviridenko: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Minsk have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Marley Tavaziva out for 31 days

The medical room confirms 31 days on the sidelines for Marley Tavaziva, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Alexandr Naumovich gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Somebody is after Ilya Aleksievich’s shirt

A new face in his position, and Ilya Aleksievich suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Minsk have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.

Market

Minsk pick up Ivan Berezun for nothing

The best deals are the ones the accountants never notice. Ivan Berezun arrives at Minsk with his wages the only cost and something to prove the only clause.

Market

Minsk pick up Ivan Ageev for nothing

The best deals are the ones the accountants never notice. Ivan Ageev arrives at Minsk with his wages the only cost and something to prove the only clause.

In brief

19 Edition

The Minsk Courier

7 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Konstantin Malitskiy has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Minsk they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Wandinho out for 106 days

The medical room confirms 106 days on the sidelines for Wandinho, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Vladislav Yatskevich gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Alexandr Naumovich knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Minsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad

Ilya Aleksievich has company in his position

The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Ilya Aleksievich keeps the shirt for now, at Minsk's convenience rather than his own.

Market

The clock runs on Ivan Pavlov's contract

12 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.

In brief

18 Edition

The Minsk Courier

30 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Alexandr Gutor: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Minsk have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Boardroom

Wages eat 196% of everything Minsk earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Squad

Alexey Tumanov gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

17 Edition

The Minsk Courier

23 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Pavel Tarletskiy: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Minsk have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Arseniy Migdalenok is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Minsk is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Makar Suschiy

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

16 Edition

The Minsk Courier

16 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Valentin Dikhtievskiy says Minsk went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Minsk lose Marley Tavaziva

62 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Francisco Campo Mina gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

15 Edition

The Minsk Courier

9 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Alexandr Makas: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Minsk have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Minsk lose Wandinho

135 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Market

Konstantin Malitskiy has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Minsk they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

In brief

14 Edition

The Minsk Courier

2 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Ilya Dubinets: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Minsk have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Boardroom

Wages eat 196% of everything Minsk earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Squad

Alexey Tumanov gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

The armband comes off Vladislav Lyakh

Minsk will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.

Squad

Vladislav Lyakh knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Minsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

Nobody at Minsk has picked up the phone to Marley Tavaziva

12 months to run and not a word offered. A club that lets the calendar negotiate for it usually ends up losing to the calendar.

In brief

13 Edition

The Minsk Courier

26 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Vladislav Varaksa says Minsk went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market

Arseniy Migdalenok is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Minsk is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Alexandr Naumovich knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Minsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

12 Edition

The Minsk Courier

19 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Kacper Tobiasz says Minsk went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Francisco Campo Mina gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Alexandr Naumovich asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

11 Edition

The Minsk Courier

12 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Konstantin Malitskiy has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Minsk they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Ronald González gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Loan watch

Prokhor Struk has seen enough of Arsenal Dzerzhinsk

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Minsk, and 0 appearances in 5 say he has earned the hearing.

In brief

10 Edition

The Minsk Courier

5 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

Wages eat 287% of everything Minsk earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Market

Talks stall between Minsk and Alexandr Naumovich

“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ilya Dubinets

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

The armband comes off Alexandr Gutor

Minsk will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.

Squad

Vladislav Lyakh takes the armband

It is a strip of cloth and it decides nothing on a Saturday. It still tells the dressing room exactly whose opinion the manager values, which is the whole point of it.

Squad

Pavel Tarletskiy asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

9 Edition

The Minsk Courier

28 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

No end in sight to Minsk's wait for a win

8 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Minsk has to find a result from somewhere.

Market

Arseniy Migdalenok is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Minsk is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Guillermo Ramírez

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Torpedo-BelAZ take the points off Minsk

Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Market

Minsk bring in an old head

Wandinho is 35 and has run out of things to prove. What he has left is where to stand, when to slow it down and what to say at half-time, and none of that is on a fitness chart.

