EURO 2012 soccer championships

[Bonobo]

We have just finished the thread about Euro 2008 and a new one has emerged....

Poland and Ukraine are going to organize Euro Soccer Championships in 2012. It seems a log time but there is a lot of work to do and UEFA (Soccer Association) constantly monitors the progress:

UEFA positive about Poland, unhappy about Ukraine
thenews.pl
14.07.2008

UEFA is positive about Poland and uncertain about Ukraine's progress in the preparations for Euro 2012.

"The news from Poland is good," UEFA Spokesman William Gaillard has told Austrian business daily Wirtschaftsblatt, commenting on the dubiousness regarding a timely implementation of the infrastructure investments for the forthcoming European Football Championship in Poland in Ukraine, as reported by the Radio Information Agency (IAR).

Inspections carried out by UEFA in Poland and Ukraine in recent
months show that while Poland is making headway in its preparations for the prestigious football event, Ukraine still gives the Football Association reasons for concern.

William Gaillard said Ukraine had failed to deliver on its promises,
for example, regarding the construction of new hotels. He said Kiev
should do more to open up the Ukrainian market in order to attract
private investors, but expressed uncertainty if it would manage to do so.

UEFA Spokesman said his Association wanted the Euro 2012 event to be a success, therefore UEFA would demonstrate a degree of flexibility, such as consenting to having one country host the matches in five and the other in three cities.

"One thing is sure: we shall not compromise on the overall quality of
the championships" , Gaillard has the Austrian newspaper.

[franciszek]

If Poland is ready in 2012 and The Ukraine not what will happen then ?will it just be held in Poland or will it be moved to another country ?

[Bonobo]

Jul 19, 2008 14:39:03 GMT 1 franciszek said:

If Poland is ready in 2012 and The Ukraine not what will happen then ?will it just be held in Poland or will it be moved to another country ?

It is a tricky matter. UEFA say they won`t discard Poland if Ukraine isn`t ready. The suggestion is Ukraine will have fewer matches which will be moved to Poland.

We`ll see. Let`s take care of our backyard first and then we can worry about Ukrainian. ;D

E.g., they haven`t started the construction of the new stadium in Warsaw.
polandsite.proboards104.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=33&page=1#325

[franciszek]

Im sure that Poland will succeed after all you rebuilt your country so a few football stadiums should be a piece of cake!

[valpomike]

Very well said. Poland forever.

[gigi]

Poland Eyes China for Euro '12 Help
12 August 2008
By Gabriela Baczynska, Patryk Wasilewski / Reuters WARSAW

Now that the Olympics have started and years of construction in Beijing have ended, Poland hopes Chinese construction companies will come to build the infrastructure it needs for Euro 2012.

Poland, which will co-host the European football championship with Ukraine, lacks roads, stadiums, hotels, air and train networks, as well as other large-scale infrastructure needed for the event. And because of labor shortages in the construction sector, Poland has only a few firms able to carry out work on such a scale.

The amount of work made Poland an attractive market for Chinese construction companies, the head of PL.2012, a government agency created seven months ago to coordinate Euro 2012 preparations, said in an interview.

"Huge investments in Beijing are now over and the U.S. market is suffering from a slowdown," Marcin Herra said. "The demand for the service of large construction companies is falling, and Poland, with its political and budget stability, becomes a very attractive place for such firms."

Herra said a few Chinese firms were already part of consortiums competing to build the stadium in the northern city of Gdansk.

Poland plans to prepare, build or renovate six stadiums for 2012 -- in Warsaw, Gdansk, Poznan, Wroclaw, Krakow and Chorzow.

Last month, UEFA president Michel Platini said Poland and Ukraine risked losing the right to host the championship if stadiums were not ready. He said UEFA would make a final decision at its executive meeting in Bordeaux on Sept. 25 and 26.

Kiev authorities broke off dealings with a Taiwanese contractor due to renovate the city's stadium, the venue of the final, and said last week that German firm GMP von Gerkan, Marg und Partner had been chosen instead.

