Euro 2012

Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko of Ukraine has participated in a meeting of the Polish-Ukrainian Committee for the organisation of the EURO 2012. While in Warsaw she also held talks with Prime Minister Donald Tusk on the preparations to the championships.

Both premiers assured that stadiums in Warsaw and Kiev will be built on time and added that both countries will intensify cooperation in the preparation to the championships.

Danuta Isler reports
It was in April 2007 that Ukraine and Poland were named co-hosts for the prestigous tournament. Since then little progress in preparations has been observed in both countries with reports in European press that UEFA was considering reducing the number of games held in Ukraine during Euro 2012 or even moving the event elsewhere. In January UEFA president Michel Platini issued a stern warning to the two countries followed by a recent statement that the tournament may be abandoned if stadiums in Warsaw and Kiev are not ready on time. (more…)

After reports during Euro 2008 that Poland and Ukraine may lose Euro 2012 Michel Platini’s visits to both countries were treated as enormously important by organizers. Platini didn’t say much while in Poland, which can be read as a good sign, whereas he criticised Ukraine severely when meeting local officials. As a result, UEFA now demands that Poland prepares an allternate plan to organize the tournament all by itself.

Ukraine has no problems with stadiums, which are almost finished in Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk. One stadium is to be built in Lviv, whereas the one in Kiev is to be renovated. The latter causes most problems, as the buildng company is yet to be chosen.

Ukraine’s biggest drawback, however, is the lack of infrastructure, that is roads, hotels and airports. Platini wasn’t satisfied with the reports given by Ukrainian politicians and voiced his concerns clearly. To further threaten the Ukrainians news broke out that Poland may organize 2012 alone. Is it possible? (more…)

UEFA Michel boss Platini told in intelligences for the log “La Stampa” and “Gazzetta dello Sport”, that final concerning decision of the organization of the Euro 2012 trapdoors on the autumn. It is the next voice already in the referring discussion full of conjectures of taking away of this event from Poland and Ukraine

What truth Platini asked about whether it is current still, that championships in 2012 Poland and Ukraine will be organizing the year, replied that nothing changed. But began after a while to devise visions of autumn inspection of Euro holders. - the Check-up will be 2 and 3 of July, and we will make a decision after her - a(n) UEFA boss underlined. Whether it will be a decision about to take away, bad? for confirming of the organization of championships - didn’t want to tell.

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After reports during Euro 2008 that Poland and Ukraine may lose Euro 2012 Michel Platini’s visits to both countries were treated as enormously important by organizers. Platini didn’t say much while in Poland, which can be read as a good sign, whereas he criticised Ukraine severely when meeting local officials. As a result, UEFA now demands that Poland prepares an allternate plan to organize the tournament all by itself.

Ukraine has no problems with stadiums, which are almost finished in Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk. One stadium is to be built in Lviv, whereas the one in Kiev is to be renovated. The latter causes most problems, as the buildng company is yet to be chosen. Ukraine’s biggest drawback, however, is the lack of infrastructure, that is roads, hotels and airports. Platini wasn’t satisfied with the reports given by Ukrainian politicians and voiced his concerns clearly. To further threaten the Ukrainians news broke out that Poland may organize 2012 alone. Is it possible? (more…)

WARSAW - UEFA gave a thumbs up Wednesday to Poland’s Euro 2012 preparations despite jitters about the ability of the Poles and their Ukrainian co-hosts to get ready for the football showcase.

“UEFA have given a positive assessment of recent months of preparations for Euro 2012 in Poland,” said a statement published by Warsaw’s sports ministry in the wake of crunch talks between Poland’s leaders and the president of European football’s governing body, Michel Platini.

“They consider that plans are being handled in a professional way, following the best possible examples and in tight cooperation with UEFA experts.

“If the project continues in the same manner as over the past months, it will be a success,” it said. (more…)

- Project of the Euro 2012 he belongs to Poland and Ukraine already and there is no such strength which would be able to take him away from us. We are expecting the UEFA report which will be published with optimism 27 of June in Vienna - a vice-president notified the of the Seym Commission of the physical culture and the Ireneusz Raś (after) during the Wednesday appointment with journalists.

- Moves of other people of states, like in the last time of France or Italy they will take the organization of the tournament away from us they are distasteful and they are supporting us only for still of bigger work - a member of Parliament added after. (more…)

In 2012 the football European championships eventually will take place in Italy and France - on Tuesday on its pages a daily newspaper is writing hair “Il Giornale”.

According to the Italian newspaper soon the boss Michel Platini will go by the UEFA to Ukraine and officially he will accept after the visit of inspection, that “an organization is impossible Euro” in this country and in Poland.
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Getting back from Poland and Ukraine football organizations is taking the UEFA into consideration of mastery of Europe in 2012 - a German news agency learnt (DPA) from one of representatives however isn’t revealing the UEFA, which name.

After making oneself acquainted with this rumor minister of sport Miroslav Drzewiecki told the PAP a DPA. didn’t want to comment on notifications Nobody informed us about something like that.

Quickly an adviser to the President also responded to such an information with the UEFA of Michel Platini, William Gaillard: - such a message has no bases. In the here and now this issue isn’t generally speaking discussed, not even discussed. Both countries are still four years old, and it is quite a lot of time - stated. (more…)

Poland is ready to help Ukraine, if the one won’t be in time with preparations for final championships of the football European championships in 2012 - on Thursday an Ukrainian newspaper wrote in “Siegodnia”, citing the statement of the Polish minister of sport, Mirosław Drzewiecki.

