The decision came down today with the, somewhat surprising announcement, that Poland and Ukraine will be hosting the 2012 Euro. I think this is very positive for football.As I had posted yesterday, I thought getting the tournament to Eastern Europe would be a positive, but that there were some political issues. With that in mind, I thought that UEFA would take the easy road and select Italy to host the tournament. However I am glad to see that the governing body decided to send this event to Eastern Europe.
Having said that, Ukraine and Poland will have a lot of work ahead of them to ensure the venues and infrastructure is ready for the deluge of football fans in 5 years. Assuming that Ukraine and Poland can also resolve its internal political issues, and this is no small task, then I think they two former Soviet satellites will showcase a good event.
This might also give both national teams the shot in the arm to get them over the hump. Ukraine has demonstrated its metal in the past World Cup and Poland has a decent international heritage to build on.
Just like the World Cup in South Africa, maybe this is a good excuse for me to visit these nations!
No comments:
Post a Comment