A Foreign Office minister has sought to justify the UK's partial boycott of Euro 2012 matches over human rights concerns by claiming England were unlikely to make the final.
Jeremy Browne said "history suggests" the team, who play co-hosts Ukraine for a place in the last eight this evening, will not make the latter stages of the tournament.
And he disclosed that British ambassador in Kiev Leigh Turner has attended matches despite the Westminster Government's decision to stay away.
The Government has come under fire for refusing to send ministers to the group stages of the tournament but retaining the option to do so if England get through to the knock-out rounds.
Anger over the treatment of jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko has led several European nations to say they will stay away unless the situation under President Viktor Yanukovych improves.
Labour MP Frank Roy said it showed "total inconsistency" for the UK to be concerned enough about abuses to stay away from some parts of the competition but not others.
But Mr Browne, during a grilling by the foreign affairs committee on human rights issues across the globe, told him: "I only observe that the only time that England have ever reached an international tournament final was when it was held in England. So these difficulties did not arise."
Laughing at the Scottish MP's expression of support for the team, he went on: "I am delighted that you think they may do in two weeks' time.
"But history suggests that we are dealing in hypotheticals here."
It is hard to get the balance right, he suggested.
"The British ambassador, as I understand it, in Kiev, has attended matches so some people may feel that he should not have done.
"Other people may feel that ministers are giving insufficient support to the England football team."
A Downing Street spokeswoman, asked earlier about the boycott, said the situation was being "kept under review".
"I think the key word is 'if'," she told reporters who asked whether ministers would attend the knock-out stages.
"Let's see how we get on tonight. I am not going to speculate who will or won't be going."
The Foreign Office stressed that the Government "fully supports England's participation in Euro 2012".
"We hope this is a successful tournament for the England team, the fans, and the people of Ukraine and Poland," a spokeswoman said.
"No ministers will be attending group games at Euro 2012.
"We are keeping attendance at later stages of the tournament under review in the light of ministers' busy schedules ahead of the Olympics and widespread concerns about selective justice and the rule of law in Ukraine."
Mr Browne said the partial boycott was considered "an appropriate signal of disapproval" given the concerns among MPs of all parties about human rights in Ukraine.
Mr Roy drew loud laughs from the minister when he said that "we all hope that England go all the way" - adding, "it says here".
But in a serious complaint, he added: "From the outside I just see a total inconsistency.
"They've got grave concerns about the way the opposition were treated and therefore we are boycotting, but it will only actually be a wee boycott.
"In other words, if we get to the final we will all queue up as the Chancellor done at the Champions League final with Chelsea."
He added: "You have to be consistent and boycott all the way through, including the final."
Mr Browne, who said he would in any case not be able to attend as he would be travelling elsewhere in the world at the time, said that was "a powerfully expressed point".