The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2012 , kicks off tonight. It will be the 14th edition of the tournament. The finals, to be played in Poland and Ukraine, will be the first time either nation plays hosts to. Held every four years since 1960, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup which was subsequently changed to its current name in 1968. All teams except for the hosts who qualify automatically, have to come through the qualifiers. Poland gets the honour of opening Euro-2012 today against the surprise 2004 winners Greece. The match starts at 9.30 tonight half an hour after the opening ceremony. The second match will be played at 15 minutes past midnight tonight between Russia and the Czech Republic. Pope Benedict XVI issued a message ahead of the kick off, saying football was like a school that taught