FUNCHAL, Portugal (Reuters) – Ukrainian cities Kiev, Lviv, Donetsk and Kharkiv will host matches in the 2012 European soccer championship, UEFA said on Friday, with the capital confirmed as the venue for the final. European soccer’s governing body had delayed the decision over hosting matches in all the proposed Ukrainian cities except Kiev after the slow progress of infrastructure projects.

Continue Reading

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Sweden and Norway are likely to have to drop plans for a joint Euro 2016 bid after their governments told them they would not be providing the money needed for investment in stadiums.

The countries would have had to build new arenas or expand existing ones to host a European championship with 24 countries. The football associations had hoped their governments would provide funding for municipalities to invest in their arenas.

Continue Reading

MILAN (Reuters) – Twelve cities will hold matches at Euro 2016 if Italy wins the right to host the expanded competition, the Italian soccer federation said.

Bari, Bologna, Cagliari, Florence, Genoa, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Rome, Turin, Udine and Verona would all be used for the 2016 edition, which will be the first to include 24 teams.

Italy, which lost out on Euro 2012 to Poland and Ukraine, has several ageing stadiums but new grounds for Juventus in Turin and AS Roma in Rome are among those in the pipeline.

Continue Reading