08 June 2012

UKRAINE / POLAND : Was $39 Billion Euro 2012 Investment Worth It? Racism Still A Hot Issue.

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-06-08/poland-ukraine-suffer-as-euro-soccer-hosts


       The Euro 2012 football matches have finally begun.
        Stadia construction and new infrastructure cost the 2 nations...$39 billion...$25 bn spent by Poland...$14 bn by Ukraine.
      Was it worth it?
       For Poland...which got much of the money from the EU...the answer is...maybe.
       For the Ukraine...probably not!
       Kyiv will end-up $6-8 bn in debt...far overshadowing Greece's disastrous $4bn Olympics  bath.
       Kyiv's matches are also being boycotted by UK ministers and some other EU leaders including the French...because of maltreatment of ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko.
       The take home lesson may be...you can still buy terrible worldwide PR with pride and stubbornness...and it only costs $14 billion.
      AND : Russia is favored in Group A. Charges of racism are still being lobbed by some.
      The Dutch team reported some monkey noises mocking them during practice in Poland.
www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/08/us-soccer-euro-idUSBRE8570UE20120608