UEFA delegation makes successful Ukraine visit

A delegation of top UEFA officials, led by UEFA President Michel Platini, today completed a two-day visit to Ukraine which took in the four host cities of Lviv, Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kyiv and ended with a tour of the Kyiv Olympic Stadium and an official meeting with the President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych.

UEFA President Michel Platini, accompanied by UEFA Executive Committee member František Laurinec, UEFA Events SA chief executive David Taylor and senior UEFA administration members, visited UEFA EURO 2012 co-hosts Ukraine on Monday and Tuesday for an update on preparations for the EURO final round.

"I'm very pleased with what I've seen [in the host cities] and I want to say 'bravo' to all involved in the preparation process," Mr Platini told a media briefing at the Kyiv Olympic Stadium, the venue for the tournament's final match on 1 July, and which is to be officially opened on 8 October.

"On behalf of UEFA I thank the Ukrainian government, the local authorities, the LOC and others for their contribution to the construction and preparation of the tournament infrastructure," the UEFA President said. "We see great progress with the infrastructure, the stadiums. There are still some minor problems [in each host city] but together we will deal with them. Ukraine is doing fine with the preparations."

After making a trip to the stadium for the final, Michel Platini had a meeting with the President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, who promised that his country would dedicate all its energies to making UEFA EURO 2012 a football feast for millions of fans. "We are approaching a historic event in the life of our country and it's great to do it together with you. I have no doubt the EURO infrastructure will serve many future generations of Ukrainians," said Mr Yanukovych.

The welcoming committee also included representatives of the Ukrainian government – among them deputy prime minister Borys Kolesnikov – Football Federation of Ukraine (FFU) president Grigoriy Surkis and UEFA EURO 2012 tournament director in Ukraine, Markiyan Lubkivskiy.