EURO 2012 mascots take to the pitch

Polish striking hero Andrzej Szarmach hopes the UEFA EURO 2012 mascots' appeal to children would heighten their parents' interest in the finals as the unnamed duo met the public for the first time.

Unveiled to the world at the Polish Theatre in Warsaw on Tuesday, the two mascots made their way out onto the pitch on Wednesday night. The white-shirted No20 and the yellow-topped No12 entertained fans before Poland's friendly game against Ivory Coast, before attending Ukraine's match against Switzerland in Geneva.

Szarmach, one of the finals ambassadors, joined Poland's tournament director Adam Olkowicz, UEFA Events chief executive David Taylor and Polish Football Federation (PZPN) president Grzegorz Lato to witness the charismatic twosome's international debut, and liked what he saw at the Miejski Stadium in Poznan.

"I like the mascots," said the 60-year-old, who scored 32 goals in 61 international games. "They do their job well, promoting the two host nations and the finals. It will be the same with the mascots as it was with the UEFA EURO 2012 logo; even those who didn't like it so much to start with are now completely behind it."

Szarmach will join the twins as they visit Poznan on Thursday, moving on with them to Wroclaw (26 November), Gdansk (29 November) and Warsaw (4 December). "Children will like these mascots at first glance," he said. "That will help turn their parents' attention to UEFA EURO 2012. They will help a lot in advertising the coming tournament."

Meanwhile in Geneva, UEFA EURO 2008 mascots Trix and Flix joined Switzerland and Ukraine's respective team captains, Alexander Frei and Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, in inviting the new faces of UEFA EURO 2012 on to the Stade de Genève pitch. The twins returned the compliment by giving their new friends official match balls for the finals.

Fans are being encouraged to choose the mascots' names from three possible options: Slavek & Slavko, Siemko & Strimko and Klemek & Ladko. Football Federation of Ukraine (FFU) president Grigoriy Surkis may have made his choice, saying: "I have some personal feelings about the mascots as one of their potential names is Slavko, and that is my older son's name. I hope every supporter finds something personal and special in these twins. They look great and encourage people to play football."