Platini criticism leads to Ukrainian stadium contractor being sacked

April 26 – The main contractor working on construction of the stadium being built in Lviv for the 2012 European Championship has been replaced following criticism by UEFA President Michel Platini on the slow pace of progress.

Ukraine-based Azovintex construction company have been effectively sacked after Platini claimed that construction in Lviv ”has made no progress whatsoever”.

Ukraine Deputy Prime Minister Borys Kolesnikov revealed that they have been been replaced by another Ukrainian financial and industrial group, Altcom, who will head an international consortium made up of firms from Turkey, Croatia and Macedonia, as well as the Ukraine.

Azovintex will be restricted to doing just minor work on the stadium, which is due to have a capacity of 33,500.

Altcom is already building a new runway at Donetsk airport, and has also been chosen as the main contractor to build a runway at Lviv airport.

Kolesnikov said: ”The stadium will be built by late 2011 by all means.”

Platini had warned organisers in Ukraine earlier this month that they had only two months to get progress back on schedule or face the prospect of being stripped of the right to co-host the tournament with Poland.

But Markiyan Lubkivskiy, the Ukraine Tournament Director for Euro 2012, warned that building the stadium in time would not be the end of the problems in Lviv, which is located 70 kilometres from the Polish border and has a reputation of being the most beautiful city in Ukraine.

He predicted that transport and infrastructure problems would hinder progress.

Lubkivskiy said: ”Lviv is on the verge of an abyss.

“Very little time remains.

“Lviv [can do] nothing but meet all UEFA requirements.

“There is no choice.”