Euro 2012 hosts confident of Ukraine green light

Ukraine and Poland, co-hosts of the 2012 European Championship, on Friday declared themselves confident that UEFA will accept the four Ukrainian cities put forward to host matches.

European football’s governing body demonstrated their confidence in Poland in May by confirming four Polish cities as host venues.

However, Kiev was the only Ukrainian city approved by UEFA in what was seen as an ultimatum for the former Soviet state to get their delay-plagued preparations in order.

Donetsk, Kharkiv and Lviv are Ukraine’s three other candidate cities.

“I think we’ll get confirmation next week that the championship is coming to the east,” said Ilia Chevlak, head of the Ukrainian organising committee, during a video conference with her Polish counterpart, Marcin Herra.

UEFA’s executive committee will make its final decision on the number of Ukrainian host cities at a meeting in Funchal, Portugal on December 10-11.