In Gdansk, at the PGE Arena (Baltic Arena) the installation of the steel structure of the stadium has been completed. The entire structure weighs 5,412 tonnes.

“We are already growing grass and we are ready for FIFA 2012.” That’s how Poznan promotes itself on the eve of putting the stadium into use. Bags of grass seed are also handed out as extra gifts with the newspapers.

In Kharkov, a new terminal at the airport has been opened. The building is made of glass and aluminium and is extremely impressive. The opening of the terminal was performed by the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovich. The current Director of UEFA’s Euro 2012 - Martin Kallen was also present. A Ukrainian billionaire, Alexander Yaroslavsky contributed in the construction of the terminal as well as previously in the stadium (in total he threw some $ 200 million).

From Germany to Wroclaw there come the entire railway depots filled to the brim with elements of concrete and steel to build the stadium - an arena of Euro 2012.

A completely new bus station for $ 2.5 million dollars will be built in Lvov until 2012.

127 investments being made in connection with the Euro 2012 tournament have been examined by the Supreme Chamber of Control. The audit covered a few months of 2009/10. As it turned out from the research, 28% of the investments will not be completed until Euro 2012. Stadium investments got the top rates. A kind of admiration (negative) in the controllers has raised the PL.2012 joint venture (appointed to coordinate preparations for Euro 2012). For 71 employees - 30 are managers. For example, the company has commissioned a survey on… public moods for the mere 154 000 PLN. Part of the duties self-appointed on the company has not been complied at all. Other institutions connected with organizing Euro 2012 were also examined. The results are rather worrying.

Modernization of the Poznan stadium is at the finish stage. Finishing works are in progress. Technical acceptance and various permits are taking place. On September 20th Sting is going to sing at the stadium.

Wroclaw stadium construction is delayed. The fans are so fed with ersatz products. In August they were allowed to enter the site.  They were shown among the others the design of the seats. They could also have a talk with the chief engineer of the object. The lucky chosen were members of the association  “Great Silesia”.

A football town game has been invented in Poznan. This is a kind of tournament. If you want to know something more about it, have a look at www.gramiejska.pl.

At the National Stadium assembling of grandstands has been completed. There are already places for 55,000 people - so far without the seats. All the cranes rolled off the pitch. An only one is left - it will be used in the construction of the roof. “8 strut-extraction sets have already been installed, which together with the main pillars are to form the pylons.” Anyone who understands the last sentence is asked to imagine the picture by their own. The construction of the stadium is not such an easy-to-understand thing. But the match in a stadium - is (although not always either).

The recruiting of volunteers for Euro 2012 is ready to begin. About 10 thousand will be needed. The volunteers can already have a look at the UEFA website (upper right corner of the site – enters for the four federations - eng / ukr / uefa / fifa). The volunteers will be of better and worse sort. The better group will be set by UEFA. They will be operating at stadiums, airports, hotels and residence centres. Those lesser ones will be selected by the cities - organizers. This group will wander around the cities, fan zones, parks and parking lots. Here in Gdansk will be 600 people. To be the lucky chosen, you will need to get through four levels of initiation - 1. on-line application, 2. interview, 3. general training, 4. training for  specific functions.  Fluency in English is even not to mention as it is clearly obvious in an international event.

UEFA General Secretary - Gianni Infantino, completed his visit to Ukraine. After visiting cities – organizers he is full of optimism and hope. There is only one concern. Europe does not speak ... Ukrainian and so advises our eastern neighbours to learn English.

Lvov will have 92 new buses and 60 trolley buses for Euro 2012. For that purpose, the city will take a loan of 275 million hryvnia (about 120 m PLN). Apart from the city of Lvov, the state National Agency for the Preparation of Euro 2012 will be paying interest on loans. Cities - organizers (Kiev, Kharkov and Donetsk also have a loan) are rising to higher levels of civilization, and it is all due to the small ball inflated with air chased by 22 men.

It finally happened: the ELIMINATION OF EURO 2012 have started.
Estonia - Faroe Islands 2-1.
The next matches on September 3. Preliminary Competition is open until 15 November 2011 (plus the playoffs of the  “second bests”). After the completion of the elimination we will find out who Poland is going to play with. As we know, for the price of billions PLN pumped into new stadiums, roads, airports and hotels we have a guarantee on performances in three games at Euro 2012. Later on, we will probably have to search for “a replacement team” to cheer, because the current level of Polish football does not bode us well for the possibility of coming out of the qualifying group of Euro 2012 finals. 
666 days are left till the championships.

In November, we will learn from UEFA what will be our mascot for Euro 2012. The tender for the mascot was won by Warner Bros.. The mascot should be “culturally close to us”. And so the Americans with the hands of European bureaucrats will help us realize what the joint Polish - Ukrainian tradition is like.

UEFA General Secretary - Gianni Infantino has been to Lvov for the first time. And he liked Lvov. He inspected the construction of the stadium and the new runway of the Lvov airport. He then went on to Donetsk, Kharkov and Kyiv.

At the stadium PGE Arena Gdansk (Baltic Arena) installation of 82 frames of the steel roof structure is coming to an end as planned. After mounting the last rib the roof supports will be removed. After this operation, the entire structure will inflate and will automatically fall by around 20 centimetres. The roof and the  sides of the stadium will be ready. Then polycarbonate amber-coloured boards will be mounted on this structure. The total area of these amber boards will be 4 ha.

The National Board of Appeal held that the Wroclaw authorities could choose a new contractor stadium in a free-hand mode. After this decision the Public Procurement Office has to let it go with the selection of the stadium contractor for Euro 2012 (Max Boegl company).

Wroclaw authorities threaten that the total work on the reinforced concrete construction of the stadium will have been completed by Christmas. In Gdansk at this time we will be ready to put the stadium into use.

At PGE Arena Gdansk (Baltic Arena) assembling of telecommunication systems has begun. The contractor is Trias SA company. The work began with putting 5.5 km of pipes around the stadium, where wires will be placed. Then comes the turn of the sensors mounting on the roof of the stadium. About 160 sensors will help in monitoring the roof structure. Thus, in   case of disaster - a few minutes before the roof falls on our heads, you will be automatically alerted in due time. In September, LAN cabling will be installed. Such wiring is about 450 km of fiber optic cables and copper. There will be about 55 km of electrical cables. Installation of servers, speakers, LED screens and other trinkets will take place in winter this year.