"We have to remember we got the games thanks to Ukraine in the first place," Herra said, referring to the 2004 Orange Revolution that brought pro-Western liberals to power in Kiev.

"So we have to keep patient, and we still have time to stick to Ukraine. Ukraine doesn't have the luxury of the European Union funds and is only a few years after transformation."

He said wealthy Ukrainian oligarchs were likely to invest in stadiums and hotels, but the Yulia Tymoshenko government still had to collect cash for roads and other public investments.

"I am traveling to Ukraine this week to talk this all over again and for an update on the Kiev stadium. I assume, after Platini's July visit, everybody worked hard in Ukraine and the progress will be significant," Herra added. "Even if from the formal point of view Poland could host the games alone, from the political, technical and sports point of view, the games should take place in Poland and Ukraine together."

Herra played down suggestions that Poland and Ukraine could lose the right to host Euro 2012. "If I were UEFA, I would threaten the chosen hosts with taking the games away from them every third month to motivate them," he said. "Honestly, we still have time."

[Bonobo]

Aug 23, 2008 17:25:40 GMT 1 gigi said:

Poland Eyes China for Euro '12 Help
12 August 2008
By Gabriela Baczynska, Patryk Wasilewski / Reuters WARSAW

Now that the Olympics have started and years of construction in Beijing have ended, Poland hopes Chinese construction companies will come to build the infrastructure it needs for Euro 2012.

The government should hire anybody who is able to build necessary facilities for EURO 2012: the Chinese engineers (who built the Great Wall and Olympic infrastructure), the Egyptian pharaohs ( who built pyramids), the Aztec priests (who built Machu Pichu) etc etc.

They can even hire Martians to finish the project. The problem is they are only talking about it. The idea of the Chinese aid has been discussed here for over a year now. And what? Nothing....

[gigi]

Poland's Euro 2012 stadium chief quits
by AFP on Thursday, 07 August 2008

The man charged with overseeing the building of Warsaw's football stadium in time for the Euro 2012 championships has resigned under media pressure, the country's sports minister said on Wednesday.

Sports minister Miroslaw Drzewiecki said Michal Borowski had stepped down as head of the National Sports Centre, a public body organising and building the national stadium in the capital, and had been replaced by Rafal Kapler.

Last month, a UEFA delegation visited Poland and co-host Ukraine amid growing fears that the countries would not be ready in time for

The team from European football's governing body, including UEFA chief Michel Platini, gave a tentative thumbs-up, despite the massive logistical and infrastructural difficulties.

Drzewiecki moved quickly on Wednesday to quell any fears that Borowski's resignation would hamper the progress of building plans, saying he had already spoken with representatives at UEFA.

Borowski had been in the spotlight for days, as a string of Polish newspapers blasted him for allegedly having in 2003-2007 combined a job at Warsaw city hall with posts in several private firms in Sweden. Borowski has denied the media reports.

While there has been no suggestion of any actual impropriety on Borowski's part, Polish law bars public servants from simultaneously working in the private sector.

Borowski's replacement Kapler is currently deputy head of PL2012, the company responsible for Poland's nationwide organisation of the tournament.

The arena is being constructed on the site of a defunct communist-era stadium near the banks of the River Vistula in central Warsaw, at an estimated cost of 1.2 billion zlotys (374 million euros, 578 million dollars), and is due to open in 2011.

In April 2007, Poland and Ukraine were UEFA's surprise pick to host the quadrennial, 16-nation championships, beating Italy and joint bidders Hungary and Croatia.

The move raised eyebrows in the football world because neither the Poles nor Ukrainians have hosted a major tournament before.

There have been major concerns about the ability of both ex-communist states to meet the massive challenge of building the required stadiums and upgrading their transport and hotel sectors in time.

Platini, who had repeatedly been sounding the alarm about the state of readiness, last month set both hosts a final deadline to prove their mettle: they have until UEFA's next executive committee session, scheduled in the French city of Bordeaux on September 25-26.

