[Shannon]

Greece, Turkey miss out on 2012

SAN ANTON, Malta -- Greece and Turkey were eliminated from the running to host the 2012 European Championship on Tuesday.

UEFA's executive committee selected Italy plus joint bids by Croatia and Hungary, and Poland and Ukraine to enter the final vote on December 8 this year in Nyon, Switzerland.

Italy won 11 votes, Croatia-Hungary nine and Poland-Ukraine seven. Turkey received six and reigning European champions Greece just two.

Officials may have been influenced by Greece's problems getting ready for last year's Athens Olympics.

Turkey struggled when hosting last season's Champions League final in Istanbul's new Ataturk stadium, which was amid sprawling shanty towns far from downtown and reachable only by traffic-clogged highways.


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http://edition.cnn.com/2005/SPORT/fo...sts/index.html