A 32-year-old Spanish defender Carles Puyol wants to play in Poland and Ukraine during the Euro 2012 tournament. In the semi-final World Cup 2010 he scored a goal in the match against Germany, and on the arenas of the European Championships in two years he would like to do the same.

A “panicle” was suspended at PGE Arena (Baltic Arena) on July 24. The decoration made from pine twigs was hung from the roof construction (41 feet above the ground). The ceremony was attended by – among the others - Prime Minister of Poland, President of the Polish Football Association, the Minister of Sport, President of the European Parliament and the President of Gdansk. On that day – the stadium open day - 12,000 people came to the stadium. The next visit of fans will be possible only in spring 2011 after the completion of the stadium construction.

Green grass - turf of the stadium - is to appear on the PGE Arena (Baltic Arena) in April 2011. It will cost about 3 million PLN. The cost includes such things as irrigation and heating system, aeration and proper drainage. Special sensors will also be fitted that examine the power of wind, grass humidity and rainfall.

Wroclaw authorities are in dispute with the owners of the land around the football stadium built for Euro 2012. A car park is to be built on the land at issue. A family - owners of the land - wants 7.4 million PLN for the land. The city is prepared to pay twice as less.

In autumn 2011 recruitment of about three thousand volunteers for Euro 2012 will start. The volunteers will help the fans, tourists, residents and emergency services. To become a volunteer you have to have a bit of luck (to be chosen) and speak English at communicative level (there will be exams).

At the National Stadium in Warsaw the first VIP box was put into service - in the rough state. The area of this sanctuary for the selected ones is 42 square meters big, will be equipped with audio-video equipment, a mini-bar, a glass wall overlooking the stadium and 24 seats for the “VIP-rabbit’s friends and relatives”. There will be 69 similar and smaller boxes as well as a presidential lodge. During Euro 2012, all booths will be occupied by UEFA and all the “rabbit’s friends and relatives” will be chased away at the time.

The opening of the stadium in Warsaw will take place on July 22, 2011 (as so has been decided.)

Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Borys Kolesnikov identified another important task before Euro 2012 - to teach about 120 thousand Ukrainians to speak English. During the visit to Donetsk he was deliberating upon how to do it so that make them learn now - and not to forget before June 2012.

Lvov state administration has decided to review the condition of roads. As in Poland, the roads for Euro 2012 are a priority. In our beloved and befriended countries one of the road repair techniques is the so-called    reconstruction. In Western Europe this is a concept present in the protection of historical remains or archaeology, while here - in the road infrastructure. The reconstruction process involves filling the holes in the road with asphalt. After several years so reconstructed a road consists mostly of flooded holes. In such a simple way the road with holes becomes the road with… flooded holes. Everybody has work: road builders and garages and there is no need to build new roads. This whole Slavonic tradition has been turned upside down by the hell of Euro 2012. They started building new roads, and apparently even the highways.

At PGE Arena Gdansk they are working hard on three shifts; the suspension of the panicle and the open day - on July 24. The structure completion on January 21, 2011, and putting the stadium into use in April 2011. In the first match - in the arena of Euro 2012 - Lechia Gdansk will meet Juventus Turin (summer 2011). About 50 events per year are to take place at the object (apart from the matches).

The operator of PGE Arena Gdansk (Baltic Arena) has become Joint Stock Company - Lechia Operator in partnership with SportLive and HSG Zander. For the pleasure of managing the stadium the company will pay the city 2 million PLN per year and will give 5% of the revenues.

The first event in the rebuilt Municipal Stadium in Poznan will be a concert by Sting on September 20, 2010 (tickets from 90 to 400 PLN, sale from July 20). The completion date is the end of July this year – then technical acceptances will take place.

The National Stadium became “the Lord of the Ring”. A steel ring consisting of 72 pieces (each weighing 48 tons) was fitted there. This is the main element of the roof structure. Standing at the column of Sigismund at Castle Square in Warsaw, from there you can see the new football stadium being built for Euro 2012. The Sigismund’s Column is nothing and so is the Palace of Culture compared with that memorable investment of the Polish nation in the 21st century.

The Public Procurement Office has stated that the choice of a new contractor of the stadium in Wroclaw was held unlawfully (“free-hand” choice). The issue is an exceptional situation, which according to President of Wroclaw was the case, and according to the Procurement Office was not. The fact is that if they had acted according to law, due to the execution time of the tender Wroclaw would lose the right to host Euro 2012.

Wroclaw and Lvov are fighting with great bravery at the end of the pack made up of eight Polish and Ukrainian cities - organizers of the championships. They are sure to be the last ones at the finish, but one can do everything out of love for football and... profits.

A snapping hand in a white glove is a sculpture by an artist Maciej Kurak. The masterpiece will be located in the vicinity of the Municipal Stadium in Poznan. The author of the sculpture is the fifth “football ambassador” for Euro 2012 in Poznan. The fourth one is the actress, Katarzyna Bujakiewicz, the third one - a player, Bartosz Bosacki. We were writing earlier on about the first two ones, who does not read - loses.

A new airport terminal in Wroclaw worth 300 million PLN is to be completed in September 2011. At present,  the finish of assembling of the steel roof structure is taking place.

Parliamentary Committee on Physical Culture and Sport estimates that almost all the Polish investment connected with Euro 2012 are implemented in due time. In the red are the stadium in Wroclaw and Poznan airport. What fails to be modernized is the S7 route connecting Gdansk and Warsaw. As to the motorway,  somebody had even said that the unfinished sections will be “passable”.  No country in the world has “passable” highways, while we have. Every country has its customs. The railway is better not to mention. The new fleet will not be purchased prior to 2012 (if at all someone buys it, some day.) The route Gdynia - Warsaw is to be upgraded. Current travel time is 6 hours (plus “due” delays). After the renovation the ride is to take 3.5 hours, i.e. as much as before World War II (for the railway this is still the progress).

On the new runway being built in Lvov airport a concrete factory was established. It can produce 130 cubic meters of concrete per hour (16 mixers). As if that was not enough, before pouring out of the runway the next two and even bigger ones will be created. The airport will be closed because of the upgrading between November 2010 and September 2011. There is an option “without closing the runway”, but it is expensive and nobody knows whether it works. The total cost of the modernization is about 2 billion hryvnia (1 hryvnia is 0.4 PLN.)

