City Hall gives go ahead for National Stadium opening

On Monday, the municipal fire brigade in Warsaw declined to grant a health and safety permit for the stadium, just days before the much-delayed inaugural opening on Sunday.

City hall overrode the decision on Thursday.

The event’s official catchphrase is "Oto jestem!" (I’m right here!) and will see music from some of Poland’s top bands.

Two weeks later, on February 11, the stadium will host the Polish Cup Final between Warsaw’s Legia Warszawa and Wisla Krakow.

The capital's new arena is one of the four Polish host venues for the forthcoming Euro 2012 tournament.

It had been feared that a friendly football match between Poland and Portugal billed for 29 February might have to be moved to Wroclaw owing to the delays.(jh)