[gigi]

Current Euro 2012 stadium construction site


What the completed Euro 2012 stadium will look like
(original scheduled completion of June 2009)

[Bonobo]

Aug 26, 2008 18:04:13 GMT 1 gigi said:

Current Euro 2012 stadium construction site

What the completed Euro 2012 stadium will look like
(original scheduled completion of June 2009)

Poles remember historic stadium as new one is built for Euro
DPA
9/5/08

Warsaw - Built after World War II from the rubble of a ruined
capital, Warsaw's Decade Stadium was considered one of the most
beautiful when it opened in 1955 as a feat of communist might. For
the next few decades, it hosted mass sports rallies, patriotic
parades and tense meetings of Polish teams with their Soviet rivals.

And while many events were used for communist propaganda - where the
strength of the athletes was proof of the greatness of the Soviet
state - for many the stadium was also a place to take joy in sport
in the midst of difficult times.

Now as Poland readies to build a new stadium for Euro 2012, some are
hoping the old one will be remembered for its history and the
memories it still conjures for elderly Varsovians.

"How many things happened there and how few people remember," says
Rafal Szczepanski, of the Union of Praga Associations, who is
sponsoring an exhibit on the old stadium. "The youth don't
understand. But you have to remind them, because the stadium is a
magical place filled with emotion."

The association, along with the City of Warsaw and the National
Sports Centre, recently opened an exhibit showcasing relics and
mementos from the Decade Stadium. On loan from elderly Poles, former
athletes and local museums, the souvenirs highlight the stadium's
long history on the eve of its farewell event on September 6.

The new National Stadium will be built on the spot where the Decade
Stadium now stands, in Warsaw's fashionable Praga district. It will
host the kick-off game of the Euro 2012 football championship and
has an estimated price tag of 340 million Euros.

Construction is set to move into full steam in 2009, for a slated
completion date in 2011. But while many hope the new stadium will
give Polish infrastructure a much-needed boost, they don't want to
leave behind the past.

The new stadium will include a Museum of Sport, Szczepanski says,
that will likely model itself on the current exhibit. It will keep a
concrete gray socio-realist sculpture of muscular athletes, and a
plaque commemorating Polish Olympic athletes killed by Hitler.

Szczepanski hopes it will remind Poles of their communist past, and
of the place that hosted dozens of the capitol's historic moments.

In the 1970s, thousands vented their anger at the Soviet regime by
whistling down a USSR team who'd been thought as cheating. The
national radio dimmed the noise and claimed it was "just a few
hooligans whistling," Szczepanski said.

It was there Ryszard Siwiec set himself on fire in 1968 to protest
the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia, raising his arms from the
crowded seats while folk dancers performed below during a national
harvest festival.

And when communist Poland was under martial law in 1983, Pope John
Paul II's mass there drew thousands who sought spiritual strength in
volatile times.

But with the fall of the Iron Curtain, the once-majestic stadium
fell into disrepair and turned into a giant bazaar that today houses
dozens of stalls selling anything from shoes and lamps to toys.

Szczepanski worries it's that image young Varsovians have of the
stadium, seeing it as a giant fair without remembering its heyday.
The current exhibit, he says, is meant to remind them "what the
stadium really was."

"It's a place of sports events, and the energy packed into that
place is getting a new shape in the form of the National Stadium,"
Szczepanski said. "Because we have got the Euro, we can leave that
bazaar behind and enter into a new era.

"Maybe the athletes who play there will remember those good memories
and emotions, and maybe it will inspire them."

[Bonobo]

The quagmire of Polish football, or better call it the Augean Stables, must be cleaned thouroughly...
Yet, corrupted sport officials are going to fight hard to keep their positions... And they are backed by their European peers...

Kruk krukowi oka nie wykole- a crow won`t hurt another crow.


Polish FA suspended over corruption issues

WARSAW, Sept 29 (Reuters) - The Polish Football Association, which
has been preparing to co-host Euro 2012, was suspended by Poland's sports ministry on Monday on corruption issues, the national news agency PAP said.

The sports ministry conducted an audit of the association and found
irregularities in its functioning, sports minister Miroslaw
Drzewiecki was quoted as saying. He said the FA did not take
adequate steps to address corruption issues.

