adminEven before the first match of the 16-team tournament kicked-off in Warsaw on June 8, there had been widespread concerns about the wisdom of handing European football’s showpiece tournament to Poland and Ukraine.
Not only were there fears about the readiness of the eight match venues or key transport and other infrastructure but also the cost for fans, with some hotels ramping up prices, particularly in Ukraine.
The threat of racist violence also loomed large, after the BBC aired a television documentary showing far-right groups at stadiums making Nazi salutes and monkey noises at black players, as well as an attack on a group of Asian students.
European countries, meanwhile, threatened to boycott matches in Ukraine in protest at Kiev’s alleged mistreatment of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who is in jail on what her supporters claim are politically-motivated corruption charges.
But while there have been some problems, including racist chanting from foreign fans and some crowd trouble away from stadiums, notably between historic rivals Poland and Russia, the worst fears did not materialise.
Instead, the focus remained mostly on the pitch, with high-quality matches with the continent’s best players reflected in record television viewing figures in Europe and around the world, as well as high Internet traffic to official websites.
“The overwhelming feeling I have today is pride,” Michel Platini, the president of European football’s governing body, Uefa, told a news conference in Kiev on Saturday.
“Pride for Poland and Ukraine, so often decried but who proved they were up to the task by putting on such a great tournament. And pride for the people of Poland and Ukraine, who were such wonderful hosts.”
The financial benefits of hosting such “mega-events” are a source of debate for economists.
But Polish and Ukrainian authorities have both said the tournament and influx of hundreds of thousands of foreign fans have had a positive effect.
For Poland, the competition has gone a long way to overhauling the country’s stereotyped image abroad of cold, grey, communist-era blight.
“We have succeeded on a global scale,” Warsaw mayor Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz told uefa.com.
“Warsaw and Poland have never been so prominent in the international media and the consciousness of people worldwide.”
A recent survey of more than 1 000 foreign fans by independent pollsters PBS indicated that 73 percent said they would come back within three years, while 89 percent said they would recommend Warsaw to family and friends.
Some even compared Euro 2012 to the ground-breaking recognition of the Solidarity trade union led by Lech Walesa in 1980 that triggered a wave of anti-communist sentiment and ultimately played a part in the collapse of the eastern bloc.
Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper said Euro 2012 “will go down in history as the first big celebration involving virtually all of society since the festival of Solidarity”.
For Ukraine, which gained independence 21 years ago, there were similar benefits.
Ukrainian football federation president Grigory Surkis said Euro 2012 had brought “valuable benefits for generations of Ukrainians with infrastructure, hotels and
airports”.
On a human level, tournament organiser for Ukraine Markiyan Lubkyvskiy said: “Ukrainian fans and Ukrainians as a whole have shown themselves to be a kind nation, open to the world.
“Possibly this has been the most unexpected thing in the whole tournament.”
Meanwhile, the 2020 European Championship finals could be scattered around 12 countries under a controversial plan by Uefa’s president, Platini.
Platini argued the cost of hosting an expanding Euros was too prohibitive for most aspiring hosts.
“We have talked about 12 or 13 host cities all over Europe because it could be 24 or 32 nations,’’ Platini said.
“We won’t need to build airports and stadiums especially at this moment in time when we have the economic crisis. It’s just an idea but it is an idea I really feel
passionately about. The majority of the executive committee think it’s a good idea. We will have a great debate and we’ll see what the executive committee decide in January.”
The flaws are obvious, from diminishing the cultural identity of the tournament, to damaging the quality of the football with too many teams and whether the 12 host nations would have to qualify.
As for the long-suffering fans, Platini added: “There are low-cost airlines and it’s easier to go from London to Paris or Berlin, then Kharkov to Gdansk.’’
Platini’s plan had a mixed greeting from England supporters. “It’s not quite as barmy as it sounds,’’ said Mark Perryman of the official group, englandfans. “Platini is right in that London to Berlin is less than Krakow to Donetsk. But I think there is something special about a country hosting a tournament. Ukraine have just proved that.
“When we arrived, fans were a bit grouchy, the roads weren’t good, the accommodation wasn’t great but even when Ukraine went out, the people were still so friendly and hospitable. It was wonderful and you would lose that.”
The president of the Ukrainian football federation, Gregory Surkis, has hit back at allegations of racism made against his country by Panorama. “That the English FA complained to the BBC is the best answer to the question.’’
Platini has also reiterated his opposition to “goal-line technology” which will be voted on by the International FA Board on July 5. — AFP.
“I’m against technology itself because it will invade every single area of football. Why don’t we have technology for off-side decisions as well? In terms of Maradona’s Hand of God, why don’t we have technology to see if he scored with his hand? Where does it stop?’’
It seems the additional assistant referees are here to stay as they apparently have acted as “a deterrent’’. — AFP.
Online Reporter