Euro 2008

Poland and Ukraine rejoice as dreams come true under Platini’s watchful eye

By Olga Sellars ⋅ April 23, 2007 ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

By Olga Sellars in Ukraine

Poland and Ukraine are celebrating their victory for the right to host one of the world’s major sporting events – the 2012 European Championships.

Not many in Europe believed in these two countries - with Italy an obvious favourite of the bookmakers - but Poles and Ukrainians themselves maintained faith. Footballing authorities of both countries managed not only to reassure their own football fans of their chances of winning the bid, but did everything possible to make Uefa committee to believe in that conviction too.

With Italy wallowed in crowd troubles, riots and corruption scandals, Poland and Ukraine developed into the favourites, sending fellow challengers Hungary and Croatia’s bid into the shadows. The Uefa Executive Committee were finally persuaded to make their decision in favour of the Eastern European countries following an impressive presentation by Poland and Ukraine. The seriousness of both countries’ intentions was proved when Ukraine’s President Yuschenko and Poland’s President Kaczynski turned up at the presentation alongside with such sport celebrities as Andriy Shevchenko, Jerzy Dudek, Vitaliy Klichko and Serhiy Bubka.

It will take some time for Italy, Croatia and Hungary to recover from the shock of defeat. The problem of safety in and around Italian stadiums accumulated in recent years and reached its peak earlier this year when the policeman, Filippo Raciti, was killed in a clash with football fans. This shocking case prevented eight of the twelve Uefa executives voting for the 1990 World Cup hosts. Among the other factors that influenced the voters’ decision is the current policy of President Michel Platini – to offer Eastern European countries a chance to develop to a similar level as their affluent counterparts in Western Europe.

Rumours circulated Deschamps wasn’t going to be backed in the transfer market. How ironic then that the Juve board replace him with Claudio ‘Tinkerman’ Ranieri and give him an open chequebook

For Ukraine it is the second historical footballing event to celebrate in the last two years. It was only last summer when the national team made its World Cup debut, reaching the last eight. Football in Ukraine has been progressing significantly in the last few years.

The presidents of both national federations have no time for celebration but must now be ready to take steps to carry out the numerous jobs and tasks together, alongside their respective governments, because so much has to be done in just five years. Apart from the eight stadiums, which either are yet to be erected or will be completely rebuilt, the entire infrastructure, such as hotels, roads and transportation, has to be built in both countries.

As for today, football fans from Gdansk to Donetsk (such will be the geographical stretch from West to East during Euro 2012) celebrate their triumph. As one of my Ukrainian colleagues said right after Michel Platini’s announcement, “The working day is over, and so it seems the whole week”. The offices in Ukraine seemed to stop working for the entire afternoon of April 18, and the two nations united in one big party on the streets. Some Ukrainian internet forums crashed, unable to process the surge of emotion from thousands of people. The dream nurtured by generations of football fans has finally come true.

What does winning Euro 2012 mean for Polish and Ukrainian football? Share your views by clicking below.

Tags: Euro 2012, Poland, Ukraine

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