"After the control I filed a motion with the Arbitration Tribunal
(connected to Poland's Olympic Committee) to suspend the
association' s authorities and name an administrator, " Drzewiecki
said.

"The tribunal decided that this function would be carried out by
Robert Zawlocki."

Drzewiecki downplayed concerns that the move would have a negative impact on Poland's preparations to host the European Championship finals in 2012 jointly with neighbours Ukraine.

Zawlocki said a letter had already been sent to UEFA president
Michel Platini, reassuring him that organisation of Euro 2012 would
continue undisturbed.

Neither the sports minister's office nor the Polish Olympic
Committee could be reached for confirmation or comment.

************ ********* ********* ********* **

Administrator taking over scandal-hit Polish federation
9/29/08

WARSAW (AFP) — The leadership of Poland's scandal-mired PZPN football federation was on Monday suspended by the Polish Olympic Committee, which named an administrator in its place, the newly-appointed official said.

The decision was taken after "signs of numerous violations of the law by federation officials," the administrator, Robert Zawlocki, told reporters.

"This mainly concerns the activities of the federation presidency, which has violated its statutes in a continuous and flagrant fashion," Zawlocki, a 37-year-old legal expert, said.

"There's legal chaos at the heart of the federation," he added.

The decision by the Polish Olympic Committee tribunal, which oversees the Polish sporting world, was taken at the request of Sports Minister Miroslaw Drzewiecki, the latest in a string of officials who have tried to revolve long-running problems on Poland's football scene.

Drzewiecki explained that he had acted because of "a lack of effectiveness in the fight against corruption".

UEFA reacted to the news, saying it was surprised.

"We will consult FIFA, it is they who will make the first move," UEFA spokesman William Gaillard told AFP.

"We are completely surprised at this intrusion of a civil authority in a sporting domain."

PZPN chief Michal Listkiewicz - a 55-year-old former international referee who has run the federation since 1999 - told reporters he was "surprised" by the arbitration tribunal's decision and said he was taking legal advice.

Drzewiecki said that Listkiewicz would nonetheless stay on as Poland's pointman for the organisation of the 2012 European championships, which the country is due to co-host with Ukraine.

"The president Michal Listkiewicz came to give us guarantees, in theory with the blessing of the government, and when a delegation of the UEFA went to Poland at the beginning of July we saw them together - a sporting capacity and politics," Gaillard added.

"In light of the organisation of the Euro 2012, it is not good."

European governing body UEFA, which took a gamble in choosing the two ex-communist countries as hosts, has kept both countries on watch to ensure they are capable of meeting the infrastructure challenges and has also had the Polish game's problems in its sights.

Zawlocki said Poland aimed to reassure UEFA that Monday's decision would not hurt the 2012 tournament.

"We have sent a letter to UEFA head Michel Platini to assure him that preparations for Euro 2012 will go ahead unhindered and that nothing will change on this front," he insisted.

Listkiewicz told reporters he was "surprised" by the arbitration tribunal's decision and said he was taking legal advice.

Zawlocki announced that he had cancelled the PZPN's annual general meeting, scheduled for October 30, which had been expected to elect a new leadership for the federation.

"The annual general meeting will be called when order has returned to the federation," he said.

Polish football has been marred for over three years by repeated match-fixing scandals, with 120 individuals already prosecuted or facing trial, and a handful of clubs from various divisions have been relegated as punishment for graft.

The move by the Polish Olympic Committee at the behest of the country's reformist liberal government echoes efforts a year ago by the previous conservative administration to oust the PZPN leadership.

However, it was forced to change tack after finding itself under fire from world governing body FIFA.

FIFA takes a firm line over what it sees as political interference in the game, which flies in the face of world football's rules.

The government was forced to back down, and the PZPN leadership was reinstated.

************ ********* ********* ********* ******

FIFA, UEFA don't recognise new head of Polish FA
9/30/08

GENEVA (AFP) — Football's top governing bodies, FIFA and UEFA, said Tuesday they do not recognise a new administrator appointed by the Polish Olympic Committee to head the country's scandal-mired PZPN football federation.

