Italy are bidding for the right against two joint bids -- from Hungary-Croatia and Poland-Ukraine.

Italy are the favourites to win the vote but it is their record on hooligan violence that may well come back to haunt them, a factor that has not been lost on Luca Pancalli, the extraordinary commissioner for the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).

"I'm optimistic," he insisted. "Paradoxically, I would have had many more doubts if there had not been what has happened."

Football-related violence has been a hot topic around Europe this season, ever since a policeman was killed after clashes broke out during the Sicilian derby between Catania and Palermo in February.

More recently, several Manchester United fans were stabbed while attending a Champions League match against Roma in Rome, during which the away fans were also baton-charged by police.

But Pancalli is remaining defiant.

"We have never doubted," he said. "Firstly because violence is not a problem inherent only in Italian football. There have been problems elsewhere.

"Added to that, the political classes, the Olympic Committee (Coni) and the federation have responded seriously and quickly, like never before."

That has not stopped Italy's rivals from trying to make the most of the country's problems, though.

However, Poland and Ukraine's bid is itself beset by problems, with Ukraine gripped by a political crisis and Poland's football authorities recovering from a corruption scandal.

"The events in Kiev certainly don't help us but there's no need to panic. Ukraine will have democratic elections and the situation will become stable again," said Poland's Sports Minister Tomasz Lipiec before turning his attentions to his own country.

"The fact that we have launched an anti-corruption campaign can only work in our favour."

And having defended his own bid he attacked those of their rivals.

"You can also talk about unstable governments in Italy, as well as corruption in football. Plus they have a hooligan problem.

"Hungary also has political stability issues, while there's a problem with stadium security in Croatia."

Hungary and Croatia, meanwhile, have been concentrating more on their own bid rather than the issues facing their rivals.

"I am certain we will win the right to host," said Vlatko Markovic, president of the Croatian Football Association.

"I was there at the previous presentations (of bids) and we fared the best. While we arrived with one thousand pages of material, others only had a thin booklet to show."

Hungary's Euro 2012 project manager Tamas Gyarfas is also convinced the Hungarian-Croatian bid is the best.

"Italy is a football powerhouse, they are world champions. But I hope this race will be won by the candidate with the best bid," he said.re world champions. But I hope this race will be won by the candidate with the best bid," he said.