Poland continued the countdown to
the Euro 2012 football finals, which it will co-host with Ukraine, with
the opening of the purpose-built National Stadium in Warsaw on Sunday.
The new
50,000-seater arena is built on the site of the old 10th Anniversary
stadium, which was opened in 1955 and welcomed Pope John Paul II in
1983.
The new
50,000-seater arena is built on the site of the old 10th Anniversary
stadium, which was opened in 1955 and welcomed Pope John Paul II in
1983.
Construction on the
new stadium began in 2008, with Sunday's celebration marking the end of
four years' hard work. The first stone of the new arena was laid on
October 7, 2009.
Construction on the
new stadium began in 2008, with Sunday's celebration marking the end of
four years' hard work. The first stone of the new arena was laid on
October 7, 2009.
Fans were anxious to
see with new arena, with the first 40,000 to arrive being rewarded with
a free music festival and fireworks spectacular.
Fans were anxious to
see with new arena, with the first 40,000 to arrive being rewarded with
a free music festival and fireworks spectacular.
The stadium will
host the first match of Euro 2012, when Poland take on 2004 champions
Greece. It will also be the venue for one of the two semifinals.
The stadium will
host the first match of Euro 2012, when Poland take on 2004 champions
Greece. It will also be the venue for one of the two semifinals.
HIDE CAPTION
Bright future
Out with the old ...
... in with the new
First come, first served
Home hopes
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- The new National Stadium in the Polish capital of Warsaw was opened on Sunday
- Poland and Ukraine will host the forthcoming Euro 2012 football tournament
- The National Stadium will host the opening match between Poland and Greece on June 8
- It will also be a semifinal venue, with Poland set to play there for the first time on February 29
The newly-constructed
National Stadium in Warsaw will host the opening match of the
four-yearly tournament on June 8 when co-hosts Poland take on Euro 2004
winners Greece in Group A.
The first 40,000 fans to
arrive on Sunday were given the chance to see Polish pop acts including
VooVoo i Haydamaky, Zakopower, Coma, T. Love and Lady Pank.
The at the 50,000-seat
arena, which will also host a semifinal, was built on the site of the
old 10th Anniversary Stadium, which had stood since 1955 and welcomed
Pope John Paul II in 1983.
I hope that Poland's players play to their best, with the backing of thousands of local supporters
Adam Olkowicz
Adam Olkowicz
"I am very happy that the
National Stadium has been finally unveiled," Poland's tournament
director Adam Olkowicz told the website of European football's governing
body UEFA.
"It's the biggest Polish
venue for this year's final tournament. On June 8, we will witness the
opening ceremony here followed by the first match between Poland and
Greece.
"I hope that Poland's players play to their best, with the backing of thousands of local supporters."
On February 29,
Franciszek Smuda's Poland team will play in their new home for the first
time -- exactly 100 days before the start of Euro 2012 -- when they
take on Portugal, who boast players such as Real Madrid star Cristiano
Ronaldo.
The first football match
to be played at the stadium, located on the east bank of the river
Vistula, will be a Polish Super Cup clash between Legia Warsaw and Wisla
Krakow on February 11.
The National Stadium is
one of five venues built especially for the 14th European Championship,
which is being co-hosted with Ukraine, and one of three new stadia in
Poland.
The other two are the Arena Gdansk and the Municipal Stadium in Wroclaw.
Tymoshenko's husband
Oleksander and daughter Yevgenia hold a news conference to rally
support. Yevgenia claims her mother's life is in danger since starting a
hunger strike more than a week ago.
Thousands of
supporters and opponents rallied outside Tymoshenko's latest court
hearing in Kharkiv on April 28. The mixed turnout shows how divisive
Tymoshenko still remains in Ukraine after a spell in government that
began with hopes of pro-Western reforms and ended with allegations of
corruption.
Police experts
examine one of the explosion sites in Dnipropetrovsk, where four bombs
were let off in rubbish bins on Friday. At least 30 people were injured,
raising serious concerns over safety at next month's European
Championships.
Porto's
fine after its fans made monkey chants at Manchester City's Mario
Balotelli and Yaya Toure was less than the English club's punishment for
being late on the field in another match.
European football's ruling body UEFA has run a "Unite Against Racism" campaign in recent years.
Manchester
City took part in the campaign in 2009 when its players and mascots
wore Unite Against Racism t-shirts for a home match against Polish club
Lech Poznan.
