German Chancellor Angela Merkel is reported to be considering boycotting Euro 2012 football matches in Ukraine to protest its government's treatment of the country's jailed former prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko.

There is a growing debate among German politicians about whether they should boycott Euro 2012 soccer games played in Ukraine.

The news website Spiegel Online reports that if former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko isn't released from jail by the time the tournament starts, Chancellor Angela Merkel is planning to advise ministers in her cabinet to refrain from attending any games played in the country. An exception would be made for Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich, whose portfolio includes sports.

Friedrich has said last week that he intended to attend Germany's Group B game against the Netherlands, which is to be played in Kharkiv, where Tymoshenko is serving a seven-year sentence for abuse of power. However Friedrich said he would only attend the game if he was allowed to first visit Tymoshenko, who was forcibly taken from jail and moved to a hospital last weekend.

Daughter appeals to Germany for help

The 51-year-old Tymoshenko, who had long been complaining of acute back pain, claims to have been beaten by wardens during her removal from the jail and began a hunger strike on April 20. Photos released to the press appear to show bruising.

In an interview with the Sunday paper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, her daughter Yevhenia described her mother's condition as "very weak." She also appealed to Germany for help.

"Save my mother's life before it is too late," she said.

The chairman of the opposition Social Democrats has called on all German politicians to stay away from Euro 2012 games in Ukraine. Sigmar Gabriel told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper that as long as people were being incarcerated on political grounds, there could be no business as usual with Ukraine.

"Under these circumstances the EU association treaty (with Ukraine) cannot be ratified," Gabriel said.

Grande_Milano wrote:bs argument

leave sport and politics separate

Grande_Milano wrote:bs argument

leave sport and politics separate

VivaStPauli wrote:

Grande_Milano wrote:bs argument

leave sport and politics separate

No. Sports and politics aren't seperate, and never were seperate, so you can't "leave" them seperate, you can seperate them, if you like, but the status quo certainly is them being intertwined.

The Ukraine got the Euros not because they're the footballiest of countries, they got it to make a huge tourism advert and present themselves as a modern country. If they're torturing members of the opposition at the same time, f*ck those guys, we're not helping them doing their advert.

We won't be part of a dictatorship commercial, and TBH if anybody knows that you don't just ignore your friendly neighbourhood dictatorship, it's ze Germans.

BTW I made a thread on this today in the offtopic section, for the non-football related part. It had some Hoeneß in it, though.

Grande_Milano wrote:

VivaStPauli wrote:

Grande_Milano wrote:bs argument

leave sport and politics separate

No. Sports and politics aren't seperate, and never were seperate, so you can't "leave" them seperate, you can seperate them, if you like, but the status quo certainly is them being intertwined.

The Ukraine got the Euros not because they're the footballiest of countries, they got it to make a huge tourism advert and present themselves as a modern country. If they're torturing members of the opposition at the same time, f*ck those guys, we're not helping them doing their advert.

We won't be part of a dictatorship commercial, and TBH if anybody knows that you don't just ignore your friendly neighbourhood dictatorship, it's ze Germans.

BTW I made a thread on this today in the offtopic section, for the non-football related part. It had some Hoeneß in it, though.

loled when reading this. angela merkel is licking vlad putin's ass, a drug dealer, dictator and a major crook

but he is strategic partner? we cant offend vlad, ze zis zill make him mad

Ganso wrote:I feel bad for the German players if this goes through,golden generation that has a huge chance to carve their names in football history

VivaStPauli wrote:1) Russia isn't part of the European Union
2) Merkel is a spineless lardass either way

Doesn't change anything about the argument against the Ukrainian regime.

Grande_Milano wrote:
ur re good at avoiding arguments thrown at you

still, germany supports dictatorial regimes across the world

but that eu remark saves the last drop of respect for angela and her fellow politicians

VivaStPauli wrote:

Grande_Milano wrote:bs argument

leave sport and politics separate

No. Sports and politics aren't seperate, and never were seperate, so you can't "leave" them seperate, you can seperate them, if you like, but the status quo certainly is them being intertwined.

The Ukraine got the Euros not because they're the footballiest of countries, they got it to make a huge tourism advert and present themselves as a modern country. If they're torturing members of the opposition at the same time, f*ck those guys, we're not helping them doing their advert.

We won't be part of a dictatorship commercial, and TBH if anybody knows that you don't just ignore your friendly neighbourhood dictatorship, it's ze Germans.

BTW I made a thread on this today in the offtopic section, for the non-football related part. It had some Hoeneß in it, though.

Adit wrote:Sport and Football is related how ever i fail to see what has this former ukranian prime minister being in jail has anything to do with football.?