The decision by the tribunal of the Polish Olympic Committee, which oversees sports in Poland, to dismiss PZPN head Michal Listkiewicz was made at the request of Sports Minister Miroslaw Drzewiecki.

Drzewiecki said Monday he had acted because of "a lack of effectiveness in the fight against corruption".

But in a joint statement, UEFA and FIFA said that they "do not recognise either the decision by the arbitration court of the Polish National Olympic Committee, or the appointment of an 'administrator' of the PZPN".

"FIFA and UEFA continue to recognise the current leadership of the PZPN chaired by Michal Listkiewicz as the only legitimate authority to run football in Poland and to represent it internationally, " the statement added.

The two bodies said they would immediately start joint consultations on measures to be taken surrounding football in Poland, which will be proposed at the next FIFA Executive Committee meeting in Zurich on October 23-24.

Polish football has been marred for over three years by repeated match-fixing scandals, with 120 individuals already prosecuted or facing trial, and a handful of clubs from various divisions have been relegated as punishment for graft.

The country will be joint hosts with Ukraine of the next European football championships in 2012.

[valpomike]

You say, but don't mean football, but soccer.

Mike

[Bonobo]

Oct 1, 2008 20:46:13 GMT 1 valpomike said:

You say, but don't mean football, but soccer.

Mike

Actually, football and soccer are synonyms. Football was earlier, all associations which deal with it are called FA: Football Association.

FIFA is Fédération Internationale de Football Association.

Football is soccer.

If you mean American football, you must state it clearly: American football. ;D

[Bonobo]

Poland demands FIFA drop ultimatum

Fri 03 Oct, 08:11 PM

WARSAW (AFP) - Poland's Sports Ministry demanded on Friday that FIFA drop its Monday deadline for the reinstatement of the suspended national football federation (PZPN) in a row which could see Poland serve a two-match World Cup ban.

"The talks between the Ministry of Sport and Tourism and the Polish Football Union will not be resumed until FIFA retracts its ultimatum," senior Polish sports ministry official Adam Giersz said Friday, quoted by the Polish PAP news agency.

Giersz spoke after the latest in a string of inconclusive crisis talks Friday between sports ministry officials and the deposed PZPN board.

The world football governing body FIFA on Wednesday gave Poland until Monday midday to reinstate PZPN officials ousted by an Polish Olympic committee arbitration court or face Poland being banned from 2010 World Cup qualifiers scheduled for October 11 and 15.

FIFA told AFP Friday night it had not changed its position and the Monday noon deadline remained in effect.

Both FIFA and its European counterpart UEFA have refused to recognize Robert Zawlocki, appointed by the arbitration court as an administrator to replace the deposed PZPN board.

But on Friday Zawlocki told Polish media he had no intention of stepping down.

"The arbitration tribunal appointed me and only it has the power to remove me," he said.

UEFA also reacted strongly to the situation in Poland, set to co-host the next UEFA European football championships in 2012 with Ukraine.

William Gaillard, UEFA's director of communications and advisor to president Michel Platini, told AFP on Friday: "Our patience has its limits and we are close to them.

"One of the conditions of allowing Ukraine and Poland to host Euro 2012 was that both football federations had good relations with their respective governments. In Poland, this condition has not been met.

"The dismissal of Polish football federation officials and the appointment of an administrator is intolerable government intervention, and, moreover, the government has cancelled the federation's elections."

"UEFA will be in solidarity with the ultimatum fixed by FIFA for Monday, October 6. If Poland complies, everything will be in order, if not, we will prepare ourselves to make sanctions," he said.

There is a possibility that UEFA could suspend Poland from European club matches, as Lech Poznan is in the UEFA Cup play-offs.

[Bonobo]

Polish World Cup relief as agreement reached on elections
10/10/08

GENEVA (AFP) — Football's world and European governing bodies said Friday they have reached an agreement with the Polish FA on new elections after a row that had threatened to scupper some World Cup qualifying matches.

