Russia rejects Warsaw hotel switch

Russia on Thursday rejected Poland's request to move its Euro 2012 team base from an upmarket Warsaw hotel and dismissed worries about a politically-sensitive rally planned nearby as media hyperbole.

The Polish sports minister had earlier confirmed asking Russia to consider moving out of the five-star Le Meridien Bristol because of a rally planned outside the neighboring

presidential palace for June 10.

The monthly event honours the late Polish head of state Lech Kaczynski and the 95 other members of his delegation who died in a 2010 plane crash outside the Russian city of Smolensk while flying to a World War II memorial site.

Many Poles still give credit to conspiracy theories about Russian involvement in the death of the Moscow-critical Kaczynski, raising speculation that patriotic fervour could spill over during the 24-day event.

Russia is paired with Poland alongside Greece and the Czech Republic in Group A and will play the hosts in the Polish capital on June 12.

But the chief spokesman for its football union said nothing could make Russia move out at this late date.

"Sports stand outside politics. We are confident of receiving a warm and gracious welcome in Poland," Russian Football Union spokesman Nikolai Komarov told the Sport Express daily.

"The Russia national team will stay in the hotel selected in advance and nothing can hinder our plans."

Komarov added that it was up to event organisers to look after security and make sure the Russian team felt safe at all times.

The controversy has been picked up by both the Polish and Russian media and raised questions about why the security issue had not been addressed until less than two weeks remained before the event kicks off on June 8.

Poland is co-hosting the once-in-four-year tournament with Ukraine and the groups for the tournament were announced in December.

But some teams had booked their hotel locations even earlier amid fears that space could be limited once the tens of thousands of fans expected to visit the two countries start making their bookings.

Russia's Dutch coach Dick Advocaat separately told reporters that they were fortunate to get the central Warsaw location because a lot of other teams were vying for the same spot.

"This hotel was a part of UEFA," he said and dismissed dismissed the controversy as a product of the media starving for stories ahead of the high-profile tournament's start.

"It is time for media and television, they have to find something, they have to write. If they don't write, they have no copy," Advocaat said.

"When the Euro competition starts they probably will go about football, now they try to find all kind of things."

Russia's Euro 2012 training base will be at a stadium in Sulejowek near Warsaw.

Sports Minister Joanna Mucha said on Wednesday that she was waiting for a formal response to her request from the Russian Football Union to move the team and expected "a final decision in a few days".