Warsaw National Stadium to host tests matches before EURO-2012

PanARMENIAN.Net - All security concerns have been addressed and the stadium that will host the opening match of this year's European Championship is ready to stage its first game, Warsaw's mayor said Tuesday, Feb 21.

The announcement was a major breakthrough for a stadium that is modern and imposing in its size and design, able to seat 58,000 people and with a roof that can open and close - but which has been beset by delays and questiosn about its safety.

Poland will play Portugal in a friendly at the National Stadium in Warsaw on Feb. 29. The venue will host Poland's opening game of Euro 2012 against Greece on June 8.

The stadium was due to host a Poland Super Cup match earlier this month but it was scrapped when police said they were unable to guarantee security because of communication problems inside the stadium.

The head of the Polish football association, Grzegorz Lato, said he was hopeful that the stadium would also stage another event before it is handed over to UEFA on May 9.

"I am really happy that the national representation will finally play at the National Stadium and that we will be able to test how everything works there,'' Lato said.

The stadium was opened Jan. 29, six months behind schedule, following a series of glitches in construction that began in 2008. It was build on the site of a communist-era stadium that in its final years was used as a huge market place, AP reported.