Cardboard cut-outs have become people’s go-to solution to create fake crowds for various occasions during the coronavirus pandemic! The idea first seemed to emerge after a Japanese mother used a cardboard cut-out of herself to keep her son calm when she was away. Then we saw how a couple used cut-outs to pose as guests for their wedding during the lockdown.
And now, taking the trend up a notch, a football club in Belarus, Europe, pasted cut-outs on mannequins and placed them on the stadium stands creating the illusion of a crowd to boost the morale of the team during a match, reports Hindustan Times.
Belarus is the last country in Europe which is still hosting football matches. However, due to the coronavirus, it was understood that the stadium wouldn’t see much turnout by football fans.
Keeping that in mind, FC Dynamo Brest, the Belarusian club, sold “virtual tickets” online for their match against Shakhtyor Soligorsk. Those buying the tickets would have a cut-out of their face stuck to a mannequin in the stadium. The money raised would be donated towards fighting pandemic, reports India Today.
Nearly 30 cut-outs of fans were used in one of the stands. However, a video captures how there were also people physically present to watch the match.
Have a look at the video here:
The Belarus President allegedly has an “unconventional” approach to the coronavirus pandemic. He claimed that there is “no need” to close workplaces and cancel public events.
While the cut-outs are a quirky way to boost the confidence of the teams, isn’t social distancing the need of the hour now?