Euro 2012 in Hungary or Germany?

Despite assurances last year that the 2012 European Championships would take place in Poland and Ukraine, UEFA Chief Michel Platini stated on Monday that Ukraine could lose its share of the matches to Germany or Hungary if it is not able to complete its stadiums on time.

Platini speculated that Poland may be able to host six of the eight venues required for the championship games, with either Germany or Hungary picking up the two games that are currently scheduled to take place in Lviv and Kiev. Stadium construction in both cities is behind schedule at the moment, with work stopped completely in Lviv. However, the Kiev stadium is crucial for the decision of whether the tournament will be held in the country, as the final is set to take place there.

“An option could be to have six venues in Poland. Maybe UEFA could also ask Hungary or Germany if they could or would want to jump in with two stadiums. But I’d like to stress once again: at the moment we are not thinking about it. We believe Ukraine will complete all the necessary work on time and that the European championship will take place as planned,” Platini stated on the German football federation’s website.

Platini will make the final decision by the end of June. During his visit with President Viktor Yanukovych last month, he was assured by the Ukrainian leader that everything would be finished on time.