Euro 2012 – Ukraine and Poland

WARSAW, Sept 30 (Reuters) – The Polish Football Association (PZPN) cannot hide behind preparations for Euro 2012 to escape responsibility for any breaches of the law, the country’s sports minister said on Tuesday.

An arbitration tribunal, following a request from the sports ministry, suspended the FA management board on Monday for failing to address corruption and for violating the law. It also named Robert Zawlocki as administrator.

There have been doubts about the ability of Poland and fellow co-hosts Ukraine to orgranise the tournament. On Friday they were warned by European soccer’s governing body (UEFA) to speed up preparations or risk losing the right to stage it.

“The PZPN wanted to trick us by using Euro 2012 as a shield to protect it,” Sports Minister Miroslaw Drzewiecki told a radio broadcast. “But Euro 2012 is in four years time and we will prepare everything well and on time.”

World soccer’s governing body FIFA does not allow governments to interfere in the running of their associations and warned Poland last year when Drzewiecki’s predecessor appointed a commissioner as head of FA in an anti-corruption drive.

“I don’t fear this situation will repeat itself. (The previous) minister Lipiec named his own commissioner and I have filed a motion to the arbitration tribunal,” Drzewiecki said.

Both FIFA and UEFA have expressed their concern over the news and said they would examine the case in the coming days. A FIFA statement is expected later on Tuesday.

Zawlocki, seen as a critic of the suspended management board, had sought to reassure UEFA on Monday over preparations for Euro 2012.

Drzewiecki said there was no doubt the PZPN had violated the law in a number of cases and that the arbitration tribunal would meet again in two weeks to follow up on Monday’s decision.

Accusations of corruption in the PZPN have been raised many times in the past and a succession of sports ministers, including Drzewiecki, have tried to oust PZPN head Michal Listkiewicz.

Some expect Listkiewicz to soon step down but the new association’s administrator said management board elections planned for end-October would have to be postponed. (Reporting by Piotr Skolimowski and Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

The level of Poland’s readiness to host Euro 2012 football championship was the focus of a UEFA meeting in late September. The press extensively reports that both Poland and Ukraine face major infrastructure problems which include the lack of properly-sized sports stadiums, while road and railway construction is lagging behind. But there seems to be a brighter spot in this fairly gloomy picture: experts say Polish aviation is ready to meet the deadline, as Sandra Jacobson reports.

‘It is still before the qualifying draw, so we don’t know who will play in Poland and we don’t know from which directions people will fly in’ Tadeusz Jarmuziewicz, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Infrastructure, says ‘So how to determine whether we are ready? UEFA bases its expectations on stadium capacity. They assume 50% of the spectators will travel by air. Another assumption is that most of them will do so within 10 hours before and after the game. This would mean that we should account for 20,000 people. Coincidentally, that is almost the capacity of Warsaw airport today’. Even though this may sound optimistic, there is no guarantee that Polish planes, airports and carriers will be fully ready in 2012 as the aviation industry is facing a crisis caused by the fuel prices.
Ok?cie airport in Warsaw is the largest in Poland. It has a 40% share in the aviation market. Its optimum capacity is 36 landings and takeoffs and 5,000 passengers per hour. ‘July was a record month for Warsaw airport. We checked in 50,000 passengers in 24 hours. According to the estimations for Euro 2012, Warsaw airport will be required to check in 24,000 passengers within 10 hours. It may be tight but it is definitely doable’ says Micha? Marzec, president of the ‘Polish Airports’ State Enterprise and president of the Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport.
Polish aviation industry representatives seem to agree that the organization of Euro 2012 poses a certain challenge for the branch but it is a welcome challenge, one which will positively stimulate the industry and boost its development rather than create excessive pressure. ‘The Polish Air Navigation Services Agency and Warsaw Airport have prepared a report determining the challenges ahead of us. In my opinion Euro 2012 will be a catalyst for the processes that are happening anyway, because aviation is developing and investments are made on regular basis. Euro 2012 will be a milestone on a path we have been on for years’ says Krzysztof Banaszek of PANSA.

BORDEAUX, France (AP) — Ukraine and Poland will remain co-hosts of the 2012 European Championship, but European soccer’s governing body warned they could lose the tournament if preparations fall behind schedule.