- Theoretically everything is possible, although today it is (defeat of Ukrainian preparations for ME 2012 - PAP) unlikely, improbable. But if something happens, we are ready to think about different plans - a, quoted by the daily newspaper, being responsibility of the richest Ukrainian, the owner of the football Szachtar club minister said Donieck, Rinata Achmetowa.

Writing Ukrainians about delays in preparations for the Euro to 2012 “Siegodnia” resembles appearing in the media and denied by Ukrainian sports activists rumors about the possibility of getting back from Ukraine the right to the organization of championships. (more…)

UEFA officials on Saturday brushed off the latest speculation about Euro 2012, denying that Spain had been approached as a possible replacement host if infrastructure problems persisted with Poland and Ukraine.

The co-hosts face huge challenges in upgrading road and rail links, along with modernising airports and building hotels. Concerns have grown in particular over delays in the reconstruction of Kiev’s Olympic stadium.

In January, UEFA president Michel Platini said the next few months would be “crucial in order to avoid any critical slippage in sports and public infrastructure projects and to protect the global credibility of the Euro project.”

The Kiev stadium issue could lead to Ukraine losing the right to co-host the tournament, a senior Ukrainian soccer federation official was quoted as telling a newspaper on Thursday. (more…)

KIEV, May 30 (Reuters) - President Viktor Yushchenko accused government officials on Friday of sabotaging the reconstruction of the main stadium hosting Euro 2012 matches and told his prime minister to ensure the project went ahead.

Yushchenko, in a letter to Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, said no action had been taken to proceed with the renovation of Kiev’s 84,000-seat Olympic stadium since a Taiwanese firm won a tender in April to carry out the job. The stadium is to host the final of Euro 2012, being staged jointly with Poland.

A statement on the president’s Web site (www.president.gov.ua) said the agency overseeing Euro 2012 had information that “delays and what amounts to sabtage by oficials at the Sports Ministry could disrupt the renovation schedule at Ukraine’s main stadium”.

“I am asking you to intervene personally to immediately correct the situation, avoid an international scandal and ensure that preparations for Euro 2012 proceed in timely and reliable fashion,” the president told Tymoshenko. (more…)

GENEVA — UEFA president Michel Platini will visit Poland and Ukraine in July to check on their preparations for co-hosting the 2012 European Championship.

The two countries have to intensify their efforts over the next few months in order to meet UEFA’s requirements, Platini told a news conference in Geneva on Tuesday.

But “there is no Plan B,” he said, referring to possible alternative venues in case the former eastern bloc states fail to put in place the necessary infrastructure to host the event.

UEFA spokesman William Gaillard said Platini will travel to Poland and Ukraine after Euro 2008, held in Austria and Switzerland in June.

Gaillard said UEFA’s main concern is whether the hotels and transportation networks - including airports, railways and roads - will be sufficient to host the hundreds of thousands of fans expected for the event. (more…)

The euphoria which gripped Ukraine and Poland on April 18, 2007 after winning the right to host Europe’s football championship, EURO 2012, has come to nothing.

A year after the triumphal hugs and kisses, the two countries’ preparations have progressed so poorly that Football Federation of Ukraine President Hryhoriy Surkis, and Football Federation of Poland President Michal Listkiewicz had to explain the situation in detail to the Union of European Football Association’s executive committee in last March.

The National Agency to Prepare and Host EURO 2012 was established to coordinate all state structures in Ukraine. Its chair, Yevhen Chervonenko, constantly criticizes the Cabinet of Ministers for ignoring his organization’s problems.

“I consider the level of financial support for the Agency by the government to be embarrassing,” he said of the EURO 2012 preparation funding. “The government scoffs not at me (I don’t care — I’m a self-sufficient person), it scoffs at Ukraine,” adding,”I have been spending my own personal money to maintain the agency. The cars, computers in the office – everything was bought with my own money. I have spent and spend without regret.” (more…)

A match-fixing scandal and a complacent attitude towards construction may undermine Poland’s ability to co-host Euro 2012

There is a rumour going around that Poland-Ukraine was awarded the rights to host Euro 2012 only by embittered Lennart Johansson acolytes looking to screw up Michel Platini’s reign. It is, almost certainly, nothing more than mischief-making, and yet there was a strange pause as Platini opened the envelope that could, with hindsight, be construed as horror. On that momentous day in Cardiff, west seemed to offer an arm to east and talk of the football family didn’t seem quite so hopelessly utopian, but since then optimism has withered. There are always scare stories ahead of major events, but recent events in Poland suggest these have more substance than most.

Securing the tournament was Michal Listkiewicz’s finest hour, finer even than running the line in the 1990 World Cup final (a photograph of which still adorns the back of his business card). As the president of the Polish football federation (PZPN) spoke about delivering a great victory for the family of Slavs, it was possible even to forget for a moment that it isn’t just his hair that has appeared to be made of Teflon. (more…)

The president of UEFA, Michel Platini appealed to organizers of the football European championships in 2012, Poles and Ukrainians, in order to “wake them up” in the realization of the program of preparations for this event.

Euro 2012 found the good place, but some people say that more brisk movements are needed from the side of both countries - on the webpage pointing to the opinion of Platini was written. The UEFA in 30th of the January presented the critical report on preparations of organizers of championships, underlining, that “the closest months will have deciding meaning in order to avoid harmful delays in the realization of projects concerning the infrastructure”.