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Poland and Ukraine face mounting Euro 2012 pressure
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General view of the construction site of
a yet to be named stadium in Ukraine's eastern industrial city of
Donetsk, photographed on April 17. The presidents of the Euro 2012
football championship Poland and Ukraine, who came under fire from
the UEFA over allegedly slack preparations, signed a deal on April
14, 2008 to beef up plans for co-hosting the tournament.
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One year on from winning the race to hold Euro 2012, Poland
and Ukraine are under mounting pressure from UEFA to step up efforts to
get ready for the football showcase.
.
In the face of repeated warnings from European football's governing body
about the mammoth task, both countries have been pushed on to the defensive.
.
On April 18, 2007, UEFA raised eyebrows by choosing Poland and Ukraine
over Italy and joint bidders Hungary and Croatia to host the quadrennial,
16-nation European championships.
.
It will be the first time either has run a major tournament -- and in
Poland it is seen as a way to improve the image of the domestic game,
tarnished by match-fixing.
.
It also marks UEFA's first big foray into the ex-communist bloc, where
stadiums, hotels and transport are undergoing a major upgrade -- with
an estimated price tag of 42 billion euros (67 billion dollars) in Poland
and Ukraine.
.
UEFA chief Michel Platini has been turning up the heat, urging the hosts
to "protect the credibility" of Euro 2012, and last month issued
a new "wake-up call."
.
UEFA recently sent inspectors to Poland, but has refused to comment on
their findings.
.
According to leaks in the Polish press, they noted a "speeding up"
of overall plans, but were deeply concerned about the stadiums.
.
They spotlighted a "very high risk" that the new, 55,000-seat
venue for the opening match, in the heart of Warsaw, would not be ready.
.
Michal Borowski, who is in charge of the 400-million-euro (637-million-dollar)
state-funded project, this week played down the worries.
.
"The stadium should be delivered by 2011. That's a little later than
promised by the government. But there's no other chance of doing it before,"
he told reporters.
.
UEFA also allegedly pointed to a "high risk" in the Baltic port
of Gdansk, but saw progress in Poznan and Wroclaw to the west.
.
Wroclaw's mayor, Rafal Dutkiewicz, told AFP things were going "quite
well", with the 44,000-seat stadium there due to open by the end
of 2010. "We'll have challenges, but what's nicer than challenges?"
he said.
.
The stadium situation looks better in Ukraine. Kiev's main ground is already
being transformed into an 85,000-seat venue for the final.
.
To the east, work is winding down in Dnepropetrovsk, with a new 50,000-seat
arena set to open this summer, while a similar-sized venue in Donetsk
should be ready by the end of the year. Some local authorities are gloomy,
however.
.
"Preparations for Euro 2012 are going worse and much slower than
they could be," said Donetsk's mayor, Alexander Lukianchenko.
.
Infrastructure remains a major worry.
.
Currently, the 1,900-kilometre (1,180-mile) trip from Gdansk to Donetsk
requires serious stamina.
.
A lucky driver can do it in 23 hours -- not counting the wait at the border
-- with just 23 kilometres (14 miles) of motorway and most of the rest
on single-lane roads.
.
It's worse by train: the trip takes 43 hours, at best.
.
Despite major EU funding since the fall of communism in 1989 and Poland's
membership of the bloc in 2004, the country still hasn't built a basic
motorway network between its major cities. The situation is worse in Ukraine.
.
Polish authorities aim to build 1,100 kilometres (682 miles) of new motorway
nationwide by 2012. Since last April, however, they have tallied just
35 kilometres (22 miles).
.
Among other concerns are new airport facilities and hotels.
.
The sluggishness was an election issue last October, when Poland's liberals,
led by ardent football fan Donald Tusk, beat the country's conservatives.
.
Polish businesses, however, complain that despite pledges, Tusk has done
too little to cut the red tape hampering preparations.
.
"There hasn't been the necessary legislation to smooth the organisation
of Euro 2012," said employers' federation boss Andrzej Malinowski.
.
Tusk, however, has affirmed he is "100-percent convinced" things
will be fine.
.
"Speaking frankly, over the past year we could have done much more,"
said the Ukrainian Football Federation's chief Grigory Surkis, blaming
the political instability that has gripped his country.
.
But striking a positive note, he said: "I'm sure we will succeed."
- AFP One year on from winning the race to hold Euro 2012, Poland and
Ukraine are under mounting pressure from UEFA to step up efforts to get
ready for the football showcase.
.
In the face of repeated warnings from European football's governing body
about the mammoth task, both countries have been pushed on to the defensive.
.
On April 18, 2007, UEFA raised eyebrows by choosing Poland and Ukraine
over Italy and joint bidders Hungary and Croatia to host the quadrennial,
16-nation European championships.
.
