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07-14-2010, 05:44 PM
Warsaw, Poland (CNN) -- Football fever is already gripping Poland ahead of co-hosting the European Championships in 2012.
Despite the national team's absence from the World Cup in South Africa, the country's sports fields are packed with children and amateur footballers getting into the mood.
When Poland and Ukraine host Euro 2012, they will be the first Eastern European countries to do so.
Four cities in Poland will host matches: Warsaw, Gdansk, Wroclaw and Poznan. Warsaw has the largest stadium with a 55,000 capacity.
The bill for Poland's preparations will be around $30 billion, some coming from EU funds. In addition to the stadia, upgrades will be needed to roads, airports and railways.
When UEFA awarded the games to Poland and Ukraine in 2007, there were critics who doubted the infrastructure could be delivered on time.
There have since been concerns about Ukraine's progress, exacerbated by its economic, financial and political turmoil.
The Economist Intelligence Unit recently predicted there was a "moderate probability" that UEFA would strip Ukraine of the right to host the tournament, causing Poland to take on the full commitment.
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/07/01/poland.hosts.euro2012/index.html?hpt=Sbin&fbid=Fw2YjzQ2WO0
Despite the national team's absence from the World Cup in South Africa, the country's sports fields are packed with children and amateur footballers getting into the mood.
When Poland and Ukraine host Euro 2012, they will be the first Eastern European countries to do so.
Four cities in Poland will host matches: Warsaw, Gdansk, Wroclaw and Poznan. Warsaw has the largest stadium with a 55,000 capacity.
The bill for Poland's preparations will be around $30 billion, some coming from EU funds. In addition to the stadia, upgrades will be needed to roads, airports and railways.
When UEFA awarded the games to Poland and Ukraine in 2007, there were critics who doubted the infrastructure could be delivered on time.
There have since been concerns about Ukraine's progress, exacerbated by its economic, financial and political turmoil.
The Economist Intelligence Unit recently predicted there was a "moderate probability" that UEFA would strip Ukraine of the right to host the tournament, causing Poland to take on the full commitment.
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/07/01/poland.hosts.euro2012/index.html?hpt=Sbin&fbid=Fw2YjzQ2WO0