Ukraine, Poland & UEFA unite for Euro 2012
Reuters - Friday 14 November 2008, 16:48
KIEV - Senior Ukrainian, Polish and UEFA
officials showed a united front on Friday, giving assurances
that the two countries will successfully host the Euro 2012
football championship.
Poland and Ukraine have been criticised for the slow
progress of preparations since being awarded the tournament last
year and European football's governing body UEFA is subjecting
both countries to close scrutiny after suggesting the event
could be moved.
But Martin Kallen, UEFA's special adviser to president
Michel Platini, was upbeat on his first visit to Kiev.
"I think a lot of things have been done and there is a lot
of work in front of us. But I am positive that the work will be
accomplished," he told a news conference alongside the heads of
the Polish and Ukrainian football federations.
"I trust fully what was guaranteed."
A dispute between the Warsaw government and the FA created
further difficulties and Polish FA head Grzegorz Lato was quoted
by Polish media as saying his country could host the competition
with Germany if Ukraine proved unable to take on the tournament.
But he said those comments were taken out of context.
"For sure -- 100 percent -- Euro-2012 will take place in
Ukraine and in Poland," Lato told reporters.
Lato was elected after the FA board was suspended on the
request of the government, triggering a threat by FIFA and UEFA
to take the competition away. Lato promised the government and
his Association have now resolved their problems.
"I can guarantee today that that for sure until 2012 there
will be no conflict between the minister and the Polish football
association," he said.
Both countries have had problems building or renovating
stadiums -- Kiev lost a year through legal wrangling over an
adjacent shopping centre and then switched contractors.
The western city of Lviv has only started building a
stadium. It chose a Ukrainian contractor after an Austrian firm
pulled out last month.
Ukrainian media on Friday cited Platini repeating his threat
to strip the countries of the tournament should one of them not
meet the preparation criteria.
"Poland and Ukraine are well aware that it is a key
condition that stadiums in their capitals be built in timely
fashion.
"If they are not ready, then Euro 2012 will not take place
in either Kiev or Warsaw," he told reporters at a press
conference in Sofia on Wednesday.