The Cardiff Victory

- And the host of the European Football Championships in 2012 is… Poland and Ukraine – announced UEFA President, Michel Platini taking out of an envelope a piece of paper with the names of our countries. Poland and Ukraine won with 8 votes of support in the first round of the voting of UEFA Executive Committee. 4 votes were in favour of Italy. Nobody voted for Croatia and Hungary.
 
UEFA voting started on 18th April at 9 a.m. The voting procedure was presented to Executive Committee members, who were then asked to cast their votes.

- There was no discussion immediately prior to the voting. – discloses Viacheslav Koloskov, a member of the UEFA Executive Committee on behalf of Russia. – Members simply cats their votes. – Koloskov said.

The members of the Executive Committee representing the competing bids – Grigorij Surkis, the head of the Ukrainian Football Federation and Dr Franco Carraro, a representative of Italy, did not participate in the voting.

In interview for Przegląd Sportowy Grigorij Surkis conformed that until the moment of the announcement of the winner he did not know who won in the UEFA voting. However he expected victory, which he stressed at a press conference held one day before.

- Michał Listkiewicz says that we will win in the second voting round. I say we will win in the first one. That’s for the record. – Surkis turned to journalists on 17th April.

Zdzisław Kręcina, the secretary general of the Polish Football Association, shared this view when he took his place in the Cardiff City Hall before the ceremony of the announcement of the winner.

The ceremony started at 10.30 a.m. with a 5-minute film presenting all three bids one after another – Italy, Croatia-Hungary and the final one: Poland-Ukraine. In line with the agreed schedule, the announcement was to take place at 10.37 a.m., which would allow television stations to make live coverage. Therefore at 10.35 a.m. Michel Platini was invited to the stage.

The words of Michel Platini met with a stormy response in Poland-Ukraine sector. People cried with joy. Italians could not believe their ears while Croatians and Hungarians headed for the exit. Even the accompanying Miss Croatia and Miss Hungary failed to convince UEFA.

Grigorij Surkis and Michał Listkiewicz came into the spotlight. They both took Platini’s place on the stage, where they warmly thanked for the chance given by UEFA to Poland and Ukraine.

Cardiff, 18th April 2007