Poland May Yet Host Cup
UEFA have shortlisted Italy and joint bids from Croatia/Hungary and Poland/Ukraine to host the the European Championship in 2012, rejecting rival bids from Greece and Turkey on Tuesday.
UEFA, who ended the first phase of bidding at an executive committee meeting in Malta, will make a final decision on the hosts of the 16-team tournament in December 2006.
Tuesday's decision was a blow for Greece whose team were the unexpected winners of last year's European Championship in Portugal.
Italy is the only country to have staged a version of the finals in the past, hosting a four-team tournament in 1968 and an eight-team event in 1980. More recently, Italy hosted the 1990 World Cup.
The 2008 championship is being jointly staged by Austria and Switzerland.