It will be the first time either has run a major tournament -- and in
Poland it is seen as a way to improve the image of the domestic game,
tarnished by match-fixing.
.
It also marks UEFA's first big foray into the ex-communist bloc, where
stadiums, hotels and transport are undergoing a major upgrade -- with
an estimated price tag of 42 billion euros (67 billion dollars) in Poland
and Ukraine.
.
UEFA chief Michel Platini has been turning up the heat, urging the hosts
to "protect the credibility" of Euro 2012, and last month issued
a new "wake-up call."
.
UEFA recently sent inspectors to Poland, but has refused to comment on
their findings.
.
According to leaks in the Polish press, they noted a "speeding up"
of overall plans, but were deeply concerned about the stadiums.
.
They spotlighted a "very high risk" that the new, 55,000-seat
venue for the opening match, in the heart of Warsaw, would not be ready.
.
Michal Borowski, who is in charge of the 400-million-euro (637-million-dollar)
state-funded project, this week played down the worries.
.
"The stadium should be delivered by 2011. That's a little later than
promised by the government. But there's no other chance of doing it before,"
he told reporters.
.
UEFA also allegedly pointed to a "high risk" in the Baltic port
of Gdansk, but saw progress in Poznan and Wroclaw to the west.
.
Wroclaw's mayor, Rafal Dutkiewicz, told AFP things were going "quite
well", with the 44,000-seat stadium there due to open by the end
of 2010. "We'll have challenges, but what's nicer than challenges?"
he said.
.
The stadium situation looks better in Ukraine. Kiev's main ground is already
being transformed into an 85,000-seat venue for the final.
.
To the east, work is winding down in Dnepropetrovsk, with a new 50,000-seat
arena set to open this summer, while a similar-sized venue in Donetsk
should be ready by the end of the
One year on from winning the race to hold Euro 2012, Poland and Ukraine
are under mounting pressure from UEFA to step up efforts to get ready
for the football showcase.
.
In the face of repeated warnings from European football's governing body
about the mammoth task, both countries have been pushed on to the defensive.
.
On April 18, 2007, UEFA raised eyebrows by choosing Poland and Ukraine
over Italy and joint bidders Hungary and Croatia to host the quadrennial,
16-nation European championships.
.
It will be the first time either has run a major tournament -- and in
Poland it is seen as a way to improve the image of the domestic game,
tarnished by match-fixing.
.
It also marks UEFA's first big foray into the ex-communist bloc, where
stadiums, hotels and transport are undergoing a major upgrade -- with
an estimated price tag of 42 billion euros (67 billion dollars) in Poland
and Ukraine.
.
UEFA chief Michel Platini has been turning up the heat, urging the hosts
to "protect the credibility" of Euro 2012, and last month issued
a new "wake-up call."
.
UEFA recently sent inspectors to Poland, but has refused to comment on
their findings.
.
According to leaks in the Polish press, they noted a "speeding up"
of overall plans, but were deeply concerned about the stadiums.
.
They spotlighted a "very high risk" that the new, 55,000-seat
venue for the opening match, in the heart of Warsaw, would not be ready.
.
Michal Borowski, who is in charge of the 400-million-euro (637-million-dollar)
state-funded project, this week played down the worries.
.
"The stadium should be delivered by 2011. That's a little later than
promised by the government. But there's no other chance of doing it before,"
he told reporters.
.
UEFA also allegedly pointed to a "high risk" in the Baltic port
of Gdansk, but saw progress in Poznan and Wroclaw to the west.
.
Wroclaw's mayor, Rafal Dutkiewicz, told AFP things were going "quite
well", with the 44,000-seat stadium there due to open by the end
of 2010. "We'll have challenges, but what's nicer than challenges?"
he said.
.
The stadium situation looks better in Ukraine. Kiev's main ground is already
being transformed into an 85,000-seat venue for the final.
.
To the east, work is winding down in Dnepropetrovsk, with a new 50,000-seat
arena set to open this summer, while a similar-sized venue in Donetsk
should be ready by the end of the year. Some local authorities are gloomy,
however.
.
"Preparations for Euro 2012 are going worse and much slower than
they could be," said Donetsk's mayor, Alexander Lukianchenko.
.
Infrastructure remains a major worry.
.
Currently, the 1,900-kilometre (1,180-mile) trip from Gdansk to Donetsk
requires serious stamina.
.
A lucky driver can do it in 23 hours -- not counting the wait at the border
-- with just 23 kilometres (14 miles) of motorway and most of the rest
on single-lane roads.
.
It's worse by train: the trip takes 43 hours, at best.
.
Despite major EU funding since the fall of communism in 1989 and Poland's
membership of the bloc in 2004, the country still hasn't built a basic
motorway network between its major cities. The situation is worse in Ukraine.
.
