On Tuesday, April 14, a two-day working visit to Ukraine of the President of the Union of European Football Associations Michel Platini is to start. It is already the fifth time when a star footballer in the past and now the head of one of the most influential sport organization comes to us in a status of football manager.
Michel Platini was the most eminent foreign guest at the first Valeriy Lobanovskiy Memorial, which was hold on the 12-14 April, 2003. He brought a Ruby order of UEFA For services, which a great Ukrainian coach was awarded a year before, and presented the daughter of Valeriy Lobanovskiy Svitlana with that reward. “Lobanovskiy was a legendary person, − Michel Platini said during his speech at Dynamo stadium. − He showed in what direction the football will develop in future”.
On the 5-6 November, 2003 an away conference of UEFA Executive Committee was hold in Kyiv. It was the first event of this kind on the territory of former Soviet Union. Michel Platini, who was elected to the highest executive body of the Union of European Football Associations in 2001, together with his colleagues took part in discussing the urgent questions. The then UEFA President Lennart Johansson during the meeting with the President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma uphold a common order of Ukraine and Poland for taking part in EURO 2012 tender
Mr. Platini has come to Kyiv on November 26th, 2006, for the third time. Together with other world football officials Michel, who was in the UEFA president vote race, attended a ceremony to solemnly open headquarters of the Football Federation of Ukraine, admitting it as one of the most contemporary.
Finally, on July 3rd, 2008, the UEFA inspection led by Platini met with Ukraine’s President Viktor Yuschenko and Prime Minister Yilia Tymoshenko. The conclusions reached by UEFA experts found their reflection in the report for the UEFA Executive Committee. In September 2008 the Committee has reaffirmed its commitment to staging UEFA EURO 2012 in Poland and Ukraine. “We trust you”, UEFA president resumed after his last visit to Ukraine.