UEFA also confirmed the 2016 championship will expand from 16 to 24 teams, approved the renaming of the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League and said it is looking into suspicious betting patterns from 25 lower-tier matches.

In addition, UEFA will decide in December whether Wembley Stadium in London will host the 2011 Champions League final, as widely expected.

The governing organization said there has been progress in the past six months in Ukraine and Poland, but it was “neither uniform nor constant.”

“Both host countries must continue to make the necessary efforts as any slackening could put in doubt the organization of this tournament in these countries,” UEFA said.

UEFA president Michel Platini visited both countries in July.

“We were promised new airports and we will not have new airports,” he said at a news conference. “We were promised new roads and we are still waiting. Warsaw and Kiev are the key issues. We cannot organize a European competition without the capital city.”

Platini said the co-hosts promised that stadiums in Kiev and Warsaw will be ready in time.

“If we don’t have the stadium in Kiev, that’s a problem. Ukraine can’t afford to send everyone to a country where there is no capital city (ready),” Platini said. “They are working very hard and we have confidence in them. The president and the prime minister tell me it will be ready. What am I supposed to say? That I don’t believe them?”

However, Platini warned of changes if the host countries fail to meet the new expectations.

“If there are neither the stadium ready in Kiev or Warsaw, we would certainly do something different,” Platini said.

UEFA said it will decide next year how many and which stadiums and cities will be used as venues, with a minimum of six and maximum of eight. The number of venues will not necessarily be the same in each country.

The expanded 2016 championship will consist of six groups of four teams. The top two from each group will advance with the four best third-ranked teams. The tournament will feature 51 matches, up from 31, and last 29 to 31 days.

Platini dismissed the notion that expansion would further tire players after a long season.

“It’s just one more match, a last-16 game,” Platini said.

UEFA also said it was beefing up its “early-warning system” to protect against illegal betting and match-fixing. Two additional full-time staff and four additional disciplinary inspectors will be hired.

UEFA said a special unit will look into irregular betting patterns surrounding 25 UEFA Cup and Intertoto games from last season and this season.

Also to come next season is a new format with a newly named UEFA Europa League. The move appears to create a lower-tier version of the Champions League, with teams playing each other on a home and away basis in group stages. Under the current format, clubs only play each other once in the group phase.

The UEFA Cup has struggled in the shadow of the lucrative Champions League, which gives teams global exposure and huge television revenues.

Source:The Associated Press

By Paul Kelso

Speaking at the conclusion of the Uefa executive committee meeting in Bordeaux that also approved the expansion of the 2016 European Championships to 24 teams and the re-branding of the Uefa Cup, Platini said preparations left a great deal to be desired.

Uefa has carried out two inspections of facilities and infrastructure in the countries recently and been disappointed at progress. The primary concern is at the lack of appropriate infrastructure rather than stadia.

“It’s not about the stadia, it’s about the infrastructure, hotels and transport,” Platini said. “We were promised new airports and we will not have new airports, we were promised new roads and we are still waiting. Progress has been neither constant or even.”

Platini said the tournament would remain in doubt unless there was significant progress in the coming months and a renewed commitment from the two governments.

“Both host countries must continue to make the necessary efforts as any slackening could put in doubt the organisation of this tournament in these countries.

“Warsaw and Kiev are the key issues. We cannot organise a European competition if the capitals are not participating.”

The deliberations over the 2012 competition are made more complicated by the fact the tournament was given to the two nations shortly before Platini was elected having attracted support from eastern European nations.

Uefa will do all it can to resist a change of venue but with less than four years to go there is genuine concern that an alternative may be required.

The expansion of the European Championship finals to 24, an eight-team increase on the current 16, means that almost half of the countries eligible to compete will qualify for the finals, reducing the interest in the qualifying tournament significantly.

The original proposal came from the Scottish FA, whose chief executive Gordon Smith ahs subsequently pointed out that it will make it easier for both Scotland and England to qualify for Europe’s premier competition.

Also approved yesterday was the establishment of a six-man special investigation unit to target match-fixing and corruption in football. Uefa revealed they are looking into 15 matches from last season and 10 Intertoto Cup and Uefa Cup qualifiers this season.

The matches are drawn from an original dossier of 26 games that Uefa had concerns about. Uefa general secretary David Taylor said: “We will be setting up a special investigations unit to look into situations reported to us in terms of irregular betting. This is a danger in our game, we will not allow our sport to be destabilised by those who wish to manipulate it for their own monetary games.

“We are employing extra people and strengthening our early warning systems tofight the war against illegal betting and corruption.”

Meanwhile Wembley is likely to host the 2011 Champions League final after the government agreed to waive a one-off tax levied on visiting entertainers and sportsmen at Uefa’s request.

Source:telegraph.co.uk

BORDEAUX, France — The president of Ukraine’s football federation said Thursday he is confident his country will remain as co-host of the 2012 European Championship.

UEFA is expected to rule Friday on whether Ukraine and Poland can still host the tournament, following concerns about their preparations.

“I am absolutely sure everything will be ready for Ukraine and Poland for the organization of this competition,” Grigoriy Surkis told The Associated Press ahead of the UEFA executive committee meeting in Bordeaux. “I am certain that the report will be positive for Ukraine and for Poland.”

UEFA president Michel Platini and his committee members will view a report detailing the two countries have made enough progress on infrastructure and planning – an area of concern when officials visited earlier this year.

Surkis – a member of UEFA’s executive committee – said he was confident Ukraine has made the required progress, particularly over having stadiums ready in time.

“The first stadium was already finished on the 14th of September, one of the six stadiums,” Surkis said. “The next one will be ready next year in Donetsk, and there is no doubt that in Kyiv the stadium will also be ready on time. There will be no problem for the sporting infrastructure. … For the other infrastructure, we will follow the plan designed by UEFA and we are sure everything will be delivered on time.”

When Platini visited Poland and Ukraine in March, he was unhappy at the lack of progress and warned officials they could lose the right to host Euro 2012 if considerable improvements were not made.

UEFA awarded the tournament to Ukraine and Poland in April 2007, ahead of Italy and another co-host bid from Hungary and Croatia.

Source:The Canadian Press

The German Football Association has quashed rumors that it is going to help co-host the European Football Championships with Poland in 2012.

The Association’s Secretary General, Wolfgang Niersbach, said that Germany won’t apply to organize the tournament should UEFA take away the right to host it from Poland and Ukraine.

He added that Germany does in fact support the current hosts of EURO 2012.

The statement comes a few days before a meeting of executives of the European football authorities who are to meet in Bordeaux at the end of the week to evaluate the state of preparations for the event in Poland and Ukraine.

Earlier on, international media suggested that if the results of this evaluation are negative, UEFA is likely to change the location of the championships.

One of the emergency scenarios included a joint organization of the tournament by Poland and Germany, if UEFA decided to penalize Ukraine for its sluggishness in constructing stadiums and other infrastructure.

Italy and Spain have also been speculated to be preparing emergency bids.(jm)

Source:polskieradio.pl

The crisis plaguing the global financial system might influence the plans of local governments and delay investments related to Euro 2012, which even now are progressing at an extremely slow pace
“Even issuing regular bonds face the demand barrier stemming from the panic on the financial markets. The crisis related to sub-prime credits caused investors to locate their money in the most liquid and safe assets,” said Krzysztof Kalicki, president of Deutsche Bank Polska (DPB).

The public sector is still popular, but it needs to find tricks to find buyers for its debentures. “It is not easy to obtain funds for projects which carry large financial risks. This is the case for each of the stadiums. [...] Even with simple investments which face no problems with obtaining financing, one has to face higher margins,” said the CEO.

Costs have gone up substantially with six- or ten-fold higher spreads than last year. DBP is disappointed with lower than anticipated number of projects related to Euro 2012 due to high politicization of the local governments.

Source: Puls Biznesu (M.M.)

Polish PM Donald Tusk and Ukrainian PM Julia Tymoshenko assured, Friday, that they will keep to the terms promised when their countries were awarded a co-hosting role in staging the EURO 2012.

“I am happy that UEFA experts, after their visit to Ukraine and Poland, have concluded that both countries have improved preparations [to host] EURO 2012″, said the Ukrainian prime minister after a meeting between her and PM Tusk in Kiev on Friday.

She expressed her hopes that at next week’s UEFA session, the Executive Committee will make positive decision for Poland-Ukraine EURO 2012 preparations.

The long awaited report considering the progress made by both countries, at times heavily criticised over lacklustre progress to stage the football championships, will be sent to UEFA’s Executive Committee next week.

PM Donald Tusk thanked the Ukrainians for their diligent and vigorous cooperation in the preparations to the Euro 2012 football championships.

He was accompanied by deputy PM and Internal Minister Grzegorz Schetyna, Minister of Sport Miroslaw Drzewiecki, Minister of Infrastructure Cezary Grabarczyk and Culture Minister Bogdan Zdrojewski.

Donald Tusk stressed that the joint organisation of the Euro 2012 is very important for mutual relations between Poland and Ukraine. He added that the preparations are being done at a good pace.

Both prime ministers expressed strong support of her cabinet for the Georgian territorial integrity and plans to quickly end Russia-Georgia war.

“Our governments in the future will do what they can to restore ’status quo’ from before the conflict”, said Tymoshenko. (jc)

Source:polskieradio.pl

KIEV, Sept 19 (Reuters) – A senior Ukrainian official said on Friday the European governing soccer body UEFA was no longer worried about the former Soviet state’s ability to co-host the 2012 European soccer championship with Poland.

Deputy Prime Minister Ivan Vasyunyk was quoted by the UNIAN news agency as saying he had noted a more favourable outlook in talks with UEFA officials on Thursday in the Swiss town of Nyon.

“The atmosphere in Vienna and that in Nyon were completely different,” Vasyunyk was quoted as saying. “I did not hear any member of their executive board or expert express doubts or criticism of Ukraine working towards staging Euro 2012.”

UEFA is due to decide next week whether to take the championships away from Ukraine and Poland after criticising progress on building stadiums and modernising infrastructure.

Vasyunyk said discussions at a UEFA meeting in Vienna in June had focused on delays in renovating Kiev’s main stadium, due to host the 2012 final.

“Yesterday, UEFA experts noted that the anti-crisis plan for the stadium has been fulfilled,” he said. Reconstruction of the 84,000-seat facility would begin by the end of the year once an adjacent shopping centre was torn down.

The project was delayed for a year by wrangles over the shopping centre which blocked exits and violated safety rules.

Vasyunyk also said UEFA officials were aware that Ukraine was starting from scratch in drawing up plans to modernise airports and build sufficient numbers of new hotels.

President Viktor Yushchenko assured Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk at talks in Kiev that all deadlines would be met.

“He said all sites would be completed in good time,” Yushchenko’s press service quoted him as saying.

Ukraine’s soccer federation earlier said officials, including federation president Grigory Surkis, had assured UEFA that political problems would have no effect on preparations.

A dispute between Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has split the ruling coalition and, unless a new coalition is formed, Ukraine may hold its third parliamentary election in as many years.

“The deputy prime minister said Euro 2012 became the first project in the history of Ukraine that united all political forces,” a federation statement said.

“(He said) this will ensure that the political situation will not impact the country’s preparations for hosting the championship in 2012 and on the government’s responsibilities as promised to UEFA.”
© Reuters 2008. All rights reserved.

Next week UEFA will reprimand Poland and Ukraine over poor preparations to co-host the European Football Championships in 2012.

The Reuters agency has unofficially learnt that both Poland and Ukraine will be admonished for lack of progress in preparations to the event, but UEFA is not going to take away the right to host the event.

UEFA sources told Reuters that the report stresses the fact that it is too early to decide whether to deprive the countries of the tournament.

The report is an effect of last month’s visit of UEFA inspectors to Poland and Ukraine. Head of UEFA Michel Platini visited the countries twice earlier this year and warned that they are likely to lose the right to host the event if the stadiums and other infrastructure are not ready on time.

Both countries still need to build hundreds kilometres of roads, railways, as well as hotels, stadiums and airports.

On Monday, Ukraine opened its first new stadium in Dnipropetrovsk. In three weeks’ time Poland is to commence construction work on the Polish national stadium in Warsaw. (jm)

Source:polskieradio.pl