In a shock decision, the hosting of Euro 2012 has gone to Poland and Ukraine. The Eastern European neighbours beat off a bid by World Cup holders Italy and a joint bid from Hungary and Croatia to host the 14th European football championship.
The decision was announced in Cardiff, Wales on April 18th 2007 at a meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee.
Head of the Ukranian FA, Hryphor Surkis said, "It is my main aim to hold a tournament that will change both our country and its people".
There had been concerns about a Polish bid following a corruption scandal that rocked the national game and nearly resulted in Poland's expulsion from Euro 2008. FIFA president Sepp Blatter moved to allay such concerns when he said, "The Polish [football] federation has recovered the total rights and confidence of the FIFA family...".
Late lobbying by Poland and Ukraine appears to have been the deciding factor in the decision and new UEFA chief Michel Platini is thought to have been an influence in taking the tournament to Eastern Europe. Platini said, “Today Poland/Ukraine has been chosen by the UEFA Executive Committee to host UEFA Euro 2012 and they are surely a worthy winner. However there are no losers today, rather only bids that have not won this time round.”
Euro 2012 will be the first major sporting event held in former communist Eastern Europe since the Moscow Olympics in 1980.
Also addressed at the UEFA meeting was the possibility of an expansion of the European Championships to 24 teams. This will not happen in Poland and Ukraine but a timetable has been put in place to conduct a study into possible expansion for Euro 2016 onwards.
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