"Euro 2012" suggests sleeping on benches or railway stations © EuroFootball.com

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or fans arriving at the European Football Championship who cannot afford expensive hotel accommodations, the Poles offer sleeping on benches or by the riverbanks.

Such a campaign was started by a few enthusiasts who created a page "Fans sleep where they want" on the social network "Facebook". Since May 25, this page has been "liked" by more than 12.5 thousand network users.

Among the suggestions for the best places to sleep in the open air, there are beaches, railway stations, or benches under magnolias.

So far, the leaders of the city and public transport companies support this idea, but the representatives of the Warsaw metro and the EURO 2012 organizers are not so favorable.

"We want to address the city authorities and local residents and urge them to understand the fans," said Katarzyna Tyska, one of the campaign organizers, to the AFP news agency.

They hope that the four Polish cities hosting the championship will allow fans to sleep in various places, as many of them cannot afford hotel services, which have become significantly more expensive before the championship.

The competition, involving 16 countries, will take place in Warsaw, Gdansk, Wroclaw, and Poznan. Poland is hosting EURO 2012 together with Ukraine starting on Friday.

Although the "sleeping in the field" campaign is for everyone, it is most relevant to people living in other parts of Poland who will spend only one or two nights in the hosting cities.

"We believe that foreign fans will stay longer, so the opportunity to spend several nights under the open sky will be tiring for them," said K. Tyska.

However, unwelcome guests will not be disturbed if they do not make noise and do not consume alcohol in public places, said Warsaw city council representative Katarzyna Dobrowolska.

The same laissez-faire approach is taken by Polish railway stations.

"Fans sleeping at railway stations will not be disturbed, and the stations will not be closed all night," said railway representative Barbara Leszczynska.

However, sleeping in the Warsaw metro will not be allowed, said company representative Krzysztof Malawko, citing security reasons.

The organizers of EURO 2012 in Warsaw were also not enthusiastic and, trying to discourage sleeping outdoors, talked about weather, hygiene, and safety issues.

"Let's not forget about the comfort of sleep," said EURO 2012 city press representative Marta Brzegowa.