UEFA President Michel Platini expressed confidence that Ukraine will be ready to host next year's European Championship, and that only ''some little problems'' remain to be sorted out.
''We have been completely reassured and we expect to see a very beautiful Euro here in Ukraine,'' Platini told reporters after touring Kiev, Lviv Donetsk and Kharkiv, the four cities that will be hosting the prestigious tournament along with four cities in neighboring Poland.
''Today I am a president rather satisfied, but of course there are still small things to do,'' he said.
Ukraine's preparations had fallen behind schedule, hampered by the financial crisis and political infighting, raising concerns about whether the country would be ready in time.
But Platini praised the ''tremendous'' progress that has been made in the last year.
''There aren't any big problems anymore,'' he said. ''There are still some little problems.''
Those include finishing the roof of the stadium in Lviv and completing the construction of some hotels in Donetsk and roads in Kharkiv.
