UEFA chief slams exorbitant hotel prices in Ukraine for Euro 2012

PanARMENIAN.Net - UEFA President Michel Platini has described those charging exorbitant prices for accommodation in Ukraine for the European Championship as "bandits and crooks," AP reported.

Ukraine co-hosts Euro 2012 with Poland from June 8 to July 1, and some hotels in the country are charging up to 10 times their normal rates. Others are canceling reservations made months in advance.

Platini said Thursday that hotels shouldn't be allowed to raise the price from $53 to $657 per night for a room and urged the authorities to intervene. He was speaking at a ceremony to open a new airport terminal in Lviv, one of the host cities.

Platini says fans shouldn't have to cancel their plans because of "bandits and crooks who want to earn a lot of money during this Euro."