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.

Celtic supporters were today definitively warned that home sections of the San Siro will be out of bounds to them for next week’s Champions League showdown with AC Milan.

UEFA have confirmed the second leg of Celtic‘s Champions League clash against AC Milan will take place in the San Siro.

Celtic and Scotland were kept waiting last night after a meeting between Italian Football League representatives and state police officials ended without any announcement on whether stadiums in the country would be reopened.

Celtic defender Stephen McManus is hoping for a family affair when the Hoops take on AC Milan in the second leg of their Champions League clash on March 7.

CELTIC could face a trip to Switzerland next month after the Stade de Geneve was proposed as an alternative venue for their Champions League ‘away’ clash with AC Milan.

Italy’s players and club officials have reacted with dismay to the decision to declare all bar six venues closed to supporters on security grounds.

Premier Romano Prodi’s cabinet was meeting tonight to devise anti-violence measures for football stadiums after the fatal attack on a policeman during rioting outside a Serie A game last week.

Celtic’s Champions League clash in Milan next month is set to be played in an empty San Siro stadium.

Investigators in Catania are examining a film of the attack against a police officer killed in rioting at a Serie A match last week in hopes of identifying those responsible for his murder, Italian newspapers reported today.

AIDEN McGEADY insists his decision to sign an extended deal at Celtic had nothing to do with the departure of former midfield rival Shaun Maloney to Aston Villa.

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 yesterday for the funeral of a policeman whose death in a football riot in Italy prompted calls for new measures to curb stadium violence.

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.

England coach Steve McClaren believes Italian authorities must follow England’s lead to eradicate football violence.

Football has been halted in Italy after a police officer was killed when fans rioted at a match.