April 20, 2008	Sunday	Rabi-us-Sani 13, 1429

WARSAW, April 19: One year on from winning the race to hold Euro 2012, Poland and Ukraine are under mounting pressure from UEFA to step up efforts to get ready for the football showcase.

In the face of repeated warnings from European football’s governing body about the mammoth task, both countries have been pushed on to the defensive.

On April 18, 2007, UEFA raised eyebrows by choosing Poland and Ukraine over Italy and joint bidders Hungary and Croatia to host the quadrennial, 16-nation European championships.

It will be the first time either has run a major tournament — and in Poland it is seen as a way to improve the image of the domestic game, tarnished by match-fixing.

It also marks UEFA’s first big foray into the ex-communist bloc, where stadiums, hotels and transport are undergoing a major upgrade — with an estimated price tag of 42 billion euros (67 billion dollars) in Poland and Ukraine.

UEFA chief Michel Platini has been turning up the heat, urging the hosts to “protect the credibility” of Euro 2012, and last month issued a new “wake-up call.”

UEFA recently sent inspectors to Poland, but has refused to comment on their findings. According to leaks in the Polish press, they noted a “speeding up” of overall plans, but were deeply concerned about the stadiums.

They spotlighted a “very high risk” that the new, 55,000-seat venue for the opening match, in the heart of Warsaw, would not be ready.

Michal Borowski, who is in charge of the 400-million-euro (637-million-dollar) state-funded project, this week played down the worries. “The stadium should be delivered by 2011. That’s a little later than promised by the government. But there’s no other chance of doing it before,” he told reporters.

The stadium situation looks better in Ukraine. Kiev’s main ground is already being transformed into an 85,000-seat venue for the final. Some local authorities are gloomy, however.

“Preparations for Euro 2012 are going worse and much slower than they could be,” said Donetsk’s mayor, Alexander Lukianchenko.—AFP