Venues Ready For Euro 2012?

Organisers are bullish about getting the job done but there’s a growing suspicion that the construction of at least two of the stadiums hosting next year’s European soccer championship isn’t going according to plan.

With exactly a year to go until the opening match of Euro 2012, construction on two of Ukraine’s stadiums is “sluggish.”

Poland was meant to mark the gala opening of Gdansk’s new PGE Arena with an exhibition match against France June 9, but the building isn’t ready and the match was switched to Warsaw.

But the real problems appear to be in the Ukraine where the new venues being built in Kiev and Lviv are even further behind schedule.
So much so that a friendly match between the Ukraine and Austria scheduled for the new 30,000-capacity stadium in Lviv Nov. 15 may have to be moved.

There are reportedly 1,000 builders at Lviv’s stadium working seven days a week around the clock after the city mayor said deadlines would be met.

Another friendly is scheduled for November against Germany in Kiev’s refurbished Olympic Stadium, but that may also be in doubt considering only a handful of seats are in place.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk recently announced the new National Stadium in Warsaw, which will host the opening match of Euro 2012, is scheduled to open Nov. 30, about five months after the initial deadline.

European football governing body UEFA remains confident that all the buildings will be ready in time for next June.

It says the work has quickened since it last had harsh words with soccer officials in both countries in 2009.