Cardiff, April 18:

Poland and Ukraine will co-host the 2012 European Championship.

UEFA overlooked the favorite Italy and a joint bid from Croatia and Hungary on Wednesday to award the continental championships to the former eastern bloc for the first time since Yugoslavia in 1976.

UEFA president Michel Platini announced the winner after a private meeting of 12 members of the executive committee. Poland and Ukraine collected eight votes to Italy’s four. The Croatia-Hungary bid failed to win a single vote.