UEFA finally revealed the bids yesterday for the European Football Cup of 2012. As rumours had suggested, Poland was amongst the hopeful entrants, this time in a joint bid with the Ukraine.
Other countries that are trying their luck are Greece, Italy, Romania, Russia, Turkey and surprise candidate Azerbaijan. One other joint bid was put forward, by Croatia and Hungary.
The ten entrants will be whittled down to three later this year. Full dossiers from each bidder must be submitted by July, from which a short-list will be declared in November.
Politically, the joint Polish Ukrainian bid is an interesting one. Poles are keen to integrate the Ukraine into the European Union, and President Aleksander Kwasniewski was feted by Western minded Ukrainians for his help in defusing the recent electoral crisis.
Poland and Ukraine are undergoing a thaw in relations after the segregation of the Cold War era. Owing to emotive territorial disputes and the bloody legacy of the Second World War, Soviet authorities allowed virtually no travel between the two countries during the communist era.
Since the fall of the Berlin Wall relations have improved, and the accession of Europe oriented President Viktor Yuschchenko promises to further ameliorate the situation.
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