Britain considering Ministerial boycott of Euro 2012

By Alan Hubbard

May 27 – The British Government are considering whether to join a political boycott of the upcoming European football championship in protest at Ukraine’s human rights record.

A number of competing nations, including defending champions Spain, Germany and Austria, have said they will not be sending Ministers to Ukraine as a gesture of solidarity with the jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko (pictured above) who has been on a hunger strike at a prison in Karkhiv, one of the Euro 2012 venues (stadium pictured below).

Britain’s Sports and Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson and his boss, the Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt are scheduled to attend some of England’s matches in Donesk and Kiev, as well as the Kiev final, but the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) says the situation is being closely monitored.

“We are awaiting further advice from the Foreign Office.”

The political situation in Ukraine is causing widespread concern, as are allegations of rampant racism among football fans in the former Soviet satellite which has caused the relatives of several black players in the England squad to cancel arrangements to watch the games there.

Robertson is acutely aware of such sensitivities and earlier this month the DCMS abandoned a proposed visit by him and 2012 deputy chair Sir Keith Mills to Egypt on behalf of the International Inspiration Foundation because of civil unrest in Cairo.

However, Ukraine’s two most iconic sports figures have pleaded with foreign politicians not to snub the championships.

The former pole vault star Sergei Bubka (pictured below), a member of the International Olympic Committee, broke off from investigating an alleged 2012 black market ticket scandal involving a top Ukrainian Olympic official to say: “This would be senseless and serve no purpose”.

And the WBC world heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko, who himself heads an anti-Government political party in Ukraine, told me on a visit to London: “Such a protest will only hurt the people of Ukraine.

“All is not well in my homeland where the government is corrupt but our nation should not be robbed of a great sporting moment.

“Rather than boycotting a better tactic would be for European VIPs to sit in the crowd with ordinary citizens and show their solidarity in that way.”

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