The stadium in Lvov has reached the first level of “self-levelling concrete”. The installation of 68 concrete bolts has also been completed. Works on the second level have started. In September the Lvovians will set off with assembling of the steel roof structure.

For more fun and pleasure the Kharkov stadium will be put into service twice. The first time it was opened on December 5, 2009. Everyone was happy and it was very solemn (in the construction of stadiums Ukraine was winning with Poland 2-0). Then came summer 2010 and it turned out that the stadium will be opened for the second time in August. UEFA experts helped in finding the reasons for double celebration (faults, defects, new turf).

Poznan will have the biggest screen videos in Poland. At the Municipal Stadium - arena of Euro 2012 - two screens with a surface of 115 sq m each will be hung. One large screen consists of 120 panels (LED screen, weighing 50 kg).

If we don’t know what’s going on, it’s sure about money. In Kiev workers and subcontractors at the Olympic Stadium have been paid the arrears and the construction delays have begun to melt immediately.

The Ukrainian Government has once again increased its funding for the stadium construction and upgrading the airport in Lvov. Both investments will be financed entirely by the central budget.  Lvov  couldn’t cope with the finances  and so they “kicked the ball back” to the headquarters in Kiev. 

At the PGE Arena (Baltic Arena) assembling of the stadium’s steel construction is coming to an end. All the elements will weigh 5,412 tonnes, or as much as 1000 adult African elephants.

From 25 May to 15 July 2012 the procedures for entry into Ukraine will be simplified. Border control is to be fast. Foreigners will not be subject to border checks and will not have to fill in immigration forms. Currently, waiting at the border is like ... at the wedding - for hours.

Poland has a very low level of volunteering in the organization of sports events. Before Euro 2012 it sounds very disturbing, especially since such events require thousands of people involved - volunteers.

UEFA has announced the tender for the organization and the sale of tickets for Euro 2012.

Only one bid was put in for the tender for the lease of PGE Stadium Arena Gdansk. Lechia Operator LTD - Sportfive and HSG Zander (Bilfinger Berger company group) consortium expressed an interest in the business.   The conditions put forward to the future operator of the stadium are very sharp. A tender holder should have experience in managing the stadium with a capacity of 35 thousand seats, in the last three years organized at least 100 mass events at sports facilities, should have the ability to credit 3 million PLN and pay a deposit of 1 million PLN. After winning the tender the future operator will pay the city a year min. 2 million PLN net rent and 5% of sales revenue (events, tickets ...). The subject of the tender is only the stadium with a parking area. The area around the stadium will be commercialized after Euro 2012. The agreement will be signed for 10 years. The future operator of the stadium has also a deal with PGE Polish Energy Group SA (the proceeds of the rights to the name of the stadium for the next five years, i.e. 35 m PLN), and a technology partner which is Trias SA company (Torun).

Ticket sales for the Euro 2012 will start in spring 2011. Only on the Internet.

In Warsaw, at the National Stadium assembling aluminium - glass external facade has begun(25,000 sq m).

Three football activists from Gdansk went to South Africa for World Cup 2010. They will be spying out how to organize big sporting events. The expedition also involves representatives of other cities – organizers: Wroclaw, Poznan and Warsaw. The touring lesson is organized by PL.2012 company.

Gdansk has more hotel rooms than required by UEFA. On the football stadium in Gdansk (PGE Arena Gdansk) group matches and the quarterfinal will be played. Therefore, the city must have 1,220 five-star rooms, 1360 four-star rooms and 210 three-star rooms. In Gdansk, at this time there are appropriately  5, 4 and 3-star: 2,370 rooms, 2,363 and 4,522 rooms.  UEFA activists, of course,  are interested only in those five-star ones.  They do not sleep in other conditions. A European football court cares about its reputation. The whole region of Gdansk is now estimated at 155,000 beds for fans of Euro 2012 (in various standard). This means that we can now accommodate the equivalent of the population of Wejherowo, Rumia, Reda and Sopot taken together.

50,000 stray dogs prowl the Ukrainian capital Kiev. Two years before Euro 2012 this means a huge future problem for the city authorities. It is estimated that 80 percent of these dogs are wild animals that pose a threat to humans. Any radical solutions of this issue are against the animal rights, and there is no money for the humanitarian ones.
A Lvov company LAZ will produce 1,500 buses and 500 trolley buses for the Ukrainian cities - organizers of Euro 2012. LAZ is the largest and oldest manufacturer of buses in Ukraine (formerly a major supplier of buses in the USSR). The biggest hit of the Lvov producer is the low-floor bus A183 City LAZ.

The Germans keep penetrating the east. The roof of the Lvov stadium will be constructed by the same German company that made the roof of the Donbass Arena. Whatever to say, German business has reached the Dnieper.

The Lvovians haven’t got the stadium yet nor the airport, but they launched a special tram with the Euro 2012 logo. The tram runs between the city centre and the train station.

Poznan city council designated over 92 million PLN for the infrastructure around the Municipal Stadium. The cost of investments for Euro 2012 has been so enlarged to approximately 700 million PLN.

Ukrainian Department for Organized Crime (Ministry of the Interior) will examine the case of a miraculous transformation of 7 million hryvnia (or 900 thousand dollars) for the construction of the stadium in Lvov. The clue of the transformation is the change from the investment of the stadium into a road. The money were to go where the ball is kicked, and eventually went where cars go. And there is still no stadium in Lvov.

Exactly two years before Euro 2012 a fashion for flower beds with the logo of Euro 2012 caught on in all the cities-organizers of the championships. Since the logo is a flower, we have a flower ... made of flowers.

In Gdansk the tender has been announced for the operator of PGE Stadium Arena Gdansk (former working name: Baltic Arena) who will get the object in the lease. The identification of the operator is planned for July 2010 (the completion of the construction - January 2011). The minimum amount of rent for the lease (for the city) is 2 million PLN per year (the contract for 10 years). The operator will also maintain the stadium and perform the necessary running repairs. Supposedly it will take around 15 million PLN per year for the current stadium activities. A consolation might be that the fee for the use of the name of PGE Arena Gdansk (35 million by 2014) to be paid in installments by the  “power engineers”  (PGE SA) will go straight to the operator of the stadium.

