Just to be clear, we're talking about a cockerel not a penis.

UEFA have banned loyal France fan Clement Tomaszewski from bringing his pet cockerel into stadiums at Euro 2016.

Mr Tomaszewski has atteneded over 200 France internationals since 1982 and has brought a cock named Balthazar with him on most of the those occasions.

Balthazar was present when France won the World Cup in 1998 and witnessed Zinedine Zidane's two late goals break English hearts at Euro 2004.

However, UEFA sent a letter to Mr Tomaszewski warning him not to bring Balthazar to games due to security issues.

Naturally he was annoyed at the ban placed on France’s unofficial mascot.

"My cock's part of the French football legend," he said with a completely straight face. "And yet I can't bring him to a game."

Mr Tomaszewski plans to ignore the warning and bring his beloved companion along to all of France's group games, starting with the tournament’s opener against Romania on 10 June.

"Balthazar will be there during all the Euro matches," he said. "If he isn't allowed in then I won't go in either."

At the risk of ruining the magic of a seemingly immortal being, Mr Tomaszewski revealed that while the name remains constant, many different cockerels have adopted the Balthazar persona down the years.