Euro stadia taking shape

UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino has hailed the progress being made by Euro 2012 co-hosts Ukraine despite stadiums in Kiev and Lviv still looking a long way from completion.

The eastern European country will co-host the showpiece event with Poland but doubts were raised by UEFA president Michel Platini when he visited the host cities early last year. He questioned their preparation and said they may be stripped of the event if they could not start hitting targets.

But at a press conference marking one year to go until the tournament starts, Infantino said: "It is impressive what is going on in Ukraine. There are many milestones but we are now on the final straight. The road was not easy - the project was at a high risk (of cancellation) due to delays to facilities. Our doubts have now been wiped out; we are going in the right direction."