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KYIV, UKRAINE—France advanced to the quarter-finals of the
European Championship in unimpressive fashion Tuesday, losing 2-0 to Sweden but going through thanks to
England’s win over Ukraine .
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored one of the best goals of the tournament with an acrobatic volley in the 54th minute to give already eliminated Sweden its first points of the tournament.
Sebastian Larsson smashed home Sweden’s second goal in injury time from close range.
The loss ended France’s 23-game unbeaten streak but it still finished second in Group D after England beat Ukraine 1-0 in Donetsk. France will face Spain the quarter-finals Saturday.
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Croatia fined 80,000 Euros for fans’ racist abuse of Mario Balotelli
A steward holds a banana after picking it up off the pitch during the Euro 2012 football championships Group C match Italy v Croatia on June 14, 2012 at the Municipal Stadium in Poznan. Mario Balotelli was racially abused during Italy's 1-1 Euro 2012 Group C with Croatia an AFP photographer at the game said. The photographer was situated in the corner where the majority of Croatian fans were sitting during Thursday's match and said he heard monkey noises being directed at Balotelli
The charges related to “the setting-off and throwing of fireworks, and the improper conduct of supporters (racist chants, racist symbols),” UEFA said in a statement.
The fine is €20,000 ($25,000) less than the UEFA disciplinary panel ordered Denmark forward Nicklas Bendtner to pay one day earlier for
revealing a sponsor’s name on his underpants.
Croatia’s case was the first formal racism charge prosecuted by UEFA at Euro 2012 after lacking evidence in previous reported incidents.
Earlier Monday, UEFA President Michel Platini said he was “not happy with the Croatian people.” Platini described the atmosphere at Euro 2012 stadiums as “99 per cent great. The people who come to the stadiums, they were nice, except some Croatians.”
The Croatia association was also fined €25,000 ($31,500) last week for its fans’ behaviour at an earlier match against Ireland. UEFA said that sanction was imposed for “the setting off and throwing of fireworks and missiles, and a pitch invasion by a supporter.”
Croatia games against Ireland and Italy were both delayed to clear fireworks and smoke from the pitch after Croatia scored.
Bendtner was fined €100,000 ($126,000) for his ambush marketing stunt to promote a gambling firm. The sum is the maximum an individual can pay under UEFA disciplinary rules.
Bendtner said Monday he would appeal the sanction. The Danish football association warned him not to contact or take money from the gambling firm which has offered to pay the fine after receiving several days of worldwide exposure for its brand.
National associations can be fined up to €1 million ($1.26 million) by UEFA.
UEFA rules make national bodies responsible for their fans’ behaviour. Punishments range from warnings and a sliding scale of fines to points deductions and even expulsion from competitions.
Platini urged Croatian political and football leaders in Zagreb last year to pass laws helping control problem fans, or face national and club teams being suspended from European competitions.
Four years ago, UEFA fined Croatia 20,000 Swiss francs (then $19,600; €12,450) for its fans’ neo-Nazi flags and chants during a Euro 2008 quarterfinals loss against Turkey in Vienna, Austria.
Also in 2008, FIFA fined the Croatia federation 30,000 Swiss francs (then $27,700; €18,800) after fans directed racist chants at England forward Emile Heskey during a World Cup qualifier in Zagreb.
Croatia coach Slaven Bilic defended his country’s image on Sunday after UEFA announced the racism charge.
“We are not a racist country and that’s why we are so angry with these couple of crazy supporters,” Bilic said.
After the goal, Bonucci rushed Balotelli and put him in something resembling a submission hold, while Balotelli struggled to be heard. Like
Andrea Bargnani , Leonardo Bonucci must eat a lot of Primo, because that kid has a grip like a vise.
At the time, it wasn’t clear if Bonucci was worried that Balotelli would aim some foolish remark at manager Cesare Prandelli, who demoted Balotelli to the substitute’s bench for the game, or at Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir, who threw Balotelli out of a game last season.
As it turns out, Bonucci had no idea what Balotelli was saying or who to, but it still sounded dodgy to him.
“What he said (after he scored), he said in English and I didn’t understand,”
Bonucci said . “So I put my hand in front of his mouth just in case.”
Just in case. Leonardo Bonucci — serviceable international defender; League of Nations-level diplomat.
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If you’re going to feel sorry for anyone, don’t feel sorry for me (I prefer cheques to sympathy). Feel sorry for Ukraine’s
vodka bears .
In one of those bound-to-boomerang PR U-turns that people who understand nothing about how the media works try to pull, Ukrainian officials have started a lightning quick rehab process for hundreds of bears who apparently entertain rural pub goers with drunken dancing.
This may sound cruel. It sounds a lot more dangerous.
“How’d you lose that arm anyway, Vitaly?”
“Doing the polka with a grizzly. I tried to lead.”
So, instead of everyone going, ‘A bear. Dancing. Fun.’
They’re going, ‘Where’d all those alcoholic bears go? What has been done with the bears? I can’t live with the thought of so many jonesing bears wandering the streets.’
Probably better for the bears, though.
As roommate Morris Dalla Costa from the Sun reassured his wife this morning after relaying the vodka bears story, “Don’t worry, honey. I’m sure they have lots of bars in the forest.”
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