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Friday November 14, 2008

Poland, Ukraine told to host Euro together or not at all

SOFIA: Poland and Ukraine will not be allowed to split their bid to co-host the 2012 European Cham­pion­ship and will either host it together or not at all, UEFA president Michel Platini said here on Wednesday.

“Poland and Ukraine know that there is now a major condition (for their bid): that the stadiums in their capitals be ready on time,” Platini told a press conference.

“If the stadiums in the capitals are not built, the Euro will go neither to Kiev nor to Warsaw,” he added.

UEFA confirmed Poland and Ukraine in September as the co-hosts for Euro 2012, despite mounting doubts over the ability of the ex-communist states to meet the massive challenge of building the required stadiums and upgrading their transport and hotel sectors in time.

No former communist country has so far hosted the Euro.

Platini, meanwhile, waved aside media concerns that recent match-fixing and corruption allegations against Polish referees could cost Poland its Euro bid.

If there was corruption, it was not UEFA’s job to combat it, he noted.

“I am neither a judge, nor a policeman,” Platini said, adding that national problems should be solved at home.

Bulgarian football union president Borislav Mihailov also announced at the joint press conference that Bulgaria and Romania were planning to make a joint bid to host the European Championship in 2020.

“We know that it is hard work but we still have enough time to prepare,” he said.

Platini noted that he was not opposed to the idea but added that “it has first to be carefully thought over by the two countries’ football unions and their governments.” — AFP

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