EURO 2021

CNN’s new series i-List takes you to a different country each month. In June, we visit Poland focusing on changes shaping the country’s economy, culture and its social fabric. Warsaw, Poland (CNN) — Football fever is already gripping Poland ahead of co-hosting the European Championships in 2012. Despite the national team’s absence from the World Cup in South Africa, the country’s sports fields are packed with children and amateur footballers getting into the mood. When Poland and Ukraine host Euro 2012, they will be the first Eastern European countries to […]

On April 18, 2007, the head of UEFA, Michel Platini mentioned Poland and Ukraine as the hosts of the European Championships in football to be held in 2012. Below we present the current status of works concerning major facilities being prepared for Euro 2012. We mean stadiums. Three years ago euphoria broke out in Poland when Michel Platini took out from an envelope a card with the words “Poland and Ukraine.” The joy in Poland, resulting from granting such a prestigious event did quickly turned into fear. Questions “whether Poland […]

Martin Kallen, the UEFA Director responsible for the organization of the Euro 2012 finals, strolled through the Palace of Culture and Science – where the draw for European Football Championship qualifying groups was held – with pride. He ensured that the draw, a test for Poland as co-host of the championships, was enjoyed by all participants. – The draw was very successful – it was a great start of the tournament. All the guests felt a little Polish spirit. From what I heard, everyone was happy and satisfied. Now they […]

The anti-racist East Europe Monitoring Centre starts its operation in Warsaw this month. The newly launched centre is going to monitor, research and document cases of racism and xenophobia across the region, with a special emphasis on Poland and Ukraine. ‘The growing social significance of football in Poland and Ukraine before 2012 provides an excellent opportunity to highlight the pressing issues of xenophobia and racism in Eastern Europe’ – said sociologist Dr Rafal Pankowski, the Monitoring Centre coordinator. ‘Our starting point is racism in football, but we see it in […]

Polish Minister of Sports and Tourism Mirosław Drzewiecki and Andrzej Bogucki, Board Member of PL 2012 have met with a visiting trade mission from Saudi Arabia. The visit of potential investors is the result of Minster Drzewiecki’s, Treasury Minister’s Aleksander Grad’s and Prime Minister’s Donald Tusk’s visit to Saudi Arabia last March. The main subject of the talks were possible investments ahead of the UEFA EURO 2012 Football Championship which will begin in Poland and Ukraine in 1045 days. Andrzej Bogucki of PL 2012, the coordinator of preparatory undertakings for […]

UEFA president Michel Platini confirmed that the final decision concerning EURO 2012 host cities will be taken in December. During his of the western city of Poznan, Platini said that four Polish cities – Gdansk, Wroclaw, Poznan and Warsaw – as well as the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, have initial approval to host the event. The decision was conditional in the case of three remaining Ukrainian cities, however: “These cities have five more months to work on their progress,” he said. The UEFA president denied reports that UEFA is planning to […]

The finals of the UEFA EURO 2012 championships may be held in Warsaw and not Kyiv, writes Gazeta Wyborcza, quoting recent decisions by UEFA. The final match would be played at the new National Stadium in Warsaw. Reportedly, UEFA is concerned over the number of hotels in Kyiv to accommodate fans, as well as problems with municipal transport and communications. “We are very closely reconsidering changing the the venue of the final” says UEFA president Michel Platini. “At the time being we are still closely monitoring this situation if there […]

According to the requirements UEFA, the residential centers for teams are supposed to be ready in a year already, but actually will not be. – We will ask for more time – announces Olkowicz Adam, vice-president of the Polish Football Association. Up to 44 Polish towns would like to host 16 final groups of the European Championships, but for the time being any center meets UEFA requirements. Representations have to have available at least a four-star hotel with 60 rooms, football field for thousand of spectators and three training places. […]

Poles are running ahead of schedule with their preparations. Poland is ahead of schedule in its preparations for the 2012 European Soccer Championship. The UEFA commission recently visited Poland and Ukraine to assess the situation and approved the progress made in the Polish cities of Warsaw, Poznan, Gdansk, and Wroclaw, which will host the soccer games. Poland hopes that Ukraine will keep to its schedule and will clear the backlog, otherwise it will be denied the right to host the soccer championship. Our Euro-2012 host cities are Kyiv, Donetsk, Lviv, […]

‘We have visited all the construction sites. I think that Taylor was impressed’, says Marcin Herra Chief of the PL2012 partnership which coordinates the arrangements for Euro 2012- in the interview ‘Polski The Times’ about the visit of UEFA Secretary General Herra does not hide that David Taylor was extremely satisfied with the progress of arrangements for the championships in our country. He saw, for the first time, genuine, tangible building sites He saw that there is a lot going on. In Warsaw the construction works on the National Stadium […]