Uefa To Wait On Euro 2012 Host Decision
UEFA have announced that it will make a final decision in September on the ability of Poland and Ukraine to stage the Euro 2012 tournament.
Although the two countries have already won the bid to host the event in four years, the European governing body has already told the hosts they need to speed up work on building stadiums and improve roads and transport infrastructure.
President Michel Platini will head an inspection next week, though he insists there is ‘no back-up plan’ in place at present despite rumours that Scotland had been approached as a potential substitute venue.
Said Platini: ‘We’ll do everything we can to hold it in Poland and Ukraine. We have never had any second thoughts or other thoughts and we respect our decision to go to Poland and Ukraine.
‘The only thing which would make me decide not to go is if there is no stadiums in the capitals, Warsaw and Kiev. If there are no stadiums there, no tournament.’
Work has not started on the new stadium in the Polish capital, while contractors have not yet been appointed for the major refurbishment of the Olympic Stadium in Kiev.
UEFA will make its next announcement on the subject at a meeting on 23rd September – where it will also formally decide whether to increase the number of teams competing in the finals from 16 to 24 from 2016.
The idea was unanimously agreed by senior officials of all 53 UEFA member nations after the recommendation was made at a meeting of the presidents and general secretaries of UEFA members.
