EURO 2021

President Viktor Juszczenko accused the Ukrainian government of breaking promises concerning the financing of EURO 2012, calling into question the progress of preparations criticized recently by the UEFA. According to Juszczenko, the government has provided so far only 5 percent of 945 million dollars which were to be devoted to the organization budget of Euro 2012 this year. – The programme of financing Championships is at risk – announced the president. – Together with the head of the central bank and the finance minister we have to consider ways to […]

Where even soccer is politics, infrastructure improvements have fallen behind. KIEV — In Ukraine, soccer is simply politics pursued through other means. The vicious and sometimes petty power struggle at the highest reaches of the country’s government has spilled over to its sports fields. Two years ago, UEFA, Europe’s governing soccer body, awarded Ukraine and its Slavic neighbor Poland the prestigious designation as co-hosts of the European soccer championships in 2012. The European championship, held every four years, is the largest international soccer tournament after the World Cup and one […]

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. […]