Fico speaks of unfair play, but his letter to UEFA will change nothing

Zdroj: SME, Jozef Jakubco, Lucia Krbatova

Prime Minister silent during other football scandals, but speaks up after Germany vs. Italy match

After the Germany vs. Italy match, the Prime Minister wrote that he cares about the upbringing of young people. He had remained silent during other football controversies.

Politics was stirred up by the Italy vs. Germany match at the Under-21 European Football Championship, after which the Slovak team was eliminated from title contention. Prime Minister Robert Fico from the Smer party responded with an open letter to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin. In the letter, he called on UEFA to investigate the match and to set rules for future tournaments that would, in his view, prevent unfair agreements between teams.

Fico referred to the responsibility he and football officials share: “We are surely aware of our responsibility to ensure that any public activity, including sport, takes place in the spirit of fair play.” He also stressed that he cares about shaping the younger generation. “I know this was hard for you, I was really angry too, and I let it out in a letter to the UEFA president,” he told the Slovak Under-21 national team, whom he invited to lunch on Tuesday. They were also welcomed by Interior Minister Robert Kalinak of the Smer party whom Fico supported in the Basternak scandal even after student-led protests and by the government’s sports envoy and Smer MP Dusan Galis.

A “nice” letter, but meaningless
Fico, who describes himself as a big football fan, called the weekend match between Germany and Italy in Poland unfair. (...)

According to sports lawyer Jozef Tokos, Fico’s letter to UEFA will have no impact on any potential changes to the tournament's format. “The letter was nice and written with a good intention, but politics and football are two different things,” Tokos reminded. (...) “In the spirit of good relations within the big football family, UEFA should evaluate this, because they are the ones responsible for the tournament format,” Tokos added.