CZECH REPUBLIC

Ceskomoravsky Fotbalovy Svaz
Diskarska 100
169 00 Praha

Official website
English available

"I don't think I will be allowed on the bench next Sunday, and I have to admit it will be strange being in the stands watching the boys play. It goes without saying that I would really love to be on the pitch because the Arena is a lovely stadium to play in. At least if I am involved in the game there is a chance I can do something to help our team, but I can do nothing from the sidelines. I suppose I am paying the price for that red card.

It still hurts me when I think I was sent off in a game which wasn't even crucial to the Czech Republic, because we had already qualified for Euro 2000. But I knew immediately what the punishment would be and there is nothing I can do about it now."

Well prepared - for a possible surprise

You may think that because I am not playing in our first game against Holland I am going to be relaxed on Sunday. Nothing could be further from the truth! Because I am suspended for the first two matches of Euro 2000 I know I will be more nervous watching from the stands than if I was on the field.

This is the first time I have been suspended for a Czech Republic game and so it is a completely new experience for me. I won't be allowed to sit on the bench, which means the only way I can contribute in Amsterdam is by crossing my fingers while I am sitting in the stands! It's going to be really strange.

Our hotel here in Belgium may not have been what I had expected, but despite that we have looked good in training and the spirit among the players is fantastic. I think we are prepared for Sunday's game, even though the coach still hasn't announced the team.

We are all looking forward to the match and we all know how hard it is going to be because Holland are the tournament favourites and they have some of the best players in the world. However, we, too, have a good team and anything can happen.

It would be fantastic if we could get a draw. In fact, I really have the feeling that we can get a good result against the Dutch. We played them a few months ago and we drew 1-1 away. On Friday afternoon we watched a video of the whole 90 minutes of that match and it gave us confidence. Yes, Holland have some great players but we don't feel they are really special.

Euro 2000 is such an open tournament that it is hard to pick a winner. All 16 teams start with no points and no goals, and the one which has the most luck will probably become champions - but I have no idea who that will be!

Enjoy Euro 2000. I will update my page again next week.

All the best,

Patrik (9/6/00)

SQUAD

Goalkeepers Ladislav Maier Radek Cerny Pavel Srnicek Jaroslav Blazek

Defenders Petr Gabriel Milan Fukal Jiri Novotny Karel Rada Petr Vlcek Tomas Repka

Midfielders Radek Bejbl Patrik Berger Pavel Horvath Ivo Ulich Radomir Latal Jiri Nemec Pavel Nedved Karel Poborsky Miroslav Baranek Tomas Rosicky

Strikers Jan Koller Pavel Kuka Vladimir Smicer Rene Wagner Vratislav Lokvenc Pavel Verbir

GROUP MATCHES
Amsterdam 11.6.2000 (20.45) Czech Republic v Holland 0-1	Bruges 16.6.2000 (18.00) Czech Republic v France 1-2	Liege 21.6.2000 (20.45) Czech Republic v Denmark 2-0

CZECH REP GO OUT AFTER GROUP STAGES :(

EURO 2000 TEAM STATISTICS
Team Stats
Games Played:	3
Red Cards :	1
Yellow Cards :	10
Shots On Target :	16
Shots Off Target :	18
Fouls Committed :	52
Fouled :	45
Corners Won :	11
Corners Against :	9

Player Stats
Goalkeepers
Player		Minutes Played	Goals Conceded	Clean Sheets	Shots Saved	Penalties Saved	Shootout Saves	Shootout Goals Conceded
1	Pavel Srnicek	270	3	1	12	0	0	0
16	Ladislav Maier	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
22	Jaroslav Blazek	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Outfield
Player		Minutes Played	Goals Scored	Assists	Red Cards	Yellow Cards	Shots on Target	Shots off Target	Fouls Committed	Fouls Against
2	Tomas Repka	270	0	0	0	2	0	0	8	6
3	Radomir Latal	69	0	0	1	0	0	0	3	2
4	Pavel Nedved	269	0	1	0	1	6	2	8	11
5	Milan Fukal	45	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	0
6	Petr Vlcek	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
7	Jiri Nemec	270	0	0	0	1	1	1	6	4
8	Karel Poborsky	270	1	1	0	2	2	4	2	4
9	Pavel Kuka	23	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
10	Jan Koller	254	0	1	0	0	4	2	5	4
11	Tomas Rosicky	152	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	3
12	Vratislav Lokvenc	53	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	0
13	Radek Bejbl	132	0	0	0	0	0	2	3	1
14	Pavel Horvath	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
15	Marek Jankulovski	56	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	0
17	Vladimir Smicer	252	2	0	0	0	2	4	3	5
18	Jiri Novotny	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
19	Karel Rada	209	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	1
20	Patrik Berger	90	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
21	Petr Gabriel	135	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	3

CZECH REPUBLIC ; Desperately unlucky to come away from the Holland game with nothing. Far more creative and more dangerous around the goal area they twice hit the woodwork and ran over and through the Dutch in the second half. Why they took a half to come to this approach is another matter, as their first forty-five minutes were pretty cautious and unambitious. The penalty call was defensible even if rough justice, and now they have to get something out of their encounter with France - a tall order, I fear. (Seamus Malin, www.fuxito.com)

11th June

Here is what Czech coach Jozef Chovanec said about the penalty awarded to Frank De Boer:
”It’s a scandal. I saw a similar penalty against Turkey earlier today (in the game against Italy). I don’t know what to think, I am sad. For me this is a scandal.”
“Several players are crying in the locker room right now, and it doesn’t surprise me.”