Market

The Daouda Natama talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Minsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

8 Edition

The Minsk Courier

21 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

No end in sight to Minsk's wait for a win

7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Minsk has to find a result from somewhere.

Match

Dinamo Brest take the points off Minsk

Beaten 0-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

Francisco Campo Mina gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

7 Edition

The Minsk Courier

14 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

No end in sight to Minsk's wait for a win

6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Minsk has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Ronald González gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Minsk and Naftan cancel each other out

Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Naftan came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.

In brief

6 Edition

The Minsk Courier

7 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Vladislav Grekovich asks to leave Minsk

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Match

No end in sight to Minsk's wait for a win

5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Minsk has to find a result from somewhere.

Boardroom

153% of the income goes out in wages at Minsk

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Squad

Daouda Natama gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Isloch take the points off Minsk

Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

Minsk lose Alexandr Gutor

14 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Market

Dnepr Mogilev are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Minsk will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

Squad

Ronald González knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Minsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad

The shirt belongs to Ilya Aleksievich now

At 35 he has made the position his own, and the man he took it from has to find something to say about it. Minsk have a decision that made itself.

In brief

5 Edition

The Minsk Courier

31 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Konstantin Malitskiy hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Minsk can pretend not to have heard.

Match

No end in sight to Minsk's wait for a win

4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Minsk has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Guillermo Ramírez

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Honours even between Minsk and Slutsk

1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

Squad

Ronald González asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Squad

Daouda Natama finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Minsk have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

In brief

4 Edition

The Minsk Courier

24 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Arseniy Migdalenok hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Minsk can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Naftan come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Minsk did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Market

Ilya Sviridenko is free to find somewhere else

“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Minsk has been clear about where Ilya Sviridenko stands, which is more than many ever get.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Arseniy Migdalenok

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Konstantin Kuchinskiy knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Minsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

Minsk bring in an old head

Guillermo Ramírez is 37 and has run out of things to prove. What he has left is where to stand, when to slow it down and what to say at half-time, and none of that is on a fitness chart.

In brief

3 Edition

The Minsk Courier

17 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Minsk bow out of the cup

Ostrovets go through and Minsk go home, 1-1 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.

Match

Chastening afternoon for Minsk

A 0-3 beating by BATE was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Alexandr Gutor

There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Squad

Vladislav Lyakh gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Boardroom

Nobody left the Minsk dressing room in a hurry

The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.

Market

Minsk and Alexandr Naumovich are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

Market

A long bet from Minsk on Makar Suschiy

He is 19, and nobody at Minsk signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.

Market

Vladislav Grekovich is free to find somewhere else

“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Minsk has been clear about where Vladislav Grekovich stands, which is more than many ever get.

Squad

Konstantin Kuchinskiy asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

2 Edition

The Minsk Courier

10 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

The manager makes an example of Francisco Campo Mina

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

Talks stall between Minsk and Vladislav Lyakh

“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.

Market

Nobody at Minsk has picked up the phone to Alexandr Ksenofontov

48 months to run and not a word offered. A club that lets the calendar negotiate for it usually ends up losing to the calendar.

Market

Minsk sign Alexandr Alexandrovich, one for the future

Alexandr Alexandrovich is 18, and Minsk have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.

Market

Konstantin Malitskiy is free to find somewhere else

“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Minsk has been clear about where Konstantin Malitskiy stands, which is more than many ever get.

Match

Honours even between Minsk and Slavia Mozyr

1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

In brief

1 Edition

The Minsk Courier

3 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Triumph

Squad

Ilya Aleksievich signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Ilya Aleksievich commits to Minsk for another 2 years.

Match

Minsk see off Smorgon

Three points for Minsk, 1-0 the final word against Smorgon in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Market

The clock runs on Konstantin Kuchinskiy's contract

49 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.

Market

Arseniy Migdalenok is free to find somewhere else

“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Minsk has been clear about where Arseniy Migdalenok stands, which is more than many ever get.

Squad

Vladislav Grekovich gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Alexandr Makas is off the mark for Minsk

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

In brief