Ukraine has been given the official all-clear by UEFA and will definitely co-host next year’s European Championships with Poland. Following an internal dispute within the Ukrainian Football Federation, which had attracted the unwelcome – in UEFA’s eyes – attention of some politicians, the country’s role in Euro 2012 was placed in jeopardy.
Europe’s governing football body demanded an end to the dispute and an assurance of non-political interference with an ultimate threat of suspension from all international competition for the country’s football teams.
This it got from no less than the President of Ukraine himself, in a move which some critics may interpret as political interference. President Viktor Yanukovych assured UEFA that meddling from politicians in the country’s football affairs would cease forthwith, during a visit to Poland last week.
"As far as I know, this conflict has ended. I told them it was time for a moratorium in this conflict, and to unite around this event which is of prime national importance," he told reporters in Warsaw.
UEFA have finally cleared the air with an official statement. Although it has taken them five days after the deadline they set for an assurance from the Ukranian Football Federation that it was operating free of political interference.
“Following the information provided by the Football Federation of Ukraine (FFU) last Friday, FIFA and UEFA responded on 9th February to the FFU, mentioning that the latest developments are seen positively and that this is an important step forward to unify and strengthen football in Ukraine.
“Under these circumstances, we are convinced that there will be no need to suspend the FFU, but they will continue to monitor the situation over the next few weeks to have confirmation that the situation in Ukrainian football is definitely stabilised. FIFA and UEFA had given until 4th February to the FFU to provide assurances that external interference in the running of the federation had ceased and that the current leadership of the FFU would be able to fulfil its current term until the autumn of 2012.”
So all is well that ends well – for the time being.
Such is the power of football. Ukraine’s co-host Poland was issued with a similar warning in 2008 following government interference in matters of corruption within the game.
Hopefully though no European countries will go to war over politics as El Salvador and Honduras did in 1969, in what has become known as ‘The Football War’. Although a conflict had been simmering between the neighbouring central American countries for some time, the four day war was sparked off when El Salvador beat Honduras in a qualifier for the 1970 World Cup.
