In Odessa a ball is round, a field is smooth as well, but there are problems with acute angles

In Odessa the first football match was played in 1878. The habitants of foggy Albion, who then lived in South Palmer, united in a sports club: the founders of football could not say no to pleasure to play a ball in outskirts of Odessa.

Watching Englishmen, imitating the rules of game and technique, people in Odessa began to organize teams and conduct football duels. Already in 1908 the first “international” match between the students of the high school Yungmayster and “Odessa British athletic club” took place in Odessa. The Odessa high school students won – 1:0.

 And it is absolutely fair from the historical point of view that in a little more than 100 years there will be the football matches of championship of Europe exactly in Odessa. It is not worth saying that this UEFA decision caused outstanding delight and large gladness of local fans.

However in Odessa not everything is so good on the way to meeting and conducting of continental championship. As they say, a ball is round, a field is smooth, but there are problems with acute angles. One of them is building, and being more precise the reconstruction of the “Chornomorets stadium” where football matches within the framework of Euro-2012 will take place. As central arena will be closed, it is necessary to solve a question where to conduct the games of internal championship of the football club “Chornomoters”. For these aims the SKA stadium was chosen, which is the property of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. But what of that. The power department truly neglects the interests of Odessa people.

Leonid KLIMOV, a national deputy of Ukraine, member of executive committee of Odessa city council, honoured president of the football club “Chornomorets”:

– The idea of building of a new stadium in the Luzanivka district arouses surprise. Let’s imagine that the stadium will be built exactly where it is planned. But what will we be able to show to the guests of the city, who will hurry to a match? Petroleum bases and petroleum refineries, reeds, tumbledown buildings of factories and plants. In order to build a new infrastructure adjoining to the supposed stadium, tremendous amounts of money are necessary. Where can we take them?

Vyacheslav VORONKOV