FIFA and UEFA met with the Polish authorities in Zurich where
they "reached an agreement on the roadmap to be followed for the
elections of the Polish FA (PZPN) and for the steps to be taken for
the future of Polish football," FIFA said in a statement.

The bitter dispute had also threatened Poland's co-hosting of the
Euro 2012 championships which they are sharing with Ukraine.

FIFA had given Poland a deadline of Monday noon to reinstate the
sacked board of the PZPN football federation and its president Michal Listkiewicz or face sanctions.

Poland's Sports Ministry last week sacked the PZPN board and replaced it with an administrator, following over three years of match-fixing scandals in Polish football.

FIFA said Monday that it had received "an exchange of communications" between the government and the PZPN "which indicate a positive evolution in the situation".

As a result, Poland's World Cup qualifying matches later this month
against the Czech Republic and Slovakia will go ahead as planned.

Following Friday's meeting, the three parties agreed that elections
to the PZPN will take place on October 30 as scheduled.

FIFA and UEFA will thereafter "support and assist the newly elected
leadership ... in order to improve the management and development of football in Poland, to help in the fight against criminal activities in and around football in the country," the FIFA statement said.

[Bonobo]

The Polish soccer quagmire goes on


Former Poland coach Wojcik charged with corruption
The Canadian Press
10/23/08

WARSAW, Poland — Polish prosecutors have charged former national team coach Janusz Wojcik as part of a wide-ranging corruption probe into Polish soccer.

Prosecutors charged Wojcik with 11 counts of corruption. Officials
declined to provide further details.

Wojcik coached the Polish team that won a silver medal at the 1992
Barcelona Olympics and later guided the senior national squad from
1997-1999. He was also a member of Poland's parliament from 2005 to 2007.

Wroclaw prosecutors launched an investigation in 2005 into football
corruption and have so far charged 161 people - including members of the Polish FA, coaches, referees, players and club officials - with
fixing matches in the top domestic leagues.




During the premier league match the referee was hit in the head by fans and passed out. The match was stopped. Enraged fans entered the pitch. A fight with the police and security followed.

The stadium will be closed for a while. Other punishments are due....

Oh, my, sometimes I wish Poles were less tolerant, understanding, and freedom loving people!

[locopolaco]

Oct 27, 2008 23:05:14 GMT 1 Bonobo said:

The Polish soccer quagmire goes on


Former Poland coach Wojcik charged with corruption
The Canadian Press
10/23/08

WARSAW, Poland — Polish prosecutors have charged former national team coach Janusz Wojcik as part of a wide-ranging corruption probe into Polish soccer.

Prosecutors charged Wojcik with 11 counts of corruption. Officials
declined to provide further details.

Wojcik coached the Polish team that won a silver medal at the 1992
Barcelona Olympics and later guided the senior national squad from
1997-1999. He was also a member of Poland's parliament from 2005 to 2007.

Wroclaw prosecutors launched an investigation in 2005 into football
corruption and have so far charged 161 people - including members of the Polish FA, coaches, referees, players and club officials - with
fixing matches in the top domestic leagues.




During the premier league match the referee was hit in the head by fans and passed out. The match was stopped. Enraged fans entered the pitch. A fight with the police and security followed.

The stadium will be closed for a while. Other punishments are due....

Oh, my, sometimes I wish Poles were less tolerant, understanding, and freedom loving people!

good, about time they cleaned house. i am so glad that uefa is working with PL on all these issues without yanking the euro '12.

[Bonobo]

UEFA Rejects Rumor That Poland Could Be Lone Host For Euro 2012
Matthew Harvey
December 12, 2008

Nyon, Switzerland (AHN) - It was reported by Polish news early
Friday that Poland may be the sole host of the 2012 European
Championship, though UEFA has denied such a possibility.

Ukraine is to be the second venue for the Championship, but
according to The Daily Dziennik reported that UEFA president Michel
Platini told them that if the Ukraine could not get the stadium
built on time, that Poland would be the only place for the event.

UEFA spokesperson William Gaillard said that Platini never gave an
interview with this newspaper.

