While the clock ticks down to the Euro 2012 draw in Ukraine tomorrow, organisers in fellow host country Poland say they are ready for anything as they wait to learn which nations will play where.
“We’re really coming down to the very practical moment,” said Marcin Herra, boss of PL.2012, the body supervising 300 interlinked projects for the European Championships, from stadiums to hotels and road and rail networks to airports.
The draw in Kiev will end months of speculation over who among the 16 qualified teams will play in which of eight cities.
The hosts will be watching like hawks – and not only to see who their on-pitch adversaries are, because match location is a top issue at the quadrennial showcase.
Fan-magnets England, Portu-gal, Sweden, Germany and Holland all qualified. A team’s support level impacts accommodation, transport and security.
Besides Warsaw, Poland’s venues are Gdansk on the Baltic, Poznan in the west, and Wroclaw in the southwest.
“I can’t wait until Friday, when all the question marks will be answered,” said Rafal Kapler, head of Warsaw’s National Stadium, due to open next month.
Poland know they kick off Euro 2012 in the capital on June 8, play their second match there on June 12, and wrap up Group A on June 16 in Wroclaw.
Ukraine will play on home turf in Group D.
The other given is that top seeds Holland and reigning champions Spain will play either in Group C in Gdansk or Group B in Ukraine.
“We’re working on the scenario that if we have Holland in Gdansk – and there’s a 50 per cent chance – then we’ll have more supporters coming by car, bus and train,” said Herra.
“But if we have the second option, Spain, then we’ll have the demand on the air side.”
UEFA caught pundits out in 2007 by picking Poland and Ukraine over hosting favourites Italy and joint bidders Hungary and Croatia.
It marks the first edition behind the former Iron Curtain.
Euro 2012 means more for Poland than hosting an estimated one million fans over a three-week tournament. Most projects are not directly sport-linked and are seen as crucial to the economy.
Poland’s Euro 2012-related investment tallies 90 billion zloty (€20 billion).
Ninety per cent is state funding, with around half of that in turn from the European Union – 2004 entrant Poland can tap coffers that help poorer members catch up.
“Euro 2012 is a great occasion. Firstly to improve our infrastructure not only stadiums but also roads, railways and hotels.
“And then to improve our image on the international market,” said Katarzyna Sobierajska, deputy sports and tourism minister.