POLAND and Ukraine will host the European soccer championship in 2012 after UEFA awarded them the tournament ahead of Italy and another joint bid from Hungary and Croatia yesterday.

ITALIAN football’s ambitious plans to reform and rebuild faced an uncertain future after their lost bid to host Euro 2012.

Italian interior minister Giuliano Amato vowed today to resist what he said was pressure from football clubs and to ensure safety in and outside stadiums, days after a police officer died in rioting at a top match in Sicily.

Thousands of mourners flocked to a cathedral in the Sicilian city of Catania today for the funeral of a policeman whose death in a football riot has shocked Italy and prompted calls for new measures to curb stadium violence.

The economic value of football in Italy industry will be in the minds of politicians and sports administrators when they meet on Monday to discuss long-term measures to curb fan violence at Italian soccer games.