Germany defender Jerome Boateng said his wife and five-year-old twins will not go to France to watch him play in the European Championship finals because of terror fears.
Boateng was in the Germany team playing at the Stade de France in Paris on November 13 last year when a series of jihadist attacks left 130 dead. Suicide bombers tried to get into the stadium.
"Each person must decide for himself how to deal with it. I have already done so," he told the weekly Sport Bild, adding that his decision was that "my family and children will not be coming to the stadium. The risk is simply too big".
“It’s obviously sad to have to deal with such a question. But too many things have happened in the last few days that makes one reflect,” he said.
“I would like to concentrate fully on football during the Euro, and I would feel much better if my family is not sitting in the stadium,” added Boateng.
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Reacting to Boateng’s comments, German Football Association chief Reinhard Grindel said it is an issue “that each person should decide for himself and his family”.
“I respect that and I do not wish to comment. We have, as before, confidence in the French authorities in charge of security,” he added, according to Agence France-Presse’s German-language sports subsidiary SID.
Grindel had said during a press conference last week that the German FA had “in agreement with the French organisers and our own security services put together one or two special measures” to ensure the safety of the German team.
Speaking from the squad’s base in Evian, by France’s border with Switzerland, coach Joachim Low described the atmosphere as “relaxed”.
“Obviously, security is an important question, but the team is not talking about it in our camp. No one feels threatened, we are concentrating on our work and that’s the main thing,” he said.
Germany will make their first return to the Stade de France since the November attacks, when suicide bombers blew themselves up around the stadium, on June 16 when they face Poland.
A few days after the November attacks, a friendly between Germany and the Netherlands in Hannover was scrapped at the last minute over a terror threat.
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Croatia’s Ivan Rakitic ‘surprised’ over Alan Halilovic’s omission
Croatia’s Ivan Rakitic has expressed surprise that his Barcelona teammate Alen Halilovic was not picked for the country’s Euro 2016 campaign.
While on loan at Sporting Gijon last season, Halilovic scored three goals and set up five in 36 La Liga appearances to help Sporting avoid relegation. But the attacking midfielder did not make coach Ante Cacic’s squad.
"It is the coach's decision and we have to respect it. But it really surprised me because Halilovic had worked hard while with the national team and had a phenomenal campaign," Rakitic, who will play for Croatia at Euro 2016, told Spanish sports newspaper Marca.
Despite being left out, Rakitic said Halilovic, who has won eight senior caps for Croatia and is under contract with Barcelona until June 2019, has a bright future.
“He needs to put this behind him and focus on next season,” he said. “It might do him good to start the campaign fresh. Halilovic will give a lot of joy to Croatian football.”
Croatia begin their Euro 2016 campaign, against Turkey, in Paris on June 12. They take on the Czech Republic five days later in Saint-Etienne and play their final Group D match against defending champions Spain on June 21 in Bordeaux.
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Michel Platini free to attend Euro 2016 matches
Meanwhile, banned Uefa president Michel Platini will be allowed to attend matches at the Euro 2016 providing he does not do it in any official role, the European governing body’s acting general secretary said yesterday.
Theodore Theodoridis told a pre-tournament news conference Uefa received a letter from Fifa, football’s world governing body, “telling us Michel could attend matches as a person, providing he does not do so in any official function”.
The executive committee of Uefa will now rule on a demand by the European body to invite Platini for the entire tournament, he added.
“As for Friday, I don’t expect he will be there”, Theodoridis said, referring to the opening Euro 2016 game between France and Romania at Stade de France.
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