Soccer-Ukraine, Poland back parity for Euro-2012 sites

By Mikhail Volobuyev

KIEV, July 10 (Reuters) - Ukraine and Poland on Friday backed the equal distribution matches in the Euro-2012 soccer championship between their countries despite UEFA's refusal so far to endorse three Ukrainian cities for the event.

The prime ministers of the two countries, at a meeting in the Ukrainian capital, said they backed longstanding plans to have matches in the tournament staged in four cities in each of the two countries.

"Our meeting today is not just about getting things right and coordinating our programmes and actions in terms of having four cities in each country stage Euro-2012," Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko told a news conference.

"It is aimed at showing that we are a single team and we will act jointly right to the end."

The economic crisis buffeting Ukraine, she said, would have no effect on preparations and construction at Kiev's Olympic stadium -- whose plans to stage the final have been called into question by UEFA -- was proceeding normally.

Polish Prime Minster Donald Tusk added: "We fully support our Ukrainian colleague Yulia Tymoshenko in calling for the plan of four cities in each country. This is our joint position and I believe UEFA will support it."

A UEFA meeting in May approved four Polish cities to hold matches for the final -- Warsaw, Poznan, Wroclaw and Gdansk.

Kiev was the sole Ukrainian city approved, but its staging of the final was made contingent on completion of construction.