EURO joy for Poland and Ukraine

Poland and Ukraine have been chosen as joint-hosts of the UEFA EURO 2012™ final round. The decision was announced by UEFA President Michel Platini at the City Hall in Cardiff, Wales on Wednesday.

Three bids 
The UEFA Executive Committee reached its verdict by a majority of eight from the 12 votes cast after examining the three bids on the final shortlist to stage the tournament in six summers' time – Poland/Ukraine, Croatia/Hungary and Italy. Both Poland and Ukraine will hold matches in four venues at the 2012 tournament. The projected Polish locations are Gdansk, Poznan, Warsaw and Wroclaw, with Chorzow and Krakow in reserve. Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kiev and Lvov are the proposed host cities in Ukraine with Odessa a reserve city and the Olympic Stadium in Donetsk a reserve stadium.

'Worthy winner'
"Poland/Ukraine has been chosen by the UEFA Executive Committee to host UEFA EURO 2012™ and they are a worthy winner," said Mr Platini. "However, there are no losers today, only bids that have not won this time round. I cannot speak highly enough of the effort that has been made, and the passion for football we have seen in all three bids. The process is a tribute to each one of the five national associations involved and to the political authorities and the football fans who have all given such tremendous backing to their respective bids."

Strong traditions
Neither country has previously been the setting for a major tournament although both have strong footballing traditions: Poland were third at the FIFA World Cups of 1974 and 1982, while Ukraine's footballers played their part when the USSR won the inaugural UEFA European Championship in 1960 and last summer reached the World Cup quarter-finals as an independent nation.