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Should soccer be used as a political football?
Published: 2 May 12 14:41 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/opinion/20120502-42293.html
As Euro 2012 approaches in Poland and Ukraine, soccer has become a political football over the treatment of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Is sport a useful diplomatic tool or should it be free of politics? Have your say.
- Calls grow to relocate Euro 2012 from Ukraine - National (1 May 12)
- Calls for Ukraine Euro 2012 boycott grow louder - National (30 Apr 12)
- Tymoshenko's daughter pleas for German help - National (29 Apr 12)
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said on Wednesday that concerns over her treatment could lead to the country being blocked from a political and trade deal with the European Union.
Early this week Chancellor Angela Merkel said she might stop her cabinet members from attending next month's Euro 2012 matches, while the Austrian government said on Wednesday none of its members would be going.
There have even been calls to take the Euro 2012 championship out of Ukraine and hold it only in Poland or even in Germany instead.
Should football be disconnected from politics, or is such a tournament a good opportunity to try to influence the political situation in a host country?
Should German politicians go to matches to cheer on their team or should their seats be left empty to show their contempt for the government’s treatment of Tymoshenko? Have your say below.
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Your comments about this article:
So, to the politicians in Germany...if you really feel in your heart that it would be morally wrong to attend a game while this woman is in prison, then just don't go and keep your mouth shut.
Football is the beautiful game and should be disconnected from politics. Football is for the people, NOT the politicians.
Politicians should express thier disagreement through political discourse and/or sanctions, not Football.
To isolate governments and their sports people who dont follow accepted norms is in many cases the only way to demonstrate that ordinary people in the rest of the world do not accept repressive governments and perhaps force change
Either you boycott the full tournement, and in addition you stop any businesses with Ukraine (gas import/selling staff there) otherwise at my eyes it is just potical hypocrisy. Possible scenario: Merkel will not go to Ukraine but she will join any governement discussions on gas via phone conf??? ah ah