Kyiv’s Olympic Stadium may lose the honor of hosting the final game of the Euro 2012 championship over evacuation concerns
Europe’s governing football body, UEFA, has warned Ukrainian soccer officials that a partially built shopping mall located beside Kyiv’s Olympic stadium would pose a security risk for fans, raising fears that a historic championship soccer match would have to be held elsewhere, either at a newly built stadium in Kyiv, or in another city altogether.
Opponents of the mall say it is an obstacle to Ukraine’s hosting of the 2012 European football championship, considered soccer’s second most important tournament after the World Cup.
The mall’s developers, a company connected to Ukrainian businessman Vadim Novinsky’s Smart Group, have argued that they received all the necessary permits from the city of Kyiv in addition to risk evaluations from reputable international firms. But the head of Ukraine’s Football Federation, businessman Hryhory Surkis, has claimed for almost two years that the mall obstructs the exit of crowds from the 80,000-seat stadium and thus poses a safety risk.
Now, UEFA has concurred with the Federation, announcing that the mall project makes the stadium unusable for the Euro 2012, which Ukraine was selected to host with Poland earlier this year.
A letter sent on Sep 12 by UEFA President Michel Platini to Surkis states that UEFA came to its decision on the basis of an inspection of the stadium grounds. The inspection was held jointly with the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) on Sep 4.
“The existing limited circulation space around the Olympiysky Kyiv National Sport Complex and the existing limited and partly blocked access, egress and emergency routes pose a significant risk for public safety and security,” reads the letter, the authenticity of which was confirmed by UEFA.
UEFA also cited a decree signed by President Viktor Yushchenko on Aug 27, which calls for a halt to construction work on the mall and its dismantlement.
In February of 2006, the Kyiv mayor’s office said that it had found no safety violations during an inspection it conducted. Since then, however, Kyiv has gotten a new mayor and Ukraine’s bid to host the football championship has come through. In its letter, UEFA called on Ukrainian authorities to “ensure appropriate and instant enforcement of their relevant decisions in this case.”
The Ukrainian Football Federation has also demanded that the stadium be dismantled and have even threatened to withdraw Ukraine’s Euro 2012 bid last year over the conflict.
Developers have suggested that the Federation’s main problem with the mall, which was planned to include 106,000 square meters of shopping space and a six-screen cinema, was that it conflicts with Surkis’ private business interests. Developers have said they spent tens of millions of dollars on the mall, which was originally slated for completion this year.