Next year (12 months before Euro 2012) the National Stadium will be opened in Warsaw. The last winter before the opening of the facility (2010/11) will no longer be threatening to the schedule since by that time all rooms will have been closed and heated. The steel construction of the stadium will be ready in July. On the underground floors, finishing works are in progress as well as works on the mechanical, electrical and sanitation installations.

On the construction of the stadium in Wroclaw the same things are taking place as on the stadium construction in Gdansk (but half a year ago.)  About 500 employees are working in two shifts here. Assembling of bolts on which the stands will be placed has started. First reinforced concrete components of the structure are arriving. The entire   reinforced concrete structure of the stadium will be ready in December 2010. Of course, everything will be OK, if - as so far - there is no rain, then there will not be any winter and – finally -  the contractor will not collapse. Then in Wroclaw all will be OK (as in Gdansk, Warsaw and Poznan).

The Municipal Stadium in Poznan, which is the future arena of Euro 2012, is finished. This does not mean that it is barely breathing and soon will be over, but quite the opposite. Poznan will have the first stadium ready for the European Championships in football. At present, the seats are installed, the roof membrane is mounted and the new lighting is fixed. Technical approvals will start in June. Permission for the use is scheduled for September and the first team match at the new stadium will be held in November (with Russia or the Netherlands).

Ukraine sighed. The Steering Committee of UEFA confirmed that Euro 2012 will take place in four Ukrainian cities (Kyiv, Kharkov, Donetsk and Lvov). The new government and the new president of Ukraine are beginning to take control over the mess and delays from the first quarter of 2010.

Lvov city authorities have established a new organization named “Agency for the preparation of Lvov to the European Championships in football in 2012”. The new structure is to make a list and announce what will be done prior to and during Euro 2012. The number of Ukrainian organizations involved in the Euro has already exceeded the number of teams present at the event. If it continues like that, it will exceed the number of ... supporters of the tournament.

It is already known that the stadiums built for Euro 2012 will not be able to maintain themselves relying only on football. Multi-functionality of the objects seems to be a must. Booths for VIPs (as form of capital investment in real estate), rock concerts and even weddings are some fundamental ideas for the management of the area.

At the Poznan stadium (the future arena of Euro 2012) 800 employees are working in two shifts. A roof membrane is being mounted. The stadium is the municipal one, so on the stands there will be the inscription – POZNAN arranged. The local team (the new 2009/10 Premier League champion), Lech Poznan, will lease the stadium. The rent price, the operator and other important things are not yet known. One thing is fairly certain - as the qualifying for Euro 2012 start, the Municipal Stadium in Poznan will be opened (September 2010).

UEFA has decided to change. Five referees will evaluate the proper conduct of matches during the qualifications for the championships in Poland and Ukraine (Euro 2012). The experiment with two additional judges who evaluate the events in the penalty area has worked well during the European League matches (2009/10).

Euro 2016 will be held in France. So the UEFA Executive Committee decided. 24 teams will play in the finals (i.e. 8 more than at Euro 2012). The final in Paris at the Stade de France. 51 matches will be played at 12 stadiums. New objects will be built in Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon and Nice. Modernizations will take place at stadiums in Marseille and Strasbourg. Minor amendments are waiting stadiums in Lens, Nancy, St. Etienne, Toulouse and Paris.

NextiraOne Poland Ltd. Company eventually won the tender for the telecommunication network for the National Stadium in Warsaw. The proposed implementation of the network for 35 million PLN was accepted by the jury. The lowest price offers were rejected as not meeting the requirements of the specifications. Signing of the agreement in June.

Parliamentary Committee for Euro 2012 visited Poznan. It was estimated that the weakest part in preparations for football championship is the delayed redevelopment of the airport Ławica. The required environmental decision mobilizing investments is still missing. An impact of the upgraded airport (new ways for taxiing and apron for 17 aircraft) on sparrows and starlings passing around must be examined carefully. Nature must be protected and the investors have to have a paper on it (the EU rules during the investment).

Nyet problema. There are no such problems, which could not be solved - said Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for Euro 2012, Boris Kolesnikov. At the stadium in Lvov four grandstands for spectators have already been completed (the stadium is to be opened in autumn 2011). On the modernized stadium in Kiev, the first match is to take place in spring 2011. There is no such pipe in the world, which could not be unblocked, as a plumber-comedian Jan Kobuszewski used to say (and that’s what we wish ourselves and the Ukrainians.)

McDonald’s Company joined the sponsors of Euro 2012 (in the team are: Carlsberg, Castrol, Coca-Cola, Hyundai -Kia and Adidas).

From 31 May 2010 the stadium being built in Gdansk (working name: Baltic Arena) will be called PGE Arena Gdańsk. PGE Energy Group SA and the city of Gdańsk have signed an agreement. PGE will pay 35 million PLN for the use of the name until 31 May 2014. The first tranche will be credited to the account of Gdansk at the beginning of 2011 (the completion of the stadium). The agreement was signed by the President of Gdansk, Pawel Adamowicz, President of the Investment Bureau Euro 2012, Richard Trykosko and Chairman of Managing Board of PGE Polish Energy Group SA, Tomasz Zadroga. The name PGE Arena Gdansk cannot be used during Euro 2012. During the football championships only the official sponsors of Euro 2012 can advertise.

In November - in the opening match at the rebuilt Municipal Stadium in Poznan national teams from Poland and the Netherlands will play. The stadium in Poznan will be opened as the first of four Polish stadiums - arenas of Euro 2012.

Danish Carlsberg became the official sponsor of Euro 2012. This means, among the others,  that in the fan zone we will drink only their beer. Nothing has hardly begun and they have already brewed some beer... Other sponsors of the championship already approved are: Castrol, Coca-Cola, Hyundai-Kia and Adidas. The others are getting ready. Who - we will see soon.

Ministry of Sport and Tourism reports that in Poland there are 600,000 beds for guests. At last we have found out how many beds we have before  Euro 2012. And there will be even more.

