Warsaw - UEFA head Michel Platini was in Ukraine on Wednesday to gather information for a decision on which cities will host Euro 2012 matches in Poland and the former Soviet republic.

Platini at a Kiev press conference said the tournament could be played in "six to eight cities... the best venues possible, the country notwithstanding."

Ukrainian and Polish football officials have expressed fears the UEFA could cancel current plans to hold an equal number of matches in both countries, to concentrate the lion's share in the better- prepared host country.

The UEFA executive committee will make its final decision on May 12 in Bucharest, selecting from a total 11 candidate host cities, five in Poland and six in Ukraine. Each country has suggested four cities as primary candidates.

"I have to be frank, some cities will not get games," Platini said. "You can't hold 31 games in 12 cities, it is not logical... and too expensive."

Ukrainian stadium preparations vary widely from city to city, with two UEFA standard venues - Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk - nearing completion or already operational.

Platini violated a policy of not commenting on the chances of any candidate city by name when he told the news conference he was "confident" Ukraine's Olympic Stadium in Kiev would be ready as well.

"It is true, right now there is more destruction going on there than construction," Platini said, in reference to a shopping centre next to the stadium torn down to make room for stadium improvements.

"But based on assurances made to me at the highest levels of the Ukrainian government, I have every confidence it will be ready."

"But if the stadium in Kiev is not ready, then Ukraine will not host its part of the championship, and if the stadium in Warsaw is not ready, then Poland will not host its part," Platini warned.

"The capital must participate."

Platini and Ukrainian football officials repeatedly refused to comment on Ukraine's fourth designated host city, Lviv, where preparations are badly delayed, with local officials unable to identify a general contractor and to agree on a stadium construction design for the new venue.

Ukrainian sports media has predicted that western Lviv will miss out on Euro games, possibly to be replaced by the eastern city Kharkiv, where work on a modern stadium is progressing.

Polish media has suggested Ukraine could lose one or more host venues to Poland.

Platini said the UEFA executive committee would use a host of criteria in decided which cities would wind up hosting games, but "overall infrastructure... such as roads and hotels... was critical," he added. "The best venues will get the games."

Ukraine also is proposing the Black Sea port city Odessa as a a back-up game site.

Poland will propose five cities to to the UEFA, according to the daily Wyborcza: Warsaw, Gdansk, Krakow, Wroclaw and Poznan. (dpa)