Italy to 'salvage' Euro 2012 bid?

Italy’s bid to host the 2012 European Championships could yet be successful, as it’s reported Ukraine and Poland are having problems.

The peninsula surprisingly lost the race to stage the competition this summer in a UEFA vote in Cardiff.

However, there are claims in ‘Tuttosport’ that Ukraine and Poland’s joint bid is already behind schedule and under-funded.

The newspaper suggests work on the stadiums and facilities would only be completed in late 2011 – a year after the proposal handed to UEFA – and that in the autumn their representatives will be in Italy for a number of fund-raising initiatives.

The main problem seems to lie in the money needed for roads and other travel infrastructures. "The stadiums can be ready for June 2010, but without overseas investment we can’t do it," a representative of the Euro 2010 committee was quoted as saying.

Italy are in Kiev for tonight’s Euro 2008 qualifying match against Ukraine and FIGC President Giancarlo Abete hinted there was some truth in the stories.

"We know the problems that Ukraine and Poland are facing. We will carry on with our own plans to restructure the stadiums and will be ready in case UEFA ask us to step in."

The last major football tournament hosted by Italy was the 1990 World Cup, but many of the arenas have not been restructured since then and are in dire need of modernisation.

That process has already begun with strict new anti-violence laws making sweeping changes.

[Euro 2012 goes East]

Source: C4 Football Italia