ISTANBUL - SHAKHTAR Donetsk's victory in the Uefa Cup final will have no bearing on whether Ukraine retains full co-hosting rights for the 2012 European Championship, Uefa president Michel Platini said on Thursday.

'It is not a question about whether they have good teams,' Mr Platini said in an interview a day after Shakhtar beat Werder Bremen 2-1 in extra time to become the first Ukrainian team to win the Uefa Cup.

'We do not speak about the teams, we speak about the stadiums, about the airports, the hotels, that sort of thing.

'They have good players but there are not the hotels in many cities at the moment. But we have given them six months more to bring us some possibility.'

Preparations for the tournament which Ukraine is co-hosting with Poland have been beset by problems. Uefa has so far guaranteed only one venue in Ukraine, the capital Kiev.

Three other cities cities in Ukraine - Lviv, Donetsk and Kharkiv - have until Nov 30 to prove they can make the necessary upgrades to roads, airports, stadiums and hotels to stage the competition.

'If they want the final in Kiev, they have to work,' Mr Platini said. 'If they want two more cities, they have to work. There is nothing more to add.'

Uefa would like to have an equal division of host cities between Poland and Ukraine, but if necessary improvements are not made by the Nov 30 deadline the tournament will be held in four Polish cities and the two best prepared Ukrainian venues.

The problem is whether the city can cope with an influx of fans from across Europe for the 16-team tournament.

'It is not a question of the stadiums, it is a question of the rest,' Mr Platini said. 'We do not want to have to pay euro1,000 ($$2,100) for one night in a hotel and there are many problems.'

Mr Platini explained Ukraine's flaws directly to its president, Viktor Yushchenko, who was in Turkey to see Shakhtar win the country's first European trophy since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. -- AP