Located directly on the Dnipro river, Kiev is set to host the tournament's final, and public officials are determined not to let a drunken accident reflect poorly on the Ukrainian capital.
"We've warned all the embassies that fans must not go [river] bathing," Kiev deputy mayor Anatoly Holubchenko said Thursday.
"They'll drink 300 grams, jump in and drown, and then we'll be told our beaches aren't safe. A drowned drunk and unsafe beaches are two different things," the slightly pessimistic Holubchenko concluded.
The warning comes at a time when both Ukraine and Poland are under heavy fire following the release of the BBC Panorama documentary "Euro 2012: Stadiums of Hate." The documentary, which depicts both countries' soccer cultures as racist, anti-Semitic and hostile to foreigners, has created a major controversy on the eve of the tournament.
With much to prove regarding their hosting abilities, neither nation can afford the negative publicity of a major accident. They will do everything possible to ensure the tournament plays out without a hitch.
Photo via Flickr/Timon91
