This will be the first major sporting tournament that will be held in Eastern Europe after the 1980 Olympics in Moscow and the first time that either of the two countries has hosted a major football championship. The Ukrainian contingent to promote the bid included high profile figures such as Andriy Shevchenko, Sergei Bubka and Vitaly Klitschko.

Expressing his delight at the decision, Polish Football Association chairman Michal Listkiewicz said, "Finally, the big event is going to the countries which have had no opportunities to improve football. This big tournament will be a milestone in the common history of two Slavic nations."

Listkiewicz revealed that four cities from each country will be hosting the games, adding that four other cities will be kept as reserve. While all the stadiums will be renovated, only two of them at Gdansk and Warsaw will be built from scratch. The final will be held at Olympic Stadium in Kiev, which will be expanded to hold around 75,000 fans.

All the countries involved in the bid had some kind of problem that could have washed away their chances to hosting the tournament. Italy was considered to be favorites to win the bid by a long margin, but last year's referee corruption scandal and the recent crowd trouble during Manchester United's Champions League match against Roma which lead to UEFA rejecting the bid, while the joint bid by Croatia and Hungary presented infrastructure problems to the 14-man executive committee.

Ukraine president Viktor Yushchenko hailed the decision and promised an "extraordinary" sporting event. "We will be able to show millions of fans the unforgettable charm of their cities and the history they have preserved so beautifully and put on display of Slav hospitality and culture", he added.
 

Be first to comment this article

Write Comment

Please keep the topic of messages relevant to the subject of the article. Personal verbal attacks will be deleted. Please don't use comments to plug your web site. Such material will be removed. Just ensure to *Refresh* your browser for a new security code to be displayed prior to clicking on the 'Send' button. Keep in mind that the above process only applies if you simply entered the wrong security code.
Name:
E-mail
BBCode:
Comment:
Code:*
	I wish to be contacted by email regarding additional comments

Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.4