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

[Martinus]

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.

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. 

[Scipio]

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.

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."

A lesson they should have learned in the 17th century.

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

[Valmy]

Well if everybody in the EU goes along with the Germans the Poles do stand a good chance of winning Euro '12 at least.

[Zanza]

I don't think the non-attendance of a couple of politicians matters much for a football tournament.

And as far as Poland is concerned, I am sure Merkel will go if Germany has a game there. Not that it matters much whether she's there or not.

[Sheilbh]

You did know in advance you were doing this with Ukraine, right?

[Zanza]

Well if everybody in the EU goes along with the Germans the Poles do stand a good chance of winning Euro '12 at least.

Merkel isn't actually a player in Germany's squad, so I don't think it will change the outcome of the games much.

[Ed Anger]

I'll boycott Delicje.

[Valmy]

Merkel isn't actually a player in Germany's squad, so I don't think it will change the outcome of the games much.

Oh.  I guess I thought when Merkel announced she was boycotting the tournament it was like when Jimmy Carter announced he was boycotting the Moscow Olympics.  Like she was doing so as a leader of a country or something.

So Angela will not be watching any of the games in person?  I was not aware she had planned to.

[Zanza]

As the football federation is not a government agency, Merkel can't do shit. And the football functionaries certainly don't care enough about some Ukrainian politician to stop participating in a football tournament. This is not exactly the Cold War as in 1980.

Merkel is a regular attendant at Germany's games in big tournaments.

[Valmy]

As the football federation is not a government agency, Merkel can't do shit.

Well neither was/is the USOC.

[Zanza]

Well, West Germany, being a good ally to the US was one of very few Western European countries that boycotted the games in 1980. But this situation is hardly comparable and even then the government merely said it would prefer boycott and then the olympic committee in a very harsh debate narrowly decided to boycott.

By the way, FIFA frowns upon such government interference. If a team wouldn't play because of political concerns, it would almost certainly be banned from the next world cup too.

[Valmy]

In any case non-story then.  No worries Marty the Poles should recover their investment.

[The Brain]

As the football federation is not a government agency, Merkel can't do shit.

Well neither was/is the USOC.

America has no separation of powers.

[Razgovory]

So Poland was foiled by those little guitars?  How the hell did they manage that?  That's got to be a new low.

[crazy canuck]

Its cute that a Pole cares so much about what a German might do.