Pollacks spend shitload of money on soccer, get screwed because of Ukes

[Barrister]

Angela Merkel plans Euro 2012 boycott if Yulia Tymoshenko kept in jailDaughter of Ukraine's imprisoned opposition leader calls on Germany to 'save the life' of her mother

Angela Merkel is planning to boycott next month's Euro 2012 football tournament in Ukraine unless imprisoned opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko is released, according to newspaper reports.

The German chancellor's decision came as the former Ukrainian prime minister's daughter made an impassioned plea to the German government to "save the life" of her mother, who is has spent 10 days on hunger strike.

"Save my mother's life before it's too late," Eugenia Tymoshenko urged the German leadership in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeinen Sonntagszeitung newspaper. "The fate of my mother and that of my country are now one and the same thing: if she dies, democracy dies with her".

Tymoshenko, 52, a former leader of Ukraine's Orange Revolution who is serving a seven-year prison sentence on charges that she abused her powers in a Russian energy deal, went on hunger strike to protest against alleged abuse in custody.

She claimed last week that prison guards punched her in the stomach and twisted her limbs while taking her to hospital against her will to be treated for a chronic back problem. Bruises on her right arm, elbow, hand and stomach have been documented in photographs.

According to a report in Der Spiegel magazine, Merkel is considering staying away from Euro 2012 games staged in Ukraine and is urging her ministers to do the same.

Interior minister Hans-Peter Friedrich, who is also Germany's sports minister, has already announced his intention to boycott the Germany v Netherlands match in Kharkiv, the city where Tymoshenko is being held, if he is forbidden from visiting her beforehand.

The government's press office refused to comment on Spiegel's report, but government spokesman Steffen Seibert said last week it remained open whether Merkel, an avid football fan, would attend, adding that the government was paying close attention to developments in the Tymoshenko case. Government observers said it was likely Merkel would attend games in Poland, the co-host country, instead.[/u]

Foreign minister Guido Westerwelle said he was "very worried" and "shocked" about Tymoshenko who "against all legal and moral obligations" had been "denied appropriate medical treatment".

German doctors have visited Tymoshenko twice and insist she needs medical help. With the backing of the foreign ministry, they have offered to treat her in Germany.

Uli Hoeness, the manager of Bayern Munich FC, became the latest figure from the football world to wade into the debate, calling on Michel Platini, the president of the Union of European Football Associations (Uefa), to speak out against the Ukraine's authoritarian regime.

"I very much hope that Michel Platini will express his opinion at the right time and place about this," he told Der Spiegel. He urged Germany's players to display their support for the regime's opposition. "I have faith in the players that they are intelligent enough to have an opinion about this and I would have respect for every player who took a public stance on this," he said.

Hans-Joachim Watzke, the manager of Germany's Bundesliga champions, Borussia Dortmund, has said he plans to boycott the event.

Germany's president Joachim Gauck announced last week he would not attend next month's meeting of European presidents to be hosted by Ukraine's Viktor Yanukovych in protest at Tymoshenko's situation. The presidents of Slovenia and Austria have followed suit.

Eugenia, 32, said her mother was against a boycott of Euro 2012, saying she saw the championships as a symbol of the European integration of her country, offering the opposition a strong platform for their protests against the government.

But she urged politicians to stay away from the event: "My mother doesn't want German and European politicians to share a podium with President Yanukovych, either inside or outside the stadium."

The article fails to mention that the event is co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine. Note to Poland: never do anything together with Ukraine. 

[Neil]

Merkel should know better than to open her mouth about goings on in Russian-dominated countries.  The Ukraine and Poland will dance to Moscow's tune, or they'll simply shut off the gas and Europe will freeze.

[Viking]

The article fails to mention that the event is co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine. Note to Poland: never do anything together with Ukraine. 

You fail as a pole

[katmai]

Well no shit Viking, he calls him and his countrymen fish in the damn thread title.

[The Larch]

UEFA is more worried about Ukrainian hotels not ripping off foreign tourists and delegations that about human rights there.

[Gups]

The article fails to mention that the event is co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine. Note to Poland: never do anything together with Ukraine. 

Maybe it's because all of Germany's scheduled games are in Ukraine and therefore Merkel couldn't boycott Poland even if she wanted to

[Josquius]

weak. at first thought it was a real  boycot

[Jacob]

I expect that if Merkel somehow tried to keep the German team out of the Euro, her government would never recover. Football > Human Rights for a lot of people.