Spring. Storks have already appeared in Poland. In their wake officials from UEFA start to appear as well. After the directors Acherman and Kalle, the next party is landing on our meadows. These are: Director of Operations - Heimo Schirgi, expert on the management of stadiums - Claudio Caila-Mueller, an expert on transportation Fanhauser Emanuel. Storks arrive and depart, directors too. One of the dignitaries from Poznan admitted that during the consultations they even discussed how to arrange the chairs in the conference room during the interviews, since the   capacity of the hall depends on the layout of the chairs. We can’t wait for a course on quick tying the shoelaces in order to optimize the time to reach for the match.

The Ukrainian Government has adopted a resolution to grant huge money (about 7 billion in PLN) for the preparation of Lvov and the surrounding area for Euro 2012. One third of that amount is to be provided by investors. The thing is that it is not known exactly what investors and the investors themselves do not know yet about the resolution concerning their money.

It is expected that about 1 million fans will come to Poland for Euro 2012. Several thousand volunteers will be needed to serve and support so many people. There are plans to train 600 volunteers in Gdansk, Poznan and Wroclaw each, and 1,000 in Warsaw. The volunteers are expected to know - what? where? when? and be able to say it in English. Not really much, but ...

Folding chairs (the type of Stuttgart) in blue are being installed on the stadium in Poznan. This option is more expensive than so-called bucket seats. Choosing the more expensive option means that the thrifty Poznanians must really love football - good-sounding version, and the fact that there is a sponsor who has covered the difference in the price - the real version, as it seems.

At the stadium construction in Gdansk (Baltic Arena, or PGE Arena not paid yet)  assembling of the elements of the roof structure has begun. The construction completion date - 21 January 2011 is closing due to schedule in an exemplary way.

Lechia Gdansk intends to build a football training centre in the Municipality of Pruszcz Gdanski. Appropriate steps have already been taken. The lucky town for footballers will be Bystra (at the outlet to Elblag). 12 pitches will be built on an area of 12 hectares at the cost of 12 million PLN. The completion of the investment at the end of 2012. Of course, the centre is to be exemplary in the country. It is strange, but each such centre is called an exemplary one. This way there will not be any normal facilities in Poland, but only exemplary ones. But, according to a higher-order logic – all exemplary means all normal. That is the whole truth about boasting.

The lowest bid for the construction of telecommunication network of the National Stadium was made by Qumak - Secom company (32.4 million PLN). For those interested we explain that the company has nothing to do with the frogs   or “The Call of the Toad” - the film based on the novel by Gunter Grass.

UEFA Director, Martin Kallen himself came to visit Poland once again. He paid visits to the stadium construction sites  and the airports under modernizations. However, more than about Poland, he spoke about Ukraine – since things are getting hard there and nobody knows the final.

UEFA Director, Lukas Acherman paid visits to places applying for the position of accommodation centres for football teams competing in Euro 2012. In our area he saw MOSiR in Gdansk and GOSiR in Gdynia. He also entered the hotels: Oliwski Manor, Seaside Hotel, Haffner Hotel (same, in which Andrei Golota punched an obtrusive client), the Grand (from which Vladimir Putin admired the beauty of the bay of Gdansk), and Sheraton. Mr. Lukas also made short field trips. He looked around in Gniewino, Puck and Wladyslawowo. After three days he packed up and went away. The rest is up to the officials to comply. They will soon issue an official directory of accommodation centres for Euro 2012. The teams starting in the European Championships will have a look at the directory and choose where they are going to stay and train.

At the stadium construction in Lvov everyone has some problems. The workers there earn around 2,000 hryvnia per month (it is some of our 650 PLN) and the construction manager cannot obtain the technical drawings from the designer. So the delay in the construction continue growing. I hope these and other issues will not outgrown our eastern neighbours.

At the Municipal Stadium in Poznan (arena of Euro 2012) blue seats will be installed.

20,000 people came to see the stadium in Gdansk (Baltic Arena / Arena PGE) during the open day on 23 April 2010. Old and young, women and children, fans and not-fans - all admired the pace of work. The stadium is growing like a weed. Prior to this, 5,000 came here on the first open day (27 September 2009). At the first match in the summer of 2011 - we know it already well - 44,000 fans will appear. There is no other way.

Tough talks between the G-5 group (the cities-organizers of Euro 2012 and the Polish government) and the transnational giant – UEFA have begun. The main subject is the distribution of profits. The mere sale of television and marketing rights means over 1 billion revenue for UEFA. So those willing to split the cake will be really many. Who will get which piece of cake is not known yet. One thing is certain – soft extortions and pre-set solutions will take place. All to a greater glory of ... UEFA.

Michel Platini summed up his visit to Ukraine and a meeting with President Viktor Yanukovych. He stated out that he presented the Ukrainian side clear conditions – no EURO 2010 without the stadium in Kiev. It may be also possible to carry out the championship in four Polish cities and 2 Ukrainian ones.

PGE Energy Group does not intend to pay in April 2010 for the right to use the name and image of the stadium being built in Gdansk (i.e. the future PGE Arena). The agreement was to be signed on April 9. PGE authorities have asked for another 60-day shifting in negotiations. It seems that PGE has a free promotion of its brand. In December 2009 Gdańsk authorities announced a successful purchase and they began to use the name of PGE Arena Gdańsk (although this name was not paid for). The humble press conformed to this and also jumped on the new name. Recently, PGE issued a statement which reads as follows: “Cases in which PGE name appeared along with the name of the stadium, were not initiated by us.” With all this confusion, one thing is certain - it seems that someone hastens too much, and someone else washes his hands of and draws media (marketing) benefits out of the promotion of the trademark. As for now, the stadium is Gdansk is still Baltic Arena ...

Trias SA Company became technology partner of the Stadium of Gdansk (Baltic Arena / Arena PGE). With the sum of 87 million PLN they won the tender for the telecommunication systems equipment in the arena of Euro 2012.

Together with the beginning of spring, Michel Platini became active and went to Ukraine. He informed everybody interested that the Euro 2012 takes place in 2012, not 2013 and that there is little time left. The Ukrainians believed him. And Platini himself also believed that the Ukrainians believed him.

It turned out that in the modernized Olympic Stadium in Kiev there are 7,000 seats from which you will not see the pitch. With the current technology it is not a problem, though. After all, sitting in the stadium you can listen to the relation of the match on the radio in your mobile phone.

