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ajor infrastructure upgrades in host nations
Poland and Ukraine have done little to allay
fears that the countries’ transport grids will not
be able to cope with the estimated 500,000 visitors
expected for Euro 2012.
The Euro 2012 European Football Championship was announced
5 years ago, and since then there have been major efforts to make
the countries ready. But despite the building of over 3000km of
highway in Poland alone, Uefa still is not confident that everything
will be in place in time for the June kick off.
Uefa’s operations director for the tournament, Martin Kallen, is
concerned with the state of progress. From Zurich he said: “There
is still major work to be done in the next three to four months,
especially in transport, from the airports to the stadiums and to the
city centres.”
“It will be a different Euro. On the football side, we want it to be on
the same level or a little better than Austria-Switzerland in 2008.
But it will never be on the same level in terms of transport.”
Poland has been singled out for its highway system. “They are still
building north-south and west-east motorways, and some projects
will not be finished.” Said Kallen. “You will have to go off the
motorway and have to go back on again 10-15km later.”
Ukraine’s problems with transport revolve around its size. As the
second largest country in Europe, fans will have to fly in order to
commute between matches.
Meetings between various authorities and Uefa are ongoing,
and the governments of both countries are eager to make the
tournament a success. Poland has spent 5 billion euros upgrading
stadiums and there are hopes that Euro 2012 will firmly establish
Central Europe as a credible footballing entity.
An expert on Polish football, Derek Scally, claims that the hosts
hope that Euro 2012 will have an impact outside footballing terms.
“The Polish government has embraced the tournament – taking
place under the slogan “making history together” – as the chance
of a lifetime to put their country on the map. They hope for a positive
vibe similar to that enjoyed by Germany after the 2006 World Cup.
The four host cities, meanwhile, are hoping for a “Barcelona”
effect – a lasting positive push resulting from the infrastructure
development and visitor influx.”
UEFA 2012
Transport Fears
A train station in Szczecin, Poland.
touchline
Insight