Seemingly against all the odds, Poland and Ukraine's joint bid for Euro 2012 triumphed ahead of other more fancied candidates such as Italy and the other joint bid of Hungary and Croatia, sparking scenes of joy on the streets of Warsaw and Kiev. This can be seen as a major coup for the football in Central and Eastern Europe and only months before seemed impossible as the Polish Football Association deemed that the bid would would end in failure due to poor infrastructure within both nations. Backed by sporting greats from each country, in an effort to give the bid more credibility, it was a great surprise when, Michel Platini, UEFA's president, declared that 'Poland and Ukraine are worthy winners of Euro 2012'. Indeed voting indicates that their joint bid secured twice as many votes as Italy who came second, with recent crowd trouble at high profile games going against the pre-announcement favourites.
The chairman of the Polish Football Association, Michal Listkiewicz, speaking from Warsaw, enthused at how this was a new dawn for football in the two countries by declaring that Euro 2012 would be 'a milestone in the history of the two Slavic countries'. His sentiment was echoed by his Ukrainian counterpart Hryhoy Surkis, who saw this decision as a 'great day' for his country and how this would provide great opportunities in the future.
Legendary Polish coach, Leo Beenhakker sees the potential that the tournament can bring, not only on a football level but also economically and infrastructure wise, stating that 'now the governments and the football federations are obliged to realise all their promises within the next five years and make these improvements'. Games will be held in four Polish cities, Warsaw, Gdansk, Wroclaw, and Poznan and four venues in Ukraine, Dniepropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kiev and Lviv. Krakow and Chorzow have been designated as reserve cities with the final likely to be held in Kiev.
Hopefully, Poland and Ukraine will prove the doubters wrong and put on a show to remember. Roll on Euro 2012 for a big party in the East!!!
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