Khviedar Skrajnovich

The European soccer championship is being prepared inch by inch in offices of an impressive skyscraper not far away from the Warszawa-Centralna train station. The big surfaces and the number of their inhabitants (a bit over twenty) allow modeling not only organizational matters but some meetings in the framework of the future competition as well.
I will remind that in 2012 the sports feast with the biggest fan audience in Europe will take place in two countries: Poland and Ukraine. Here and there preparations are already in full swing, and they are being accompanied more often by permanent scandals in newsreels than by reports on the latest constructed site. Among the latest news is the ouster of the Polish minister for sports who did not stand up against accusations in lobbying interests of some gambling firms. He did not stand up against them to the extent that he ran away from his own press conference. And in Ukraine only one city has been confirmed so far, and problems with hotels exist, and the financing has to be pushed through the Supreme Rada practically with fighting, and finally a construction worker from Donetsk was beaten in Lviv. At least, this is how preparations to Euro-2012 look like through monitors, newspapers, and television. But in cordial conversations with Polish press secretary Juliusz Głuski the situation does not seem so dirty and depressive, and the official of Euro 2012 Poland finds many positive moments even on the other side of the border.
We were able to meet Mr. Głuski in the framework of the visit “Poland 89 – Belarus 91 – inequivalent changes”, organized by the Center for International Relations in Warsaw. The conversable fellow speaking Russian with a perfect accent and some Ukrainian, and understanding Belarusian, told us about the structure of preparations, the main players and relations between them, and responded to numerous questions.
About Squabbles
Responsibility for preparing the infrastructure in Ukraine and Poland is assumed by governmental agencies (the Coordinating Council and PL 2012 respectively), and the heated discussion between Yushchenko and all others was namely about money for this kind of organization. But the responsibility for the “show” (it means, Euro-2012 minus stadiums and roads) must be assumed by the nongovernmental entities Euro 2012 Poland and Euro 2012 Ukraine expressly created by UEFA. But as it happened, the government official is the same elsewhere, and when some journalist with no understanding of situation calls the government about the future schedule of the championship, they will not loose the opportunity to promote themselves, at least by talking about some schedule. Naturally, such irresponsibility of government officials cannot please UEFA.
UA – PL
On the whole, relations between Ukrainian and Polish organizers are friendly, because both parties have the same powers, and the responsibilities are shared strictly by territory. “We do what we can to help them, and they do what they can to help us”. According to Juliusz Głuski, one of the advantages of the yellow-blue ones is, strange as it may seem, the presence of oligarchs, who help to build several elements of the future European championship very quickly. Among the most famous ones is the stadium in Donetsk, the best in Europe according to some opinions, which was built owing to the modest contribution of Rinat Akhmetov. “But oligarchs do not build roads. And we do not have oligarchs, and this is why it is the State which builds stadiums. But existing rich people, on the contrary, build toll roads for the championship; however, those are of questionable quality”. The system of volunteering has not been worked out yet in Ukraine, and in Poland they already have some, and this is why the latter advise the former. By the way, anyone may get in, and Mr. Głuski directed us to the UEFA web site www.uefa.com for further instructions about recruitment. As they say, “directed to nowhere”, because the author of this text has not found anything there yet. (If someone finds something, please, leave the link in comments, in case someone wants to volunteer).
Big-Time Politics, Big-Time Economy
The Polish hotels are very happy to host guests and participants of the European soccer championship and to reserve rooms for them. But not three years before the event. Who knows what happens with the exchange rate of euro? And with energy prices? And what if a crisis happens again? But they already have to report on the agreements on these issues to the main office of UEFA in Nyon.
As Mr. Głuski reassures us, Poles have no reasons to be unhappy in connection with holding of the championship. Relics of the past in downtowns are not destroyed on this occasion, trees are not hacked out and cobblestone pavement is not removed by excavators. On the contrary, transport routes are being built more actively, and the European Union’s funds allow feeling on rather a firm ground. Two billion zloty will be spent on the construction of the Warsaw stadium only. Also, there were plans to build new terminals in the airports in Warsaw and Poznan, to launch new metro lines, to open border crossings, to optimize transport connections between terminal stations and sports facilities. It is needless to mention the degree of interest of the tourist industry.
The card of Euro-2012 is already being played by some politicians; not all of them do it with equal success as it was demonstrated by the minister for sports. Donald Tusk, for example, got a lot of his pictures taken against the background of stadiums during the election campaign. And the society where the idea of holding the European championship has already become the national idea could not but notice it.
Visas
It is always a sore issue for a Belarusian, from Norviliškės to Lisbon. Nobody will bar from visiting Ukraine; however, you never know – the presidential election will be held there in January. As for Poland, the question is not clear at all, and its resolution is in the exclusive competence of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The recommendations of Euro 2012 Poland are unequivocal – guests of the stadiums of the European soccer championship 2012 should have free access to the country where the competition is being held. Mr. Głuski reassured us that he would like very much to see Belarusians there. And we replied to it: “If only we have a teem to root for”.