JOHN MARONE, KYIV
SMILEY FACE ON A FOOTBALL
If there is one thing that has been hard to change in independent Ukraine, it's the country's image. Maybe that's why Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, who has seen his own near demigod image from the 2004 Orange Revolution reduced to that of a mere man desperate to be re-elected, is so keen on successfully hosting the European football championship in 2012. It took almost a generation for Ukraine to rid itself of the past stigma of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster, with a string of journalist murders and military accidents along the way only slowing the process. Now, amid the country's continuing political gridlock and the uncertainty of its further economic growth, Euro-2012, second only to the World Cup among soccer tournaments, has come to symbolize the future of Orange Ukraine's dream of European integration. But as with most dreams, Ukraine may be due for a wake-up call.
During a visit to Kyiv on July 3 by President of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Michel Platini to check Ukraine's progress in preparing for the sports event, Mr. Yushchenko tried to assure the public that everything was going according to schedule.
"As of today, we can say with confidence that we have full mutual understanding and have completely fulfilled those obligations taken on by Ukraine," the president told a press conference following his meeting with Platini.
Yushchenko was particularly anxious to dispel nagging concerns that Ukraine might have its hosting privileges canceled by the UEFA for falling behind on infrastructure projects.
"He (Platini) was pleased with the meetings (held with Yushchenko and other Ukrainian officials) ... If there had been the need to announce that some decision had been taken, something perhaps critical, it would have been announced today," the Ukrainian leader said.
As an example of results already achieved, Yushchenko confirmed an agreement with the government to resolve issues related to the renovation of regional airports and the allotment of $5 billion for road repairs in preparation for the championship.
"These are guarantees by the Ukrainian government, in the framework of which all corporative projects for the construction and infrastructure of roads have been supported," Yushchenko said.
However, the visiting UEFA official was reluctant to share the Ukrainian president's optimism.
"The next three months will be very decisive for Ukraine," he told journalists following his meeting with Yushchenko, suggesting that Ukraine still might be cancelled as a venue for Euro-2012.
When questioned for more details, Mr. Platini remained non-commital.
Kyiv Mayor Leonid Chernovetsky, a presidential ally, tried to shore up the campaign for greater optimism.
"There is no doubt that Kyiv will be the football capital of Euro-2012. Both the Kyiv authorities and I, as the mayor, will do everything to give millions of Kyiv and Ukrainian football fans a genuine football holiday," reads a statement released by the Mayor's office on July 3.
But despite having more resources than any region of the country, Kyiv is also dragging its feet on the building of badly needed hotels, the development of public transportation and the renovation of stadium space.
And as time runs short, politicians such as Chernovetsky are proving themselves better prepared for the blame game than hosting a sports championship.
Chernovetsky has accused Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's government of "wasting time" in the resolution of a dispute over a Kyiv football stadium.
And with presidential elections scheduled for next year, the accusations will really start to fly if UEFA allows another country to host Euro-2012 instead of Ukraine.
The threat of such an outcome started coming to the surface a few months back in Ukraine itself.
In late May, Anatoly Kinakh, former prime minister and current president of Ukraine’s Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, told journalists that the sporting event was endangered by the country’s investment climate. In particular, he said that continuing corruption and stalled privatization sales were hurting investor trust.
"The absence of a definite system of management and coordination of actions, the lack of legislation on simplication of regulatory procedures for investors, including the creation of so-called one-stop registration, makes the possibility of Euro-2012's cancellation very real," he warned.
Earlier that month, Yevhen Chervonenko, the head of the national agency charged with preparing for the tournament, said official red tape was responsible for holding up construction and renovation projects.
"The problem of numerous permits is the biggest obstacle to preparations for Euro-1012," he told an investment forum in Kyiv dedicated to the sporting event.
The head of Ukraine's Football Federation, Ihor Surkis, said during the same forum that the problem is a lack of investment, two thirds of which is supposed to come from private sources.
"The investment component is of a strictly declarative nature. That means that the clear fulfillment of the plan is taking on elements of uncertainty. Therefore, this could lead to a disruption of the deadlines for holding Euro-2012," he said.
The city of Moscow claimed to have spent $30 million to organize and hold this year's final match of the UEFA League of Champions.
Speaking in Lviv a month earlier, Surkis confirmed other challenges facing the Ukrainian authorities, such as airports, roads, public transportation, hotels and stadiums - none of which he said meet UEFA standards.
"We are once again standing on the threshold of another crisis due to the chronic violation of specific UEFA deadlines," he said.
Also facing the UEFA challenge is Poland, Ukraine's partner country in hosting Euro-2012.
But as a full-fledged member of the EU and NATO, Warsaw is apparently more confident of its organizational skills.
Like Yushchenko, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said his country was moving along according to schedule, during a visit to his country by Platini.
Although Mr. Platini was as cautious in his appraisal of Poland's efforts as he was of Ukraine's, that didn't stop Polish officials from jumping the gun.
Polish Minister of Sport Miroslav Drzewiecki was quoted in the press as saying that his country could take on more matches if Ukraine turns out to be unprepared.
"If problems turn up in Ukraine, the most important matches will be played in Warsaw," he was quoted as saying in the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza.
Poland's citizens are also charged up over Euro-2012. A poll conducted earlier this year showed that 52 percent of Poles, as compared to only 36 percent of Ukrainians, are concerned about how they will be perceived to have hosted the sports event.
The most enthusiastic supporter of Ukraine's hosting campaign has been President Yushchenko, who has been equally tireless in his overall efforts to steer his country west. And as he continues to come up against numerous and formidable challenges to fulfilling his dream, he has nothing else to do but put on a good face.
John Marone, a columnist of Eurasian Home website, Kyiv, Ukraine
July 8, 2008
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