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EURO 2012 CHAMPIONSHIPS

FOOTBALL

Ukraine ‘favourites’ for opening win: Hamrén

Sweden coach Erik Hamrén on Thursday said that their first Euro 2012 opponents Ukraine are favourites to win, given their home advantage.

Ukraine 'favourites' for opening win: Hamrén

“We’ve played Ukraine three times in the last few years and we’ve won one, lost one and drawn the other. There’s not much between the two sides,” he told a news conference in Kozin, some 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the capital, Kiev.

The Swedish team arrived in the country on Wednesday, after a slight delay in landing due to a thunderstorm over the capital. They will be having their first training session on the Dynamo Kiev home ground on Thursday, and will face home team Ukraine on Monday 11th of June.

“They’ve got the support of the home country. That’s the reason why they’re obviously favourites,” for the Group D opener on Monday in Kiev, Hamrén added, noting that few host countries of major championships lose their first match.

Sweden will also play France and England in the group, with the Scandinavians coming into the tournament on a high after a 3-2 friendly win against Iceland and a 2-1 victory over Serbia.

Hamrén urged caution, however.

“When the tournament starts, it’s a different story. But good preparation and good results makes you feel good. We feel good… we’ve had a good start. I’ve no complaints,” he said during the press conference.

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RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

https://twitter.com/GravesenFumado/status/1764242481984491822

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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