Euro 2012 final 'may be moved'
Kiev may miss out on Euro 2012 final, according to Uefa report
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Wednesday, 13, May 2009 10:27
European football's governing body Uefa has officially admitted it may be forced to move the final of Euro 2012 away from Kiev because of problems with the host city and the stadium.
In its latest report on the progress being made by European Championship co-hosts Poland and Ukraine ahead of the tournament in three years' time, Uefa warned that "significant work" is still needed to bring Ukraine's four host cities up to scratch.
And although Kiev has been confirmed as a host for group matches, quarter final matches and a semi-final, it will not stage the final, as originally planned, unless it can correct what Uefa have referred to as "important shortcomings regarding infrastructure".
"The final match will be held in Kiev only if specific conditions with regard to the stadium, airport infrastructure, regional transport and accommodation are met by November 30th 2009," a statement from Uefa reads.
Ukraine are also struggling to bring their other three proposed host cities up to standard, with Donetsk, Lviv and Kharkiv all falling short of Uefa's minimum requirements - meaning they too face an anxious time ahead of November's deadline.
The damning report, which has also completely ruled out Ukrainian reserve cities Dnipropetrovsk and Odessa from hosting matches because they are so far behind on development works, highlighted issues "that urgently need to be resolved" according to Uefa president Michel Platini.
"We have seen progress over the last few months but we must remind both countries that there is still a huge amount of work to be undertaken," Platini explained.
"There are numerous infrastructure issues that urgently need to be resolved in Ukraine to convince the Uefa executive committee that the host city candidates can be appointed as Uefa Euro 2012 host cities."
He continued: "We must respect the decision of the executive committee of April 18th 2007 when it awarded the organisation of the European Football Championship 2012 to Poland and Ukraine.
"This was again emphasised by the Uefa Congress in March 2009, when it stressed the importance that the staging of this world-class event will have to further promote and develop football in the eastern part of Europe."
An update on the situation will be given in December, when a final decision on the state of Kiev and the rest of the proposed Ukrainian hosts is expected.