15th June 2012 Dublin, Ireland
Here in Poland, public attention is understandably focussed on EURO 2012, not the Eurozone crisis. Poland’s 1-1 draw with Russia was a classic game and leaves open a real chance for Poland to qualify for the Quarter Finals. But the tournament will end on 1 July while the Eurozone crisis with its continuing impact on […]
12th June 2012
“So, you’re an England fan?” “Yes.” “Where are you from?” “We are Russian.” The presence of significant numbers of Russian fans wearing England team colours and apparently supporting England was one of the more unexpected elements of the visit to Donetsk by our consular team and myself in the run-up of the England’s EURO 2012 […]
8th June 2012 Dublin, Ireland
Euro2012 fever is upon us. I am writing this from Krakow, where a large and enthusiastic crowd is watching the England team’s open training session at the Hutnik stadium in Nowa Huta. They are great Ambassadors for their country. It is a far cry from my first visit here in 1983 during John Paul II’s […]
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10th January 2012 Dublin, Ireland
The successful Polish Presidency is over. But 2012 is set to be another year in Britain and Poland. Even if England were drawn in Ukraine, EURO 2012 will be a highlight here and a chance to showcase the best of Poland. For the UK, 9 January marks 200 days until the start of the Olympic […]
27th June 2011
After a day of thunderstorms the sun emerges. The wet grass glistens as the teams run out. The bright blue terraces sparkle against an ominous dark sky. We’re at Kyiv’s exquisite Dynamo stadium, home of the legendary Dynamo Kyiv, for the first in a series of matches between a volunteer team from the Foreign and […]