This comes off the heels of a threat that if Ukraine or Poland fell
behind in the construction of their venues, the tournament may be
taken away from them.

Polish sports minister Miroslaw Drzewiecki said that he will do
everything in his power to make sure the joint hosting between
Poland and Ukraine goes smoothly.

There were rumors last month that Poland may be looking to Germany
to co-host the event, if Ukraine continued to fall behind.

Drzewiecki has repaired relations with Ukraine, however, saying that
the Stadium in Kiev is still on schedule.

************ ********* ********* ********* ***

Polish PM assured Ukraine a joint efforts for 2012 Euro

WARSAW, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk assured on Friday that the Euro 2012 soccer championships are a joint undertaking for Poland and Ukraine.

"We are a responsible partner of UEFA so I will not tell anything that would deflate Michel Platini faith in Ukrainian ability to organize the event," Polish news agency PAP quoted Tuskas saying.

Tusk underlined that Poland's preparations for Euro 2012 proceeded according to the time-table. "We are 100 percent sure that we will meet all requirements, " he added.

According to Friday issue of Dziennik daily, UEFA president Michel Platini admitted that the championships may be organized only by Poland in view of Kiev's delays in fulfilling the preparation plan.

Meanwhile, Polish Sport and Tourism Minister Miroslaw Drzewiecki also said on Friday he was not considering a possibility of organizing the Euro 2012 soccer championships without Ukraine.

"I would like to state that Poland is a very serious and reliable partner, and we are organizing the event as planned jointly with Ukraine without seeking any replacement, " Drzewiecki told a press conference.

[tomek]

EURO must be happen in POland. I cannot wait no longer for seeing matches with nationals Polish team. Polish must do evrythin so to build all football pitches punctuall. If they will not build, they will be great shame on Poland. And Polish fans, like I, will be very very angry.

[valpomike]

They don't play football in Poland, just soccer.

Mike

[Bonobo]

Jan 4, 2009 21:41:24 GMT 1 valpomike said:

They don't play football in Poland, just soccer.

Mike

Mike, Europe, Britain more exactly, was first to invent the name football. Americans stole it from the British. It wasn`t the first time that Americans stole sth European - do you remember colonies and this crazy Washington who didn`t want to pay taxes? He started the war instead.... They should have dragged him to court for tax evasion!!!!

[tufta]

Jan 4, 2009 23:51:55 GMT 1 Bonobo said:

Jan 4, 2009 21:41:24 GMT 1 valpomike said:

They don't play football in Poland, just soccer.

Mike

Mike, Europe, Britain more exactly, was first to invent the name football. Americans stole it from the British. It wasn`t the first time that Americans stole sth European - do you remember colonies and this crazy Washington who didn`t want to pay taxes? He started the war instead.... They should have dragged him to court for tax evasion!!!!

Bo, remember our local descendant of general Dąbrowski has a lot of Polish blood in his veins. He love to kid as much as you do!

[valpomike]

Whatever you want to call it, they need to work on doing it better, in time to come.

Mike

[Bonobo]

Difficult Euro partnership
Polish Radio
15.02.2009

Ukraine, Poland's partner in hosting the 2012 Euro football
championship tournament, may have to withdraw from co-organizing the event.

Speculation has broken out following the announcement of regional
authorities in Dnepropetrovsk that preparations have been
discontinued because of financial difficulties. Governor of the
region Victor Bondar disclosed that only 1 percent of local funds
from taxes remain at the disposal of Dnepropetrovsk authorities, the rest being transferred to Kiev. This has trimmed the budget to such an extent that there is not only total lack of funds for Euro 2012 related investments, but even for the modernization and expansion of municipal transport in the area.

The same problems have also been signaled by other Ukrainian cities engaged in the organization of the tournament. This does not mean, however, a total suspension of all investments because part of the projects are financed from private sources.

