FRANCE’S SPORT MINISTER said Thursday that she and her cabinet colleagues will boycott Euro 2012 matches in Ukraine to protest the treatment of jailed opposition figure Yulia Tymoshenko.
France are scheduled to play their three group-stage matches in Ukraine, which is co-hosting the football championships with Poland but has faced growing calls for a boycott since jailing Tymoshenko in October on charges that European Union leaders have condemned as politically motivated.
Speaking before a friendly between France and Serbia in the northern French city of Reims, Sport and Youth Minister Valerie Fourneyron said “no member of government will be at the matches in Ukraine.
“The foreign ministry informed the Ukrainian and Polish governments of this situation yesterday (Wednesday),” she said.
“It’s a position we’ve taken because of our concern for respecting European values and especially in light of Ms Tymoshenko’s situation.”
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She said France’s stance was shared by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, EU president Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso.
Barroso and Van Rompuy have both said they will snub the Ukraine half of the June 8-July 1 event. Merkel has threatened to do the same but has not publicly announced a boycott.
Fourneyron said France would raise the issue Friday at a meeting on security cooperation in Brussels.
French President Francois Hollande had already made clear last week that he would not attend any matches in Ukraine.
“I love football, but what’s happening in Ukraine is a problem,” he told a press conference in Brussels after an informal EU summit.
Les Bleus are in Group D with England, Sweden and Ukraine. Their first match is against England on June 11 in Donetsk.
The French boycott announcement came as prosecutors upped the pressure on Tymoshenko Wednesday by naming her as a witness in the 1996 murder of Ukrainian parliament member Yevgen Shcherban.
The Kommersant-Ukraina newspaper reported that authorities were preparing to charge Tymoshenko for organising the murder but had to wait for her to recover from back problems that have put her in hospital.
Tymoshenko, 51, is serving a seven-year sentence for abuse of power. A driving force of Ukraine’s pro-Western “Orange Revolution” in 2004, she lost the 2010 presidential race to her arch-enemy, President Viktor Yanukovych.
Yes, totally agree. Firstly, sport is the great unifier for nations at odds with each other. Secondly, when was the last time we cared if a government minister did or didn’t go to a football game?
Just thinking aloud here! If the Euros were being held in Ireland, how many Governments would boycott because our corrupt politicians are not in Jail???
And the hat steeling gangster from Donetsk is not corrupt. ‘ ask an Ukrainian ‘ from where east or west is like ask an Irishman ( Republican or Unionist ? ) The Donetsk criminals run the country with open corruption , UEFA should never have staged matches in Ukraine . Don t let politics into Sport, is like let Hitler s Germany run the Olympics . Don t you just love the ‘business as usual ‘ brigade ??!
Public officials, unless directly involved with a hosying or ceremonial role requiring them to attend such an event, should only do so on their own time snd expense. Not travelling and enjoying the perks on the tax paying public’s expense.
@Darren. Are you being sarcastic? I can’t see how the actions of grandstanding vote sucking politicians will have any effect on the performance of professional footballers.
French officials seem to portray very little regard for the national football team as this action is sure to have a negative effect on their performance over the duration of the tournament
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Fair play to them for taking a stance on injustice , good to see
If they had a chance there would be none of this.
Did someone in journal.ie draw those glasses on her photo?
Heheh!
At last….they’ve found Wally!
Cheating French qwares.
Sport and politics should be kept separate
I totally agree, BUT, Henry is a prixk.
Yes, totally agree. Firstly, sport is the great unifier for nations at odds with each other. Secondly, when was the last time we cared if a government minister did or didn’t go to a football game?
Who gives a monkeys?
she looks like a young boy. A horrible young boy
Where is Wally?
Just thinking aloud here! If the Euros were being held in Ireland, how many Governments would boycott because our corrupt politicians are not in Jail???
If you ask most Ukrainians what they think of her they will answer with “corrupt”. She’s not as innocent as she looks miss Ukraine
And the hat steeling gangster from Donetsk is not corrupt. ‘ ask an Ukrainian ‘ from where east or west is like ask an Irishman ( Republican or Unionist ? ) The Donetsk criminals run the country with open corruption , UEFA should never have staged matches in Ukraine . Don t let politics into Sport, is like let Hitler s Germany run the Olympics . Don t you just love the ‘business as usual ‘ brigade ??!
Public officials, unless directly involved with a hosying or ceremonial role requiring them to attend such an event, should only do so on their own time snd expense. Not travelling and enjoying the perks on the tax paying public’s expense.
@Darren. Are you being sarcastic? I can’t see how the actions of grandstanding vote sucking politicians will have any effect on the performance of professional footballers.
French officials seem to portray very little regard for the national football team as this action is sure to have a negative effect on their performance over the duration of the tournament