This archive report was first published on 26 June 2020.
On June 24, 2020, a group of 15 Bangladeshi football fans were fined for celebrating the 33rd birthday of Argentina star Leonel Messi in Chuadanga district, nearly 170 kilometers west of Dhaka.
According to Magistrate Feroz Hossain, the fans were found gathered at a restaurant, violating physical distancing rules in a lockdown area. They were ordered to pay a fine of 100 takas (1.17 U.S. dollars) each.
The restaurant owner was also fined 6,000 takas (70.71 dollars) for keeping it open after sunset. Bangladesh has been imposing localized lockdowns since lifting the nationwide shutdown on May 30 to slow down the spread of the virus.
Magistrate Feroz Hossain, who led a team of soldiers to enforce health guidelines, said, "We found them sitting inside the restaurant, waiting for a birthday celebration of Messi."
