Workers are seen on March 17 at the construction site of a stadium for the Euro 2012 in the city of Lviv. Photo: AFP

The nightmare scenario that Euro 2012 stadiums will not be ready in time continues to haunt UEFA on the eve of its annual congress, politicians and officials involved in the project have said Wednesday.

Martin Kallen, UEFA's project director of the 16-team tournament being staged in Poland and Ukraine in just over two years time, said this week an emergency plan to hold matches in six venues rather than eight could be used if delays continued.

Ukraine's deputy prime minister Borys Kolesnikov said that the stadium in Kiev, where the final is due to be staged, "was most at risk" with concerns about the stadium in Lviv, which has also fallen behind schedule.

Kolesnikov said he wanted work to be stepped up so that by the beginning of September the present five month delay in the building timetable would been eliminated.

"The right decision would have been take down the stadium in Kiev and build another. But now that is not possible," Kolesnikov said.

Kallen meanwhile said in an interview on Polish television that UEFA would consider staging matches in six venues if necessary.

Kallen was addressing UEFA's executive committee on Wednesday, with one member telling reporters: "We are aware of what is happening in Ukraine, who have assured us that the problems can be solved in time."

"But it would be foolish of us not to have an emergency plan to fall back on if needed."

UEFA president Michel Platini has steadfastly backed the decision to host Euro 2012 in eastern Europe and will not allow further delays to detract him from announcing he will seek another term as UEFA president at Thursday's congress.

With no opposition to a renewed mandate, Platini looks set to get backing from all 53-member associations ahead of the elections in a year's time.

He has had a modernizing impact on European soccer's governing body and one of his reforms, the introduction of new financial rules ensuring clubs break even and are not in debt to each other, is set to be ratified by Congress.

As well as also signaling his intention to stand for re-election, Platini, a vice-president of FIFA, will also use the opportunity to stress the need for the 2018 World Cup finals to be staged in Europe.

This year's finals are in South Africa with 2014 being held in Brazil.

Platini is expected to stress that one of the four European contenders: England, Russia and the joint bids from Spain- Portugal or Netherlands-Belgium should hold the finals in eight years time.

UEFA will also consider which of three bidders will stage the expanded 24-team Euro 2016 tournament with France, Italy and Turkey all hoping to be successful when UEFA announce that decision in Geneva on May 29.

Agencies