Polish authorities aim to build 1,100 kilometres (682 miles) of new motorway
nationwide by 2012. Since last April, however, they have tallied just
35 kilometres (22 miles).
.
Among other concerns are new airport facilities and hotels.
.
The sluggishness was an election issue last October, when Poland's liberals,
led by ardent football fan Donald Tusk, beat the country's conservatives.
.
Polish businesses, however, complain that despite pledges, Tusk has done
too little to cut the red tape hampering preparations.
.
"There hasn't been the necessary legislation to smooth the organisation
of Euro 2012," said employers' federation boss Andrzej Malinowski.
.
Tusk, however, has affirmed he is "100-percent convinced" things
will be fine.
.
"Speaking frankly, over the past year we could have done much more,"
said the Ukrainian Football Federation's chief Grigory Surkis, blaming
the political instability that has gripped his country.
.
But striking a positive note, he said: "I'm sure we will succeed."
- AFP One year on from winning the race to hold Euro 2012, Poland and
Ukraine are under mounting pressure from UEFA to step up efforts to get
ready for the football showcase.
.
In the face of repeated warnings from European football's governing body
about the mammoth task, both countries have been pushed on to the defensive.
.
On April 18, 2007, UEFA raised eyebrows by choosing Poland and Ukraine
over Italy and joint bidders Hungary and Croatia to host the quadrennial,
16-nation European championships.
.
It will be the first time either has run a major tournament -- and in
Poland it is seen as a way to improve the image of the domestic game,
tarnished by match-fixing.
.
It also marks UEFA's first big foray into the ex-communist bloc, where
stadiums, hotels and transport are undergoing a major upgrade -- with
an estimated price tag of 42 billion euros (67 billion dollars) in Poland
and Ukraine.
.
UEFA chief Michel Platini has been turning up the heat, urging the hosts
to "protect the credibility" of Euro 2012, and last month issued
a new "wake-up call."
.
UEFA recently sent inspectors to Poland, but has refused to comment on
their findings.
.
According to leaks in the Polish press, they noted a "speeding up"
of overall plans, but were deeply concerned about the stadiums.
.
They spotlighted a "very high risk" that the new, 55,000-seat
venue for the opening match, in the heart of Warsaw, would not be ready.
.
Michal Borowski, who is in charge of the 400-million-euro (637-million-dollar)
state-funded project, this week played down the worries.
.
"The stadium should be delivered by 2011. That's a little later than
promised by the government. But there's no other chance of doing it before,"
he told reporters.
.
UEFA also allegedly pointed to a "high risk" in the Baltic port
of Gdansk, but saw progress in Poznan and Wroclaw to the west.
.
Wroclaw's mayor, Rafal Dutkiewicz, told AFP things were going "quite
well", with the 44,000-seat stadium there due to open by the end
of 2010. "We'll have challenges, but what's nicer than challenges?"
he said.
.
The stadium situation looks better in Ukraine. Kiev's main ground is already
being transformed into an 85,000-seat venue for the final.
.
To the east, work is winding down in Dnepropetrovsk, with a new 50,000-seat
arena set to open this summer, while a similar-sized venue in Donetsk
should be ready by the end of the year. Some local authorities are gloomy,
however.
.
"Preparations for Euro 2012 are going worse and much slower than
they could be," said Donetsk's mayor, Alexander Lukianchenko.
.
Infrastructure remains a major worry.
.
Currently, the 1,900-kilometre (1,180-mile) trip from Gdansk to Donetsk
requires serious stamina.
.
A lucky driver can do it in 23 hours -- not counting the wait at the border
-- with just 23 kilometres (14 miles) of motorway and most of the rest
on single-lane roads.
.
It's worse by train: the trip takes 43 hours, at best.
.
Despite major EU funding since the fall of communism in 1989 and Poland's
membership of the bloc in 2004, the country still hasn't built a basic
motorway network between its major cities. The situation is worse in Ukraine.
.
Polish authorities aim to build 1,100 kilometres (682 miles) of new motorway
nationwide by 2012. Since last April, however, they have tallied just
35 kilometres (22 miles).
.
Among other concerns are new airport facilities and hotels.
.
The sluggishness was an election issue last October, when Poland's liberals,
led by ardent football fan Donald Tusk, beat the country's conservatives.
.
Polish businesses, however, complain that despite pledges, Tusk has done
too little to cut the red tape hampering preparations.
.
"There hasn't been the necessary legislation to smooth the organisation
of Euro 2012," said employers' federation boss Andrzej Malinowski.
.
Tusk, however, has affirmed he is "100-percent convinced" things
will be fine.
.
"Speaking frankly, over the past year we could have done much more,"
said the Ukrainian Football Federation's chief Grigory Surkis, blaming
the political instability that has gripped his country.
.
But striking a positive note, he said: "I'm sure we will succeed."
- AFP
Todayonline.com,
19-Apr-2008
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