Why are many Poles anti-Euro2012

Hey guys I am here studying in Poland and I notice alot of people are anti-Euro for the soccer tournament but my Polish isn't that great so I dont understand much when they explain why. Do you guys know why so many Poles are against this tournament?

I was speaking to a Polish friend in Kraków who said she wasn't looking forward to it as she feared there would be scenes of violence and general hooliganism by Polish football fans that would make Poland look bad. I was surprised as I didn't think Poland any better or worse than lots of other European countries in this regard.

Maybe it's just a general sensitivity about the country's image (?)

Many organised football groups, the ultras and the kibole(hooligans) are protesting/boycotting for a couple of reasons. 1) because the Polish FA are seen as corrupt and are always criticising supporters to hide their own failings & 2) they see the Euros as something that represents all that is wrong with modern football ie commercialisation, corporate interests being put first over that of the fans and the ridiculously high prices for the tickets.

If they boycott, nobody will care except bar owners. If they protest they'll quickly find that the police will ensure at all cost that things go smoothly and there's no tv footage that will make Poland look bad.

it is sinister expression !

And spot on accurate - the authorities are worried that it will all turn out to be a huge mess. And with 200 portaloos for the fan zone where 100,000 people are expected the mess will probably be prodigious.

I met a few Poles and none objected. They are either enthusiastic or neutral.

Most critics can be read on the Net. They claim that instead of stadiums, the government should build nurseries, preschools etc.

ok thanks. Ya I got the impression that they didn't like it because someone was being treated unfairly?

I think it will be huge business for the country. Can just imagine every pub, hotel, and store packed the entire time. We will see. I accidentally was in the rynek in Krakow when Cracowia and Wisla were supposed to play each other and the hundreds of police seemed to handle it pretty well. The craziest thing I've ever seen from the sports world though haha

I'm anty-Euro cos it is just a waste of money. Not only whole thing cost a lot there reasons to suspect that whole thing could cost a lot less if not for some ppl that got some extra cash for it.

And there some ppl in Europe that try very hard to make Poland look bad for example this tv crap lately.

edit: It won't be huge business for Poland. There is no chance that will earn even small % of the cash that was spend on euro2012.

400 portaloos Jon..

I do not see anything wrong with the accompanying events like the one described and shown below. It's late, not too many people on the streets, but they all look nice and normal to me.

Translated from:
Fiddlers on the roof, light show and great atmosphere accompanied the presentation of the most exclusive area of ​​Fan Zone, VIP Hospitality Zone.

On Friday evening Poznanians witnessed an intriguing concert in a beautiful setting. Poznań musicians from L'Autunno Chamber Orchestra appeared on the roof of a building on Freedom Square surrounding the Fan Zone.

In these extraordinary circumstances they have played the first part of "Serenade in C major" by Tchaikovsky's and "Divertimento in D Major" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The performance was accompanied by a thrilling spectacle of lights. Fountain of Freedom, launched on Freedom Square last Friday noon, also shimmered in colours.

Watch it on YouTube:
youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=y6uoZbaXPSc
and read more about Hospitality Zone in Poznań here:
poznan.pl/uefaeuro2012/strefakibica/page/strefahospitality

Makes all the difference! And the filthy ones at Metro Centrum are doubling their entry fee.


Nobody outside the country really cares if Poland looks good, bad, neutral, wonderful or terrible. The Euro2012 is a waste of money though. A big PR stunt designed to show off and promote something but not quite succeeding.

I want to know the reason as well!!

Jon, I promise we will get back to this thread in a year or two to compare the statistics of tourism in Poland before and after EURO. :):):):)

yep
It's very important for Poland to be able to show its neighbors it can wear the "big boy pants" and pull this off.

It's rising year on year anyway ans has been for a while. I doubt the Euro will have anything to do with it and certainly hasn't increased the number of tourist beds here.