60 cm of concrete was poured over the entire surface of the future pitch of the National Stadium in Warsaw. The next step prior to laying the green grass will be installing drainage and turf heating system. In May 2011 the pitch will be green and ready to play. In September, football players from Poland and Germany will step out on the stadium. September, Poland, Germany. Times are changing very much.

At the stadium in Gdansk (Baltic Arena, or PGE Arena not paid yet), assembling of steel frames, which are the construction of the façade and roof of the stadium has begun. The frames (82 pieces) are high at 40 meters (100 metres long). On the steel structure polycarbonate panels in the colour of amber will be installed. The roof will be maintained by the 6 bearing towers.

Wroclaw stadium construction fails to proceed in comparison with other cities organizers in Poland. The stadium  failure is being compensated at the airport, though. The city is a leader in adapting the airport for Euro 2012. The way for taxiing is already completed. Construction of the new terminal has reached the height of the second floor. In September 2011 when our players will be playing their first match at the National Stadium in Warsaw, in Wroclaw first plane will land at the newly renovated and modernized airport.

In September 2010 the first Polish stadium for Euro 2012, a Municipal Stadium in Poznan will be opened. Then, in construction of the stadiums we will be losing to Ukraine only 2:1, not 2:0. In our eastern neighbour two EURO 2012 stadiums are already in full use (in Donetsk and Kharkov).

On September 6, 2011, Poland will play a match against Germany at the National Stadium in Warsaw. The stadium is currently under construction and will be an arena of Euro 2012.

Azovintex - the contractor of the stadium in Lvov was thrown out from the building site (as Mostostal Wroclaw). The new consortium takes over the site in the nearest weeks. Azovintex was also ousted from the construction of the Lvov airport runway. The new contractor will be Altkom company (from Donbas).

UEFA President Michel Platini has spoken very sharply about the delays in the stadium construction in Kiev. It can be seen by on-line cameras how little is being done there (our sub-tab in Kiev EN-AU fotobudowy).

The largest elements of the stadium - huge 66-ton steel frames have begun to arrive in Gdansk. There will be 82 of them. Because this part of the structure is 100 meters long (45 meters high - the shape of a boomerang) it is assembled on the building site. The ‘tiny things’ are coming in parts straight from Gliwice. The elements will be lifted by a crawler crane with the capacity of 500 tonnes.

UEFA Executive Committee members at the meeting in Tel Aviv acknowledged that they have a contingency plan to reduce the number of cities organizers of Euro 2012. According to the report there are very serious delays in Wroclaw and Lvov. Kiev also has five-month backlog in the schedule.

At the Council of Europe there is something like the Committee for the excesses of fans. In the Council of Europe there is also a group which contributes to international police cooperation – so called Think Tank. Experts from these organizations will help Poland and Ukraine in ensuring security during Euro 2012.

The Ukrainian government has taken over the financing of the modernization of airports in Kiev and Lvov.

Vladimir Kovalevsky became the new head of the government's Coordinating Office for Euro 2012 in Ukraine. The new head is an MP from the Ukrainian Party of Regions. He is associated with the newly built stadium for Euro 2012 - Donbass Arena (at stadium management).

The government of Ukraine has offered to the authorities of Lvov financing the construction of the stadium and the infrastructure surrounding it. This means that in the future the Lvov officials will have a smaller impact on the management of the stadium.

The new President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych has stated that in his opinion private business should be more involved in the preparations for Euro 2012.

In Ukraine, the president has changed, and so has the government. Boris Kolesnikov - the new Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine became responsible for preparations for Euro 2012. In addition to this position he is also vice president of football club Shakhtar Donetsk.

The new Deputy Prime Minister immediately paid visits to the construction site and investments held in Lvov. The estimation ended up with criticism. The biggest concern raised the pace of work at the Lvov airport. It seems that the new authorities in Ukraine (President and government) will do away with the mess and delay.

At the Poznan city stadium the installation of the roof structure and stands completing is taking place now. The modernisation of the stadium – a football arena for European Championships in 2012, is to be completed by the end of June. Then there will be technical approvals and in the beginning of October Poznan will be the first Polish city to have the stadium ready for Euro 2012.

A discussion about the problems of Polish sport in the context of Euro 2012 took place in Poznan. Talking heads correctly identified the crux of the matter: the level of football in the West is high. In Poland, the level is low. We have to chase to catch up. Unfortunately, applying these simple physical principles to catch up with someone who runs fast means that you need to run even faster than him. This can be seen on the pitch during a match. Catching-up with the West does not make much sense. Especially given that we are slowly being overtaken by the Eastern teams - Ukraine and Russia. We’d better start playing with long kicks and using the head. Another issue discussed was the money. The value of the business associated with football in Europe is estimated at 12 billion euro. Football in Poland has little (virtually none) participation in this amount. Euro 2012 is to change it.

Silesia Wroclaw team is to be a football power after 2012. The plan is as follows: in front of the stadium (the arena of Euro 2012) a shopping mall will be built. The income from the shopping centre will be invested in the football team. Having the money, the football team will beat its opponents without mercy. Thus the Head of the Supervisory Board of Silesia Wroclaw says.

Who can spoil a promising business - officials. Such simple truth was discovered by officers of the Ukrainian Security Service. It was revealed that the budgetary allocations for the modernization of training facilities for the European Football Championships in Lvov have been wasted.

Led by curiosity, experts from UEFA came to see how a stadium is not being built in Wroclaw. Because there isn’t a stadium yet, they saw what they needed... on the plans. The spec group operated under a code name - venue management. Venue Management is a wonderful term – a key word for management of large sports facilities. The experts also visited three other cities - organizers of Euro 2012. In Warsaw, Gdansk and Poznan, the delegation saw a lot more than in Wroclaw. They discussed, for example, a mobility concept, e.g. how to use public transport and private cars, so as to make it convenient and efficient. It seems that venue management and mobility concept will allow us, the Poles, to finally win with such problems as a hole in the road or traffic jam.

2,000 volunteers are to handle Euro 2012 in Lvov. They should be familiar with at least two foreign languages. The advantage will be knowledge of Polish. 25% of those volunteers who have registered for the championships service will support the so-called "UEFA family" that is, activists and activists’ friends. We do not know yet what the volunteers will say about Lvov and its history, but an exchange between fellow nations - Poland and Ukraine - is already planned. A joint project of training volunteers from Lvov and Wroclaw is to be launched. During the meetings, certainly the added value will occur (e.g. a greater number of volunteers).

