Czech Republic History

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Description

Association    Českomoravský fotbalový svaz
Confederation    UEFA (Europe)
Head coach    Karel Brückner (2002-)
Captain    Tomáš Rosický
Most caps    Karel Poborský (118)
Top scorer    Jan Koller (51)
Home stadium    AXA Arena (Stadion Za Lužánkami)
FIFA code    CZE
FIFA ranking    6
Highest FIFA ranking    2 (March 1994)
Lowest FIFA ranking    67 (September 1999)
Elo ranking    14
Highest Elo ranking    1 (Jun 2004, Jun 2005)
Lowest Elo ranking    22 (Jan 2002)



 

Overview

Czech Republic’s football history can be classified as the sport when the Czech Republic was part of Czechoslovakia, and the sport after Czechoslovakia was split in to the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Before the First World War the Czech Republic, then known as Bohemia, was part of Austria-Hungary. In this period, Bohemia played matches against Hungary, England, Yugoslavia, Ostmark and Germany. After the Second World War when the Czech Republic was part of Czechoslovakia, the national team recorded several victories. Some of the important victories were World Cup Championship in 1934 and 1962, and the European Championship in 1976.

The first match Czech Republic played after it gained independence was against Turkey in 1994. Since then Czech Republic’s separate national football team has competed in 3 World Cup tournaments, 4 European Championships, and 1 Confederations Cup. The Czech national football team, which is affiliated with Europe’s UEFA, is governed by the Football Association of the Czech Republic. Presently the team is ranked sixth in the FIFA World Rankings. Czech Republic’s Under-21 national football team has also gained equal proficiency. It has won the European Championship in 2002.


 

History

The 3 World Cup tournaments that Czech Republic has participated in were in the years 1998, 2002, and 2006. In 1998 and 2002 the team failed to qualify. In the 2006 World Cup the team first took on USA. The match started with a goal from Czech Republic’s Jan Koller in the fifth minute. The next 2 goals came from Tomas Rosicky. The Czech team won the match 3-0.

 
 
Czech Republic vs USA
 
Created on: 5/27/2008
 
By: dank
 
Tags:
1996,  
 

The next match was against Ghana, which Czech Republic lost 0-2. The subsequent match against Italy was also a 0-2 loss, putting Czech Republic out of the tournament.

Of the 4 European Championships that Czech Republic has competed in, it has won the runner-up title in 1996 and has won the semifinals in 2004.

 
 
Czech Republic in Euro 2004
 
Created on: 5/27/2008
 
By: dank
 
Tags:
 

In the 2000 European Championship the Czech team played till the first round, and has successfully qualified for the 2008 event.

The Czech Republic has also participated in the final tournament of the Olympic Games 6 times when it was part of Czechoslovakia. It had procured the first place in 1980 in Moscow, defeating Germany in the final match.

The most important victory in Czech Republic’s football history is the 8-1 win against Andorra in June 2005 and the 7-0 win against San Marino in October 2006. Similarly, the worst defeat is the 0-4 loss against England in June 1908 and the 0-3 loss to Switzerland in April 1994. Some of the most notable players in the Czech Republic’s football history are Pavel Nedved, Patik Berger, Pavel Kuka, Tomas Skuhravy, Pavel Srnicek, Karel Poborsky, and Miroslav Kadlec.

 
 
Czech Stars
 
Created on: 5/27/2008
 
By: dank
 
Tags:
 


 

Youth Development

Meanwhile the Czech Republic national under-21 football team, nicknamed Lvicata or little lions, competes in the European Under-21 Football Championship that is held once in 2 years. The team, which is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, was the winner of the championship in 2002 and the runner-up in 2000. In the 1996 tournament, the team reached the quarterfinals. However, in 1998, 2004, and 