Poland downbeat on Euro 2012 hopes

The Polish FA appear to have conceded defeat in its bid to co-host Euro 2012 with Ukraine after a UEFA report listed failings on stadiums, hotels and transport.

UEFA is due to whittle the five bidders - Greece, Italy, Turkey and Croatia-Hungary are the others - down to a shortlist of three next Tuesday.

"If we fail it will be no reason to pull our hair out. We will try again in 2016 and we need to remember this was only our first attempt," said chief Michal Listkiewicz.

The head of Ukraine's football federation said he was aware of the UEFA report but had no intention of giving up and remained committed to the joint bid with a pledge to make good on shortcomings.

"Believe me, I will exert every ounce of strength, experience, authority and professionalism so that we get into the final three contenders at the UEFA meeting," said Hryhory Surkis, president of the Ukrainian federation.

"That will give us a whole year to eliminate any inadequacies and to fight harder to eventually win this competition. Yes, there are specific shortcomings. But who among those competing has no shortcomings?"

In its report on the first stage of bidding, UEFA said both Poland and Ukraine were unlikely to meet its requirements for hotel accommodation and training facilities.

It also listed shortcomings in the planned stadiums as well the large travelling distances likely to be involved for fans on the minimal highway networks.

"Even UEFA chief Lennart Johansson has had the chance to personally evaluate the state of our roads," said Listkiewicz.

"He took a car from Warsaw to Kutno (in Lithuania) and became badly ill. Just as we won't change the fact that Gdansk to Donetsk (in Ukraine) is 1,900km (1,190 miles), so we are not hiding that Poland has no motorways."

Source: CNN