UEFA's executive committee will meet on Tuesday and Wednesday in Bucharest to decide on the sites that will be chosen for the 2012 European Championship in Poland and Ukraine. The committee must choose either to approve two sites in Ukraine and four in Poland or to validate just the Polish sites and issue an ultimatum to Ukraine to get their sites in order.
During his last visit to the two co-hosts in April, UEFA president Michel Platini reiterated that the organisation of the tournament remained in the hands of the two countries. "It's impossible that Ukraine will lose Euro 2012, like Poland," the Frenchman said.
After the visit, though, sources close to the project revealed a preference for four sites to be approved in Poland and just two in Ukraine, due to fears that Ukraine's preparations are not on schedule. The sites nominated in Poland are likely to be Warsaw, Poznan, Wroclaw and Gdansk.
In Ukraine, UEFA is expected to approve sites at the capital Kiev and Odessa. Donetsk boasts a futuristic new stadium but its supporting infrastructure has been deemed insufficient by UEFA's experts. The planned hotels in the vicinity of the Donetsk stadium are also thought likely to be prohibitively expensive, and Odessa, situated on the banks of the Black Sea, seems better-equipped to welcome both players and spectators.
However, UEFA's executive committee could opt to impose an ultimatum upon Ukraine, giving them six months to prepare sites fit for hosting the tournament. Platini has not commented directly on the likely distribution of sites, but his comments in mid-April seemed far more enthusiastic about Poland than Ukraine.