Partners: GoodsFromJapan | JapanVisitor | PortugalVisitor

Czech Republic - World Cup 2006 Team Profile

Ozren Podnar reports

Czech Republic Kit 1 Copyright © Soccerphile	Czech Republic Kit 2 Copyright © Soccerphile

Czech Republic

Second only to Brazil in the current FIFA World Rankings, Czechia, more commonly called by its formal name of the Czech Republic, will participate in its first World Cup final as an independent country, but has taken part in eight major tournaments as Czechoslovakia with notable success.

The Czechs and Slovaks in fact played twice in the World Cup finals (1934 and 1962) and also won one European Championship (1976). Moreover, Czechoslovakia won the Gold Medal in the football tournament at the 1980 Oympics in Moscow, beating the former East Germany (1-0) in the final.

In the sporting sense, both Czechia and Slovakia are equal-right successors to the former Czechoslovakia, although Czechia is certainly more identified with Czechoslovakia, both because its name is identical to the first part to the old country's name, it retained the former Czechoslovak flag and because its Football Association headquarters are still where they used to be in Prague.

It is curious that Czechia is about to play its first World Cup finals, considering the large number of great players produced by the country over the past 13 years and the great success its team has enjoyed in the European Championships. In 1996 the Czechs almost won the European title in England. They also qualified for the Euro 2000 finals and arguably played the most attractive soccer in Portugal two years ago.

Until this time, the World Cup qualifiers had proven an insurmountable obstacle for the Czechs on three occasions. Even when they were at the peak of their strength in 2001, the team amazingly lost both playoff games to a middling Belgium side, wasting a clear chance of progressing to Japan and Korea.

Last fall it seemed that another opportunity would go down the drain when Czechia lost to Romania in Bucharest and to the Netherlands at home, but they at least clinched the all-important win over Finland in Helsinki to secure a place in the playoffs against Norway. Finally, against inferior opposition, the men in red and blue were not to be denied, scoring two 1-0 wins away and at home.

End of the line for the old guard?

With Nedved and Poborsky aged 34, Smicer at 33 and Koller at 32, this particular Czech generation must be nearing the end of the line and they see Germany as their last opportunity to shine.

Karel Bruckner's team features one of the greatest goalkeepers in the world, Chelsea's Petr Cech (whose surname incidentally means Czech), a wonderfully skilful and visionary midfielder in Tomas Rosicky of Arsenal (nicknamed "Little Mozart") and two very different but effective strikers, the towering Jan Koller of Borussia Dortmund and the speedy Milan Baros of Aston Villa.

The defence, which conceded 12 goals in 12 qualifying games, includes Fiorentina's Tomas Ujfalusi and Paris Sant-Germain's David Rozehnal as the center-back pairing supported by Ajax's Zdenek Grygera and Milan's Marek Jankulovski at full-back.

As for the Czechs' undoubted star, Pavel Nedved, it almost seemed his international days were over, but the winger-come-midfielder changed his mind just in time to help his teammates overcome Norway in the playoffs. After suffering a knee injury in the last European Championship, the 2003 European Player of the Year announced his retirement, declaring he wished to concentrate solely on the demanding Italian championship.

At one moment it seemed his relationship with the coach had turned sour, but once he stated his desire to come back, he was promptly welcomed by Bruckner.

"He was always a part of my plans", said the "boss". Bruckner, the second eldest European coach after Spain's Luis Aragones, has earned the respect of his players, whom he also holds in high regard, knowing how to instill confidence and create a friendly atmosphere.

Name explained: Ditch the "Republic"

There is a plausible case for calling this country Czechia. Even the Czech Foreign Ministry has been appealing for that ever since independence in 1993. Yes, the country's system is a republic, but the case is the same with France, Italy or Greece, and we don't commonly say "the French Republic has qualified for the World Cup" or "the Greek Republic is the current European champions."

To clarify matters further, the common Czech name for the country is Cesko, and the country consists of two major regions, Bohemia (Cechy in Czech) and Morava (Morava) and to muddle matters further, another distinctive region is the historical Silesia (Slezsko). That is why the national football association is called Ceskomoravsky fotbalovy svaz (Czechomoravian Football Association).

Ceskomoravsky fotbalovy svaz (CMFS) or "The Football Association of the Czech Republic".
Founded: 1901 (as "Bohemia" - part of the Austro-Hungarian empire at that time)
Admitted to FIFA: 1907 (as "Czech Football Association")
Chairman: Pavel Mokry (since October 2005)
Coach: Karel Bruckner (66)
Official web-site: www.fotbal.cz
Top clubs: Sparta Prague, Slavia Prague, Slovan Liberec, the now defunct Dukla Prague (11 titles, semi-finalists European Cup 1967 and semi-finalists Cup Winners Cup 1986), Banik Ostrava (4 league titles) onetime league champions are Viktoria Zizkov, Hradec Kralove, Vitkovice and Bohemians and Brno (which captured its first and last league title in 1983).
World Cup appearances: none as an independent country; eight within Czechoslovakia (1934, 1938, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1970, 1982, 1990)

Honours:

European champions (1976), Olympic winners (1980), World Cup runners-up (1934, 1962)

Famous players (only Czech):

Nejedly, Bican, Puc, Planicka, Masopust, Viktor, Panenka, Nehoda, Vizek, Danek, Chovanec, Hasek, Bilek, Kubik, Kadlec, Skuhravy, Srnicek, Bejbl, Kouba, Berger, Poborsky, Nedved, Koller

Likely line-up:

Cech; Jiranek, Rozehnal, Ujfalusi, Jankulovski; Poborsky, Galasek, Rosicky, Nedved; Koller, Baros

Path to Germany

Playoffs

Norway 0 - Czechia 1
Czechia 1 - Norway 0

Qualified through the playoffs after finishing second behind Holland in the Group 1 of the European zone with 27 points and a goal difference of 35-12.

World Cup Squad

Bet on the World Cup

Goalkeepers: Petr Cech (Chelsea/ENG), Jaromir Blazek (Sparta Prague), Antonin Kinsky (Ramenskoye/RUS)
Defenders: Zdenek Grygera (Ajax/NED), Marek Jankulovski (AC Milan/ITA), Martin Jiranek (Spartak Moscow/RUS), Pavel Mares (St. Petersburg/RUS), Radoslav Kovac (Spartak Moscow/RUS), David Rozehnal (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Tomas Ujfalusi (Fiorentina/ITA)
Midfielders: Tomas Galasek (Nuremberg/GER), David Jarolim (Hamburg/GER), Pavel Nedved (Juventus/ITA), Karel Poborsky (Ceske Budejovice), Jan Polak (Nuremberg/GER), Jaroslav Plasil (Monaco/FRA), Tomas Rosicky (Arsenal/ENG), Vladimir Smicer (Bordeaux/FRA) withdrew replaced by Libor Sionko (Glasgow Celtic )
Forwards: Milan Baros (Aston Villa/ENG), Marek Heinz (Galatasaray/TUR), Jan Koller (Monaco/FRA) , Vratislav Lokvenc (Salzbourg/AUT), Jiri Stajner (Hanover/GER).

"The Onside In-Site" Copyright © From 2000. All rights reserved. Soccerphile Ltd.