The construction of the stadium for Euro 2012 in Wroclaw stopped in January and February, and since Lvov is a twin city for Wroclaw, the construction in Lvov also stopped for a few days. In Poland, the reason for stagnation is throwing the former contractor out from the construction, and in Ukraine - the building incompatible with the project. Both reasons are good for relaxation. After all, the construction of the stadium is also a kind of sport and the excitement resulting from several months’ delay will increase the value of the competition. At construction sites in Warsaw and Gdansk everything is in due time. In Poznan the building is bound to finish. (The building in Kiev can be monitored live in our subtab - Kiev, in the tab PL - UA fotobudowy).

Trias SA Company, Torun, has put forward the best tender offer for technology partnership of the stadium in Gdansk (PGE Arena). With nearly 90 million PLN (gross) within eight months (from signing the contract) they will have to complete the sound system, monitoring, cable television and such other tele-technical systems in the whole object.

Production of steel girders for the huge roof construction of the stadium in Gdansk (PGE Arena) has started in Wielun. A single piece of the structure weighs 66 tons, is 84 meters in length (its shape resembles a boomerang) and does not fit in any production hall in Poland. Installation of the whole construction will be made on the spot in Gdansk.

Agreement was reached between a former contractor of the stadium in Wroclaw, Mostostal Warszawa SA, and the authorities of Wroclaw. The consortium (led by Mostostal) will pay only 16 million penalty for not fulfilling the contract (Wroclaw threatened with five times higher penalty). Mutual lawsuits will be withdrawn. In addition, the contractor has agreed to leave their ‘toys’ (such as construction equipment, cranes) at the stadium for use by Max Boegl.

An American company SMG (SMG Europe Limited Ltd) will manage the football stadium of Wroclaw. The agreement was signed for 12 years. The cost of the management is 7 million PLN per year. As the first thing the specialists from across the ocean are expected to give advise concerning the equipment of the future arena for Euro 2012. They will also deal with the sale of naming rights of the stadium. After completing the construction of the whole complex time will come for organizing entertainment events, rock concerts, fairs, congresses and, of course, football games. The SMG company is currently managing nine stadiums around the world.

Bankers are calculating how much money the fans are bound to leave at the World Cup 2010 in South Africa. They came up to the sum of about two billion U.S. dollars. It sounds very optimistic before our Euro 2012.

Although Euro 2012 is far away, the race to host Euro 2016 has already started. France, Italy and Turkey stood up in the contest. 24 teams will play in 2016 (51 games). As we know, in 2012 there will be 31 games and the battle between 16 teams.

On May 28 we'll find out who will be the next organizer of the Euro after us.

The head of UEFA - Michel Platini has announced that he intends to introduce anti-corruption legislation. Each player caught on corruption will be disqualified for life. The same applies to judges, activists and trainers.

The PGE Supervisory Board has approved the purchase of the naming rights for the Gdansk Stadium. What is left now is just to wait for the signing of an agreement between the PGE Board and the City of Gdansk and for the promotion of our beautiful (under construction) stadium for Euro 2012 - PGE Arena Gdansk (a former working name - Baltic Arena).

UEFA's official website (see link to it in the upper right corner of our service) is already in a dozen languages. Over a few past days also in Polish and Ukrainian. We’re approaching the common football Europe with great strides. The year 2012 will be the final dot. Yet we’re still lacking the representation (under construction - like most our stadiums).

Delegates of 53 football federations. Broadcast to 100 countries. Half a billion viewers. More than 600 journalists. Transport column from the Warsaw airport at Okecie consisting of over 70 vehicles. 160 bilingual volunteers. 80 people from the logistics. Tonnes of specialized equipment (32 oversized trucks). Hundreds of well-known football activists. These are the trifles that built up a 45-minute draw of elimination groups for Euro 2012 in Warsaw. And additionally – hot apple pie as dessert for participants of the event.

In the Palace of Culture (a building 5 years older than the European Championships) in Warsaw the distribution into the elimination groups for Euro 2012 was performed. The draw was made by renowned Polish and Ukrainian football players: Zbigniew Boniek, Andriy Shevchenko, Andrzej Szarmach and Oleg Blokhin. The whole ceremony was conducted by the UEFA General Secretary, Gianni Infantino. The ceremony was opened by Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk.
Here are the results of the draw:

Group A: Germany, Turkey, Austria, Belgium, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan,
Group B: Russia, Slovakia, Ireland, Macedonia, Armenia, Andorra;
Group C: Italy, Serbia, Ireland Wed., Slovenia, Estonia, Faroe Islands,
Group D : France, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Albania, Luxembourg,
Group E: Germany, Sweden, Finland, Hungary, Albania, San Marino,
Group F: Croatia, Greece, Israel, Latvia, Georgia, Malta,
Group G: England , Switzerland, Bulgaria, Wales, Montenegro,
Group H: Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Cyprus, Iceland,
Group I: Spain, Czech Republic, Scotland, Lithuania, Liechtenstein.
The television gala was conducted by a 31 year-old Ukrainian, Maria Jefrosinina and our man - Peter Sobczynski.

The situation of the stadium construction in Lvov has come to the point of signing a “paper” (agreement) between the investor: Lvov City Council, the chief designer: ArenaCom GmbH and the contractor: Azovintex company. Previously, a designer and contractor had each their own opinions about the construction. German meticulousness failed to meet the Ukrainian fantasy. Now, after signing the relevant documents, there will be no mercy. At least two shifts with at least 200 workers on a shift. The government is going to throw additional 50 million hryvna for the stadium. Yet nobody knows when – typical for the East. Having learnt about this fact M. Platini shifted the date of the inspection of Lvov for spring months (officially – due to bad weather conditions).

Two first seats for the future PGE Arena Gdansk (Baltic Arena)have arrived at the Gdansk headquarters of BIEG 2012 company. One for ordinary mortals, the second one for VIP-s (upholstered in elegant skin). The rest of the delivery is expected this autumn.

Miron Markiewicz (born 1951) became new coach of Ukraine's football team. The coach who was born in Lvov is of Polish origin and speaks Polish very well. He has coached Metalist Kharkiv (1 / 8 finals in the UEFA Cup 2009). Apart from sport he is also interested in music and fine arts. His assistant will be Yuri Kalitvintsev.

