ODESA, JUNE, 19th, 2009, CONTEXT-PRICHERNOMORIE – Mayor of Odesa, Eduard Gurvits said he hoped UEFA President Michel Platini would come to Odesa to make sure the city was ready for holding EURO 2012 personally and the city authorities were ready to agree with his opinion if he expressed it personally, Context-Prichernomorie correspondent reports.

Odesa Mayour stated it yesterday 18 June during the round table “Odesa – Tourist Capital of Ukraine”.

In particular he said: “Odesa was included into the list of reserve cities to host EURO 2012 Championship. In September, 2008 I decided to visit Michel Platini and discuss the situation round this problem, to specify the evaluation criteria for participation. 16 September, 2008 our meeting took place. We had a long conversation that cleared out Michel Platini had been against Ukraine’s hosting the Championship and had voted against it. He believed both Ukraine and Poland were to host the Championship in 2016. However Platini thinks working intensively may get ready for hosting EURO, and having taken into account my suggestion the UEFA should cancel the list of reserve cities, he agreed and said he would do the announcement four days later saying there would be no reserve cities. Further he said what had never been realized. According to him, the 12 cities-pretenders had to be getting ready until 2011. The UEFA constantly controlling the course of preparation and a year before holding the Championship the UEFA would define eight cities being most prepared. Mr. Platini promised to go round all the 12 cities personally and take part in the evaluation. As he literally stated this would be done in Ukraine without taking into consideration President’s, Premier’s, or even Surkis’s opinion.”

“The process of preparation for EURO 2012 was carried out according to a number of issues and was at a high level. This concerned the infrastructure, transport, accommodation of the sportsmen and guests. There were practically no problems with hotels. Moreover, in other cities, and the UEFA experts admitted it, there was no need in building five-star hotels, since after the Championship they will not be required.”

Mayor stressed, Odesa was the only city among the pretenders, that did not practically addressed Ukrainian Government for help. “We asked for very little money. At that we asked it for the realization of the Governmental Programme of Odesa’s Development 2005-2015. The programme had been adopted not counting for EURO 2012. We were asking the Government to realize what they had personally adopted. This programme is not being realized absolutely. Three percent have been invested of the necessary amount. Odesa has realized its obligations under this programme ten times,” – Mayor finished.