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Euro 2012 co-hosts face Uefa rebuke
By Darren Ennis in Brussels
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Michel Platini (left) meets the Ukrainian
president Viktor Yushchenko in July for talks over the slow progress
of preparations for Euro 2012 (GETTY)
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European football's governing body Uefa will rebuke Poland
and Ukraine again next week over a lack of progress in their preparations
to host Euro 2012, but will stop short of withdrawing the right to stage
the event.
A long-awaited progress report on the ability of the two countries to
host the European Championship is to be submitted to Uefa's executive
committee next week. It will criticise both nations, but will not recommend
Uefa reverse its decision, a source familiar with the report claimed.
"The report has yet to be finalised, but from what I have seen so
far, no, it will not recommend that Poland and Ukraine lose the tournament,"
one source said. "Basically, it will criticise heavily both countries
for lack of progress, but also praise some of the efforts that have been
made since Uefa president Michel Platini visited. But crucially it will
say it is too early to take a decision on whether to withdraw the tournament
from them."
Platini has visited Poland and Ukraine twice this year and warned officials
they risked losing the right to stage the event if stadiums and infrastructure
were not ready. Next week's report is based on a visit by Uefa inspectors
to the two countries last month.
Poland and Ukraine were awarded the 2012 tournament last year, beating
off competition from Italy and a joint bid by Hungary and Croatia. But
both countries have struggled to tackle the colossal tasks of upgrading
stadiums and modernising airports, rail and road networks and hotels.
Poland is suffering from labour shortages in construction, while Kiev
is struggling to renovate the 84,000-seat Olympic stadium, due to stage
the final.
Warsaw said in July it is prepared to provide six of the eight venues
needed for the tournament if its co-host is not ready on time. "We
are still waiting on the final details of the report, but the main concern
in Poland will be on the infrastructure such as motorways, rail links
and hotels," another source said. "Ukraine will most likely
face more criticism than Poland as there are a lot more outstanding issues
with Kiev."
Uefa officials have denied any contingency plan exists to move the tournament.
But some Uefa sources have suggested Spain, Germany and Italy as alternatives.
"We know full well that there are a number of countries ready to
step in," a Uefa spokesman said.
Independent.co.uk,
17 September 2008
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