Mostostal Warszawa has finally descended from the construction of the Wroclaw stadium. A German company, Max Boegl can take over the construction of the Wroclaw arena and start chasing the date of its expected completion in June 2011. The backlog is estimated at 5 months but the situation is under control, as the city authorities ensure. By the way, the Mostostal Consortium can boast with an impressive world record - five-month delay generated during nine months of work.

Students from the Academy of Physical Education in Poznan will take practice at the Euro Poznan 2012 company. That seems a great initiative of the Academy with its coaching and sports facilities management  faculties  and the company  - organizer of Euro 2012 in Poznan.

An oil concern Castrol along with Adidas is the second global sponsor of Euro 2012. Castrol is also the official sponsor of FIFA World Cup in South Africa in 2010.

As reported by the Ukrainian media, Lvov airport will keep on working during the building of the new runway. We can only guess that the new runway will be built next to the old one (where planes will be taking off and landing at this time).  

According to Polish organizational offices, the January frosts (below minus 10 degrees) are interfering with the construction of stadiums for Euro 2012. The biggest problem is the so-called “human factor”. Simply speaking, people are freezing cold on the sites. They need help. It means – they have to work shorter and rotate more often. Some time ago such problems were unknown. In case of frost the workers used to sit in cosy shelters sipping over this-and-that... Today it is no longer possible. The world is changing, the building sites are changing and so are the working habits. Only the frosts in January stay the same.

The frost is not a problem at the stadium in Wroclaw. No one has appeared on the site for several days after changing the main contractor. The new building company (Max Boegl) will not show up until February.

To see what is going on with the construction of the stadium in Kiev, Supreme Council of Ukraine established a special Extraordinary Commission. The special Extraordinary Commission concluded in an ordinary way that there is a 5-months’ delay in the construction of the stadium for Euro 2012. The relevant minister (of sports) does not agree with the allegations. He claims that everything is according to plan and schedule. The delay too. Just like with the Polish railways - the delay of the train is scheduled in accordance with the agreed timetable. Poetry.

40 “great ones” went to Turkey for a training meeting. They will train, listen to lectures and practise referee skills.  To apply for Euro 2012, Polish referees have to be sound and fit and also win against the competitors. At stake is the prestige, money, and performances at the football European Championships.

In Warsaw, at the seminar on  Security of UEFA EURO 2012, English achievements in the fight against threats and hooliganism on stadiums were presented.

It was supposed to be so beautiful, and will be just as always.  Before Euro 2012 we will not speed down the A1 motorway to the border with the Czech Republic. The selection of the concessionaire for the highway section Strykow - Pyrzowice lasted several years. Finally, a private consortium which was to build this segment said it was unable to arrange funds for the investment. Therefore this piece of A1 will be built by the government (i.e. GDDKiA). The cost of the 180-km - 7.5 billion PLN.

The first elements of the steel roof construction from Cimolai plants (1300 kilometers from Warsaw) have reached the building site of the National Stadium.

In the summer of 2009 Lvov issued bonds amounting to 100 million Hryvna (about $ 12.5 million) to raise funds for the construction of the stadium for Euro 2012 . The bonds were bought by the Ukrainian UkrEximBank (a state bank). In January 2010 it turned out that Lvov is unable to get access to its own money from the bonds. It is not as bad as it might seem - at least it is known where the money is.

Can a football team captain, a Dominican father and a rapper have anything in common with each other? They can. 35-year-old Bartosz Bosacki (captain of Lech Poznan), 62-year-old Jan Gora (Doctor of Theology) and 28-year-oldMezo (i.e. Jacek Mejer) are ambassadors of Euro 2012 in Poznan. The ambassadors are to promote the Euro UEFA Cup.

Another successful landing of German specialists in Ukraine. Our western neighbours will help our eastern neighbours to adjust the stadium in Kharkov to UEFA requirements (because of Euro 2012). Ukrainians will also learn from the Germans what name of the stadium in Kharkov is appropriate. A similar consulting is also run in Lvov.

A report by NIK (Supreme Chamber of Control) does not leave a dry thread while estimating the staging of works: roads, railways and airport expansion - in preparations for Euro 2012. Everybody knows what roads and airports in Poland are like, however, problems related to our railways are not much of a surprise either. Every little child knows that a Polish train looks best ... in advertising brochures.

General contractor for the National Stadium in Warsaw has signed subcontract deals for electrical (with Elektrobudowa SA Qumak - Sekom SA, Agate SA) and sanitary equipment (with Imtech Sp. Z oo) in the stadium.

Michel Platini handed the ball with the logo of Euro 2012 and with his own handwritten autograph for the auction of Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity (organized by Jurek Owsiak).

Wroclaw authorities signed an agreement with Max Boegl - a new contractor for the stadium in Wroclaw. Max Boegl company has recently completely rebuilt BayArena (for Bayer Leverkusen), so they are good. Wroclaw realized that there not always pays to choose the cheaper ones. It was Max Boegl that lost the tender with Mostostal Warsaw. Wroclaw had chosen a cheaper offer - Mostostal (about 730 million PLN). Max Boegl suggested the price of 755 million PLN and they eventually took the second place on the tender list. Now Mostostal descends defeated in the battle, and the German company wins. Fortune changes...

The stadium in Gdansk - Baltic Arena - in the new year 2010 is ... still the stadium in Gdansk  called Baltic Arena.   A formal contract for the purchase of the name is suspended, i.e. not signed yet because it is not approved by the Supervisory Board of the PGE S.A. company ( the official buyer of the naming rights). All services and portals that call the Gdansk Stadium - the PGE Arena are doing a free promotion for our venerable energy company.

The city of Wroclaw is charging a fine for the consortium Mostostal Warszawa SA with whom the contract for the construction of the stadium for Euro 2012 was resolved on 30/12/2009. The penalty is 10 percent of the entire value of the contract, i.e. about 73 million PLN.  A contract to build the stadium was signed in April 2009. In January 2010 Mostostal has to step away from the building site. They walked in, they looked around, they left. The UEFA authorities, Polish Minister of Sport (Adam Giersz) and chairman of Polish Football Association (Grzegorz Lato) have been informed about the termination of the contract.