Archive for the ‘Sport’ Category

UEFA President Michel Platini has given Euro 2012 hosts Ukraine and Poland 6 months to get their preparations for the competition on track. He was speaking yesterday after a meeting of UEFA’s executive committee in Zagreb, Croatia, where a report on the lack of progress being made by both countries was discussed. Officials have stopped short of saying an alternative host is being considered, but say the situation will be reviewed in the summer.

Projects to construct stadiums and infrastructure have suffered due to political instability in both countries. The countries were chosen as joint hosts in April last year. Neither country has hosted a major football competition before.

Dynamo Kiev want to bring former player Andriy Shevchenko back to Ukraine. Club president Hryhoriy Surkis stated that he is unable to afford to buy the player but is willing to pay his wages. Chelsea paid AC Milan £30 million in May 2006, a British transfer record. Despite this he has failed to command a regular place in the Chelsea first team and is widely regarded as one of the biggest flops in British football.

Kiev’s city council has voted to terminate the operations of FC Arsenal Kiev at the end of the current football season. The local municipality holds an 80% stake in the debt-ridden Ukrainian Premier League football club.

Ukraine and Poland have won a joint bid to host the Euro 2012 football championship. In a meeting yesterday in Cardiff, Wales, UEFA President Michel Platini announced that the bid scooped 8 votes from the 12 members of the voting committee. Italy secured 4 votes, while another joint bid from Hungary and Croatia received none.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has backed Ukraine’s joint bid with Poland to stage the 2012 European football championship. During a one day visit to Kiev he said ‘I hope that the championship will be held here in Ukraine.’

Former heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko will make a comeback fight in Moscow, more than two years after being forced to retire with injuries. Klitschko, who recently failed to be elected mayor of Kiev, will face Oleg Makaev on April 21.

Dynamo Kiev has an expressed interest in signing former player Andriy Shevchenko from Chelsea. President and owner Hryhoriy Surkis said ‘Going to Chelsea was the biggest mistake in Andriy’s career. I hope I’ll be able to offer Sheva a deal that will allow him to return to Dynamo.’

Shevchenko suffered his latest humiliation in England when he failed to score during the FA Cup match against Macclesfield Town, the Football League’s second-bottom club. Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has said the £30 million signing is no longer guaranteed an automatic place in the first team.

Former England national football team manager was in Kiev last week for talks about taking over from Anatoly Demyanenko at Dynamo Kiev. Given his penchant for pretty girls and their abundance in the city, we’re sure there are more reasons than unemployment for his interest in the post.

A gang of around 300 Ukrainian football hooligans attacked a group of Scottish fans gathering in Kiev’s Independence Square ahead of the Euro 2008 qualifying match between the two nations. Several Scottish fans were reported injured in the skirmish.

Ukraine won the match 2-0, with Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko scoring a late penalty.

Kiev is bracing itself for an invasion of around 5,000 Scottish football supporters on Wednesday. After defeating France 1-0 at the weekend, interest in the Euro 2008 qualifying fixture against Ukraine has soared.