Football Partnerships

A local government spokeswoman in Poland says approval has been granted for a new airport near Warsaw to serve fans coming for the Euro 2012 European Football Championship.

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By Ryan Lucas

UEFA president Michel Platini said Thursday that Poland’s preparations to co-host the 2012 European Championship with Ukraine are on track, wrapping up his visit to the tournament co-hosts on an upbeat tone.

“I don’t see any big, big problems as far as the organization is concerned,” Platini said. “Things are advancing well, and I want to congratulate the minister (of sport) and the football federation.”

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Poland and Ukraine have earned UEFA’s endorsement - again - for the 2012 European Championship after months of speculation that they’d lose the tournament.

Recent visits to host cities, however, reveal the giant task that lies ahead.

The jubilation that erupted in Poland and Ukraine after UEFA’s April 2007 decision to award them European football’s showcase event turned to fear last year as false starts on the construction of stadiums, roads, airports and hotels in both countries fuelled speculation UEFA could dump the eastern Europeans and hand the tournament to a backup host - possibly Italy, Germany or Scotland.

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Poland may host the 2012 European Championship on its own if Ukraine does not complete its Kiev stadium on schedule, UEFA president Michel Platini was quoted as saying by Polish media.

According to Reuters, 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 the paper. “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 has already threatened to take the tournament away from Poland and Ukraine if they fail to speed up stadium construction and tackle major infrastructure problems.

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By Nicholas Kulish and Michael Schwirtz

It seemed like the perfect plan, if a slightly risky one. Give Poland and Ukraine, two of Europe’s largest emerging economies, the chance to hold the Continent’s premier soccer tournament, build on the Continent’s fan base and help secure the sport’s future in Eastern Europe.

After nearly two years plagued with disorganization, corruption and now a global financial crisis, the former Soviet-bloc countries’ future as co-hosts of the Euro 2012 tournament is looking far from secure. What ideally would be a pretty straightforward process - getting national teams together to play soccer in front of fans and television cameras - has turned into a multinational melodrama that could have sprung from the pages of Gogol.

Ukraine has played the part of the down-on-his-luck guy, Poland the corrupt official and Germany the ready opportunist, prepared to sweep in and take over part of the tournament if Ukraine stumbles. After a series of harshly critical reports and comments by officials, there has been a flurry of activity as the two countries try to prove that they have their acts together so that the European soccer federation, UEFA, does not pull the plug.

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