Scotland can guarantee their play-off spot at the weekend with a win over the Eastern European nation.
But Scottish parliamentarians from the Greens, SNP, Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats want the Belarus men’s team suspended due to the country’s support for Russia in the invasion of Ukraine.
Organised by human rights group Libereco, it also calls for the team’s suspension over ongoing political interference, with players suspended over free speech.
The letter from almost 20 MSPs – including former first minister Humza Yousaf – states: “This is a game which should not be happening.
“In light of Belarus’s ongoing and well-documented human rights violations, its support for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and its failure to uphold the principles of democracy and international law, we believe it is no longer tenable for Belarus to enjoy the privileges of international sporting representation.”
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Russia has been suspended from UEFA competitions, with politicians urging football chiefs to follow suit with “co-aggressor” Belarus.
The letter adds: “While we continue to support our own country in the upcoming game, we urge UEFA to suspend Belarus from all international football competitions under its jurisdiction. Such action would send a clear message that UEFA stands firmly against the abuse of human rights and truly believes in its own values.
“We understand the complexities of such decisions, but we believe that the integrity of European football – and its role as a beacon of hope and solidarity – depends on UEFA’s willingness to act decisively in defence of its core values.”
Human rights organisation Libereco, a European non-governmental organisation committed to human rights protection in Belarus and Ukraine, will stage a protest ahead of the 5pm kick-off in Glasgow.
Scottish Greens MSP Patrick Harvie said: “UEFA rightly banned Russia for their domestic and international record of human rights violations and abuses. As a close ally helping to wage the same wars at home and abroad, why should Belarus be treated any differently?”
He added Belarusian president Aleksandr Lukashenko must be “held to account”.
Mr Harvie said: “The continued participation of Belarus flies in the face of the UEFA’s own supposed values, particularly its RESPECT campaign, which promotes fairness, dignity and human rights in football.
“Football doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It sends a message to the world. This is a time for UEFA to show leadership and ensure that the message it sends is one of peace.
“Now is the time to take a stand, Belarus must follow Russia, as well as other nations committing unspeakable crimes, and be made a sporting pariah state until international law is restored.”
Meanwhile, the SNP’s Fulton MacGregor said UEFA should take a “principled stand” in excluding Belarus from international competitions.
He said: “The regime of Alexander Lukashenko has brutally suppressed its citizens, imprisoning thousands of people for peacefully expressing political differences. Each individual who is arrested is a victim of an authoritarian system that silences dissent and crushes basic freedoms. At the same time, Belarus continues to enable and support Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, providing a launchpad for attacks that have devastated countless lives.
“By allowing Belarus to remain in competitions, UEFA undermines its credibility and betrays the very values it claims to defend: respect, integrity, and human rights. Just as Russia was barred for waging war, so too must Belarus face consequences for its complicity in violence and repression. European football must not turn a blind eye to dictatorship and war. It is time for UEFA to send a clear message: there is no place for regimes that trample on human rights in the European football family.”
The Herald contacted UEFA for comment.