“I would like everyone to make their own picture of what happened. The referees even tried to tell us when to substitute, I don’t remember anything like this happening in my whole career.”
“I think the Netherlands did not deserve to win after their performance in the second half.”

Now for the World Cup!


The Czech Republic may be out of Euro 2000, but we can leave with our heads held high. Even though we have lost both of our games, we can feel proud at the way we played. Holland and France are not easy opponents, but I believe we were the better side in our matches against them, and that we deserved to go through to the next stage.

In the qualifying group for Euro 2000 we had some good results and a little bit of luck. We have had neither since we have been here in Belgium. We have hit the bar, hit the post and had so many chances to score and we are all disappointed at being knocked out. But that's football, I suppose.

I think we are all looking forward now to having a holiday, but that is not to say we are dismissing our final game against Denmark on Wednesday. There is a big difference between finishing third in your group and finishing fourth, and we really want to beat the Danes for ourselves, for the fans and for Czech football.

I said before this tournament that I thought we were stonger mentally and physically than we were before, and I still believe it. After all, so many of our players play at some of the best clubs in Europe, and I think if this squad can stay together over the next two years then we can do really well in the 2002 World Cup.

Speaking personally, I am looking forward to playing against Denmark. I said in my previous update that I hoped my Euro 2000 would last more than one game. I also said that by being suspended for the first two games I have paid the price for being sent off in our last qualifying match. That is certainly true.

Even though we are out, I want to play on Wednesday. I always want to play for my country, and the fact that this is a European Championship makes the game even better for me.

Everybody is speculating on who can be European Champions and it is not an easy thing to predict. It would be a shame for us if one of the teams from our group, France or Holland, won the tournament because, as I have already said, I believe we were better than both of them and that we were good enough to win Euro 2000 ourselves.

Portugal look good to me, but anything can happen. I mean, England were criticised after losing the first game, but they are still in the competition because they beat Germany. If they go through they will be difficult to beat and everything is possible if the breaks go your way. Luck plays a signficant part in football.

We are flying home immediately after our match against Denmark and I will have a holiday for three weeks before reporting back for pre-season training at Liverpool, along with Vladimir Smicer, on July 17. I won't lose much fitness in that time and anyway I will still do a bit of fitness work during those three weeks.

The holiday will be welcome, but I am also looking forward to the new season with Liverpool because we are involved in European competition, which wasn't the case last year. I just hope we are able to win something this time.

This will be my last update until I am back training with Liverpool because I intend to take a complete rest during my holidays. I'll be in touch again in three weeks.

Have a good summer,

Patrik (18/6/00)

Down - but definitely not out


One game to go before - hopefully - I will be able to make an appearance in Euro 2000. As I had imagined, it was hard for me to sit and watch the other players do so well against Holland last Sunday, and it was also hard for me when they didn't get the result they deserved.

The truth is that I am desperate to play some football. It's so frustrating being in a tournament like this when you are suspended for the first two matches. It's a long wait before you have a chance of being involved, and I hope that my Euro 2000 will last for more than just one game.

Now I fully realise what I did by getting sent off in our last qualifying game against the Faroe Islands. I made a mistake that day and I am paying for it now. It feels like I have been given a prison sentence, and now I can't wait for it to end.

Because we lost our first match we must beat France in Bruges on Friday. We can't afford another bad result, and we know that because the French are World Champions, this will be an even bigger test for us.

France looked very good and very sharp in their first match, and they have some skilful players. They also play with confidence. I think they are stronger than Holland. They have the same team as the one which won the World Cup two years ago, but in Nicolas Anelka and Thierry Henry they have strikers who are older, more experienced and, consequently, better. And with Zinedine Zidane behind them, they are as strong offensively as they are defensively.

But we, also, have a good team. The boys played very well against Holland. They were outstanding in the second half and they deserved to win. That, however, in the past. What we have to do noe is concentrate on Friday's game and believe we can win it. I think that with a bit of luck we can beat France.

What disappoints me is that we aren't playing our games at the same time as the other teams in our group. I have to say that I think Holland will have an advantage over us on Friday because their match against Denmark is after ours. That means that if we lose to the French, they just need a point against Denmark to get to the next stage, so they will know exactly what they have to do.

Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

Best wishes,

Patrik (14/6/00)

Sing-a-long-a-anthem Where is my home, where is my home? Water bubbles across the meadows Pinewoods rustle among crags The garden is glorious with spring blossom Paradise on earth it is to see And this is that beautiful land The Czech land, my home.

CZECH TV DINNER Carp with Sour Cream 1/4 cup butter; 2 bay leaves; 1/3 cup of sour cream; 1 lemon; salt and pepper; 4lb carp, cleaned Grease a shallow baking dish with butter. Season carp inside and out with salt and pepper; place bay leaves on butter and lay carp on it. Cover with sour cream and the juice of the lemon. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes or until bown. Baste frequently. Serve with noodles or potatoes.