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| Topless Protest |
AFP - The Ukrainian city of Lviv (West) opened Saturday a stage of more than 32,000 seats to host matches of Euro 2012 co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine, a ceremony marred by the arrest of two activists topless. Two activists of the Ukrainian movement FEMEN, used brilliant shots, protested topless with an inscription "F. .. Euro" on their bodies at the entrance to the VIP box, chanting "Ukraine will lose". They were quickly arrested, said a journalist from AFP.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych considered pro-Russian and unpopular in Western nationalist visited the stadium the day before but decided not to attend the ceremony where the organizers have waited until the last minute. Video broadcast address after the dance of children in costumes was was booed by the audience. The cost of this stadium built since 2008 with an area of 243,226 m2 and will host three matches of the Euro-2012 is 2.2 billion hryvnias (201 million). Some 2,000 spectators attended the opening ceremony that Anastacia sang the American and Ukrainian Ruslana who won the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Wild Dance" (Dance wild).
UEFA has long expressed concern about the slow pace of preparations in Ukraine. During his last visit to Ukraine in late September, the UEFA President Michel Platini has said, however, "completely reassured," noting "small problems" to solve, especially with regard to infrastructure development necessary for the Euro to be held from 8 June to 1 July 2012.