[Bonobo]

Poland may assume more responsibility for EURO 2012
23 Feb, 09 |
www.eufootball.biz/Competitions/6771-poland_more_responsibility_euro_2012.html

Rumours have surfaced to suggest that Poland may be forced to assume more responsibility for the EURO 2012 event than expected. Due to the worldwide financial crisis, unverified sources have indicated that Ukraine is struggling to complete ongoing projects, which in turn puts the pressure on Poland.

In the event that Ukraine is unable to fulfill its joint hosting duties, Poland’s Warsaw, Gdansk, Poznan, Wroclaw, Krakow and Chorzow could be used as alternate cities, according to a report issued by Polskie Radio. While UEFA officials have yet to confirm or deny the future of Euro 2012 in Ukraine, a final decision should be revealed by May.

Fortunately, it appears as though Poland continues to charge forward. The country is ahead of schedule, as confirmed by Minister of Sport Miroslaw Drzewiecki, with the National Stadium construction progressing at top speed. Wroclaw has been identified as the next city to join the construction brigade, as demolition plans carry on in Krakow and Poznan.

With Ukrainian financing investments currently suspended by the government, the less fortunate cities will have to overcome significant obstacles in order to complete preparations in time for the tournament.

[Bonobo]

Polish football has a big problem with referees. About 200 people have been arrested on corruption charges, some of them certified referees.


Poland seeks refereeing help over corruption probe
By DPA
Mar 27, 2009

Warsaw - Polish football is considering using referees from Germany and the Czech Republic amid a corruption investigation which is leading to a shortage of match officials, it was reported Friday.

Sports Minister Miroslaw Drzewiecki said referees from the two neighbouring countries could be considered to help out in the Ekstraklasa, the country's top league, the Polish press agency PAP reported.

The number of referees now officiating at matches in the league this season has fallen from 21 to 15. The Polish football federation PZPN requires at least 18 referees to run its league programme.

Anti-corruption officials arrested two referees on Thursday in the investigation into corrupt practices in Polish football.

[Bonobo]

Mar 29, 2009 20:46:30 GMT 1 Bonobo said:

Polish football has a big problem with referees. About 200 people have been arrested on corruption charges, some of them certified referees.


Poland seeks refereeing help over corruption probe
By DPA
Mar 27, 2009

Warsaw - Polish football is considering using referees from Germany and the Czech Republic amid a corruption investigation which is leading to a shortage of match officials, it was reported Friday.

Sports Minister Miroslaw Drzewiecki said referees from the two neighbouring countries could be considered to help out in the Ekstraklasa, the country's top league, the Polish press agency PAP reported.
The number of referees now officiating at matches in the league this season has fallen from 21 to 15. The Polish football federation PZPN requires at least 18 referees to run its league programme.
Anti-corruption officials arrested two referees on Thursday in the investigation into corrupt practices in Polish football.

17 sentenced in largest corruption trial in Polish soccer history

WROCLAW, Poland (AP) -- Seventeen people, including club officials and referees, were sentenced to up to four years in jail on Friday in the largest corruption trial in the history of Polish soccer.

A regional court sentenced the former president of the club Arka Gdynia, identified only as Jacek M. in line with Polish privacy laws, to four years in prison, and Ryszard F., considered the mastermind behind the operation, to 3 1/2 years. Both were convicted of belonging to `an organized criminal group' that rigged Arka Gdynia matches from 2003-05.

Three other club officials received two-year sentences. A fourth club representative, nine match referees, two match observers and one player received suspended sentences.

The trial comes amid an ongoing investigation, launched by Wroclaw prosecutors in 2005, into match-fixing in Polish soccer that has plagued the country's domestic leagues for years.

So far, prosecutors have charged almost 200 people - including members of the Polish Football Federation, coaches, referees, players and club officials - with fixing matches in the top domestic leagues.

[valpomike]

Never, not in Poland, must be in the U.S.A. only.

In Poland, they don't even play Football.

Mike

[Bonobo]

Apr 13, 2009 18:23:43 GMT 1 valpomike said:

Never, not in Poland, must be in the U.S.A. only.

In Poland, they don't even play Football.

Mike

What do you mean?

[valpomike]

They play soccer, but many call it football. But Polish people would not do that.

Mike