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Poland may host Euro 2012 alone, says Platini
WARSAW: Poland may host the 2012 Eu--ro-pe-an Champ-ion-ship on its own
if Ukraine does not complete its Kiev stadium on schedule, UEFA president
Michel Platini was quoted as saying by Polish media on Friday.
The Dziennik daily reported that Platini also played down speculation
Germany could step in to host the tournament.
'Germany? Only if the bulldozers are still working at the National Stadium
in Warsaw in June 2012, but I doubt that,' Platini told Dziennik.
'Kiev is another matter. If this city is late with the stadium, then there
is a possibility that Euro 2012 will be hosted only by Poland.'
UEFA have already threatened to take the tournament away from Poland and
Ukraine if they fail to speed up stadium construction and tackle major
infrastructure problems.
Speaking to Reuters on Friday in Athens at the Council of European Ministers
responsible for sport, Platini clarified his comments, saying stadiums
in both countries had to be ready.
'I said if the stadium in Kiev is not ready then we won't play in Ukraine
and if Warsaw is not ready then we won't play in Poland.
'Nothing more. It is very complicated,' he said.
Regarding a deadline for the Kiev stadium, Platini added: 'The cut-off
date is whether there is the possibility to build the stadium or not.
'If it's one year before and the stadium is not started, it will not be
possible to finish it, so we will say no.
'The politicians in the Ukraine know that if the main stadium in Kiev
is not ready then we will not go.' - Reuters
thestar.com.my,
December 14, 2008
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