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During the meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee on Wednesday in the Welsh capital Cardiff, it was decided that the 2012 European Football Championship will be held in Poland and Ukraine. This decision was announced by UEFA president Michel Platini.
Poles and Ukrainians unexpectedly defeated the candidacies of Italy and the joint bid of Hungary and Croatia. The winners received 8 votes, Italians - 4, while Croatians and Hungarians did not receive a single vote of support.
The 2012 edition of the continental tournament will take place in Gdansk, Poznan, Warsaw, and Wroclaw in Poland, as well as in Ukrainian cities Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kyiv, and Lviv. The final of the championship is planned to be held at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv, which can accommodate around 80,000 spectators. For both countries, this will be the first tournament of such caliber to be held in their country.
"85 million people are waiting for this huge football event. Friendship between these two countries has a long history. The championship will mark another stage in the history of these two Slavic nations," said the President of the Polish Football Federation, Michał Listkiewicz, after the announcement of the winners.
In his statement, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said: "Ukraine and Poland can host the tournament at the highest level, and show their cities, history, Slavic culture to millions of fans, which will create unforgettable memories."
Both championship favorites have strong football traditions - Poland finished third in the World Cup in 1974 and 1982, while Ukrainian footballers have always shone in the strong Soviet Union team.
