Poland and Ukraine expected to keep 2012

Published on Thursday 25 September 2008 00:13

UEFA are expected to stand by the decision to appoint Poland and Ukraine as hosts of Euro 2012 despite a lack of progress in preparations to stage the tournament.

A long-awaited report on the ability of Poland and Ukraine to host the finals in four years' time is expected to criticise the two nations but stop short of recommending that Uefa withdraw their right to host the tournament. At one stage, Scotland was suggested as a back-up option should the Poland-Ukraine partnership hit trouble.

"The report will be critical. But it is still too early for the committee to make a decision to take Euro 2012 away from the two countries," one Uefa official familiar with preparations for the meeting said.

Uefa president Michel Platini has visited Poland and Ukraine twice this year and warned officials they risked losing the right to stage the event if stadiums and infrastructure – such as the modernisation of rail and road networks and hotels – were not ready.

"But the report will also show some progress, maybe not enough but some since Michel's last visit in July," the official said.

Poland is suffering from labour shortages in the construction sector, while Kiev is struggling to renovate the 84,000-seat Olympic stadium which is due to stage the final.