Accusations that UEFA officials have sold the right to host the 2012 European Football Championship to Ukraine and Poland are rootless, Vyathceslav Koloskov, Honorary President of the Russian Football Union (RFU), said on Sunday.
Earlier, the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung reported that Ukraine and Poland are suspected of bribing football officials to win the UEFA bid to host the 2012 European Football Championship.
"I believe, all these talks and precedents are emerging amid the fight against corruption which has been unfolded in FIFA...Ukraine and Poland had no competitors when the votes for the right to host the 2012 Football Championship were held," Koloskov told RIA Novosti. "Croatia and Hungary also submitted a bid, but it was obvious that they have far less chance for success".
The joint bid by Poland and Ukraine was chosen by the UEFA's Executive Committee on April 18, 2007 in Cardiff, Wales, defeating the other shortlisted bids from Italy and Croatia/Hungary. The Poland/Ukraine bid received a total of eight votes and Italy received the remaining four while the Croatia/Hungary bid failed to win a single vote.
"Russia has strong rivals in the competition for hosting the 2018 Football Championship - Great Britain and the joint Spain/Portugal and Netherlands/Belgium bids. But in fact there were no alternatives to Ukraine and Poland," Koloskov added.
MOSCOW, October 24 (RIA Novosti)
