EURO 2021

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and her Polish counterpart Donald Tusk on Friday promised their countries would co-host the European football championship in 2012 successfully. Tymoshenko and Tusk made the remarks after the two sides signed an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in organizing and holding of the 2012 football championship.

Michel Platini, the head of the European football body UEFA, has warned Euro 2012 co-hosts Ukraine and Poland to speed up their preparations. Neither Ukraine nor Poland has hosted a major championship before, and Platini has stressed his growing concerns over their progress. “We’ve had to wake them up a little and tell them it’s time to get going,” Platini told French radio France Info on Thursday. “The 2012 Euro will still be held (there), but we’ve told them in the nicest possible way to speed things up a bit.” […]

JSK Architekci company has shown a visualization and a miniature of the National Stadium. Its elevation refers to the national colours and imitates the waving Polish flag. It is so-called conceptional project. Zbigniew Pszczulny from JSK Architekci assured that the building fulfills all the UEFA requirements. The new stadium will be located at the existing embankment (strenghtened by stairs) of the 10th-Anniversary Stadium. The pitch will be located about nine meters higher than the existing one. Parkings for about 1700 cars will be build below the pitch and the access […]

Poland and Ukraine have been warned by governing body Uefa to speed up their preparations for Euro 2012. There have been concerns that political change in both countries has affected projects such as stadiums and roads. “The next four to six months will be crucial to avoid any critical slippage in infrastructure projects,” said Uefa president Michel Platini. Uefa general secretary David Taylor added: “There has been progress, but it needs to be accelerated.” Platini made the statement after a two-day meeting of Uefa’s executive committee in Zagreb which reviewed […]

Warsaw The National Stadium in Warsaw which has a capacity of 60 thousand seats will be built in the place where at present is the 10th Anniversary Stadium, or next to Washington roundabout in Prague-South. According to current conception the National Stadium is expected to be the main element of a sports-recreational centre (“the National Sport Centre”) which will including among others: a pool with Olympic parameters, a sports-auditorium hall on 15 thousand seats, as well as commercial part (shop centres, gastronomic centres). The Central Sports Centre in Warsaw is […]

  But wait a minute…have UEFA been smoking too many Jamaican cigarettes, or something?We watched with baited breath as UEFA president, Michele Platini (above), stood on stage in Cardiff, Wales, and slowly tore open the envelope. It was between Croatia/Hungary, Italy and Poland/Ukraine. Everyone expected Italy. Half of me didn’t want Poland to win, as I knew I would have to throw together something about the story in about half an hour. The other half of me – the footballing half (the bits with legs and feet) – wanted Poland […]