UEFA president Michel Platini has cast serious doubt over Ukraine's
co-hosting of the 2012 European Championships amid ongoing concerns over
two stadium projects, renewing speculation that Germany could take its
place.
Speaking before the European Union in Brussels on Monday, he urged
organisers to speed up the rebuilding of Kiev's 63,000-capacity Olympic
stadium, the showpiece venue of Euro 2012. Upgrades to the Olympic
Stadium, which is slated to host the final, are more than five months
behind schedule.
"If there is no Kiev, then no Ukraine," Platini was quoted by AP.
UEFA accepts that some of the delays are associated with political
upheaval in Ukraine and a particularly harsh winter which has affected
the pace of work on the stadium. Platini added: "I think Kiev will be
all right in the end."
But Platini also admitted he was worried about plans for the
30,000-capacity stadium Lviv stadium, which is still a building site,
saying construction in Lviv "has made no progress whatsoever".
Asked if Germany might replace Ukraine if the country didn't deliver on
its Euro 2012 promises, Platini insisted: ""There is no Plan B."
But Martin Kallen, UEFA’s director of operations, said last week
European football's governing body has formulated a "Plan B", which
could see the tournament played in six host cities.
A UEFA spokeswoman told World Football Insider that Platini would travel
to Ukraine April 8-9 to inspect progress on the stadiums; the cities of
Donetsk and Kharkiv are also scheduled to host Euro 2012 matches. The
four Polish cities of Warsaw, Poznan, Wroclaw and Gdansk are also
staging games.
"We still expect everything to be on time," she said, declining to
comment on speculation that Germany could yet be asked to replace
Ukraine.
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