Yanukovych the winner of Euro 2012

Apart from Spain and Italy, the controversial Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych also had his moment of glory at the Euro 2012 final in Kiev on Sunday, writes the liberal daily Sme: "At the last match of the biggest sporting event in Eastern Europe since the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, several heads of state and government sat beside the Ukrainian president and co-host. The group photo of the VIP box was the real reason why Yanukovych wanted to play host to the best footballers in Europe. And nothing annoyed him more than the way his biggest rival Yulia Tymoshenko messed things up for him from her prison bed. Members of the EU Commission, heads of state and ministers from Germany, the UK and France boycotted the games in Ukraine, underscoring their conviction that Tymoshenko is a political prisoner. But the final put an end to all that. Now Yanukovych has photos to show he's been accepted. And he cleverly put off Tymoshenko's next trial until after the Championship."

» more information (external link, Slovak)
More from the press review on the subject » Sport, » Human rights, » Justice, » Ukraine
All available articles from » Miriam Zsilleová
Who's saying what » Kick-off in Eastern Europe

» To the complete press review of Monday, July 2, 2012