By David Gold
January 23 – Poland and Ukraine have been urged by UEFA President Michel Platini (pictured right) and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to ease visa restrictions for Russian fans due to attend this summer’s Euro 2012 tournament.
Though most nations competing at the European Championships can enter both Ukraine and Poland without a visa, Russia is not one of them.
Russian fans need a visa to enter Poland, and with the national team playing in the Group A alongside the hosts and set to spend the majority of their tournament in that country, they face a logistical nightmare crossing the border.
“I know that you do not need a visa for Ukraine, but you need one for Poland,” Platini said at a meeting of Russian football fan clubs in St Petersburg, according to Interfax.
“We need some agreement between Ukraine and Poland so as to prevent difficulties for fans.”
The meeting was also attended by Putin (pictured), who confirmed that fans coming to Russia for the World Cup in 2018 would not have to obtain visas, something FIFA President Sepp Blatter has praised.
“We would be very grateful to our Polish friends if they will do the same during the European Championships in 2012,” Putin added.
Platini suggested that one solution would be the one used by Russia for the 2008 Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester United, when English fans were given visa-free access to the country for up to three days if they showed a valid match ticket.
If they get that far, it would be the semi-finals before Russia has the possibility of playing in Ukraine during Euro 2012, with their group and prospective quarter final games set to take place in Wroclaw, Warsaw and Gdansk.
Euro 2012 gets underway on June 8 and finishes on July 1.
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