Football
Mark Rodden 8y

Paris terror attacks will not stop Euro 2016 in France - Sports minister

French Sports Minister Patrick Kanner says it is "out of the question" that France would give up the right to host Euro 2016 in the wake of the Paris terror attacks.

The Stade de France was one of the locations targeted by suicide bombers in last Friday's violence, which resulted in the deaths of 129 people in the French capital.

France has declared a state of emergency as a result of the attacks and some people, such as former France World Cup star Just Fontaine, have questioned whether the country can still host Euro 2016.

On Monday, UEFA said next summer's tournament will go ahead in France as planned and Kanner vowed that the country will not give in to terrorists.

"Under no circumstances can sport be stopped by terrorism," Kanner was quoted by AFP as saying.

"The European Championships will take place in conditions of maximum security, reinforced in relation to the events that we have just experienced.

"But it's out of the question to stop this great festival."

Kanner was speaking on Tuesday after meeting some of the workers who helped prevent any attackersĀ from gaining entry to the Stade de France during France's friendly with Germany on Friday.

He said that now was not a time for panic and pointed out that security inside the ground on Friday had been guaranteed.

"We've shown that we were able to secure our stadiums and we will draw all the consequences of going even further with security," he said.

French President Francois Hollande was evacuated from the Stade de France on Friday after two loud explosions were heard during the first half of the France-Germany match.

To avoid causing panic among the 80,000-strong crowd, however, it was decided that the game, which France won 2-0, should continue.

The players were only informed of events at the end of the match and supporters were gradually allowed to leave the ground after the full-time whistle.

^ Back to Top ^