UEFA gives thumbs up to 2012 hosts
Photo: Uefa.com
The draw for 2012 European Football Championship passed off smoothly at the weekend, giving a boost to the co-hosts Poland and Ukraine, both of which had been grappling with criticism that their preparations for the event were not coming up to scratch.
UEFA Euro 2012 director Martin Kallen hailed yesterday's draw to decide the qualifying groups as a successful start to the games, co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine. Ukrainian football association head Hryhoriy Surkis said it was "a kick-off to be proud of."
The televised draw, held in Warsaw's Stalin-era Palace of Culture and Sciences, was attended by representative from 53 UEFA member associations and well-known names from the world of European football. (See here for the full results of the draw
)
The draw was the first event organised by the co-hosts. It sets the stage for two more years of heavy work, as both Poland and Ukraine continue preparations for the championship, which starts in June 2012.
Many saw the draw as litmus test of Poland and Ukraine's commitment to hosting the tornament. UEFA head Michel Platini described it as "a small test" for the co-hosts. A series of delayed infrastructure projects and worries over funding in Ukraine previously prompted UEFA to warn the countries that they could lose the right to hold the competition.
Mr Platini, however, said he now believes, although there are still some issues needing to be resolved, planning for the tornament is back on track. "There is a long list of things that need to be improved, but we are strictly dealing with minor problems," he said.
Comments
-
del.icio.us
-
Mister wong
-
digg
-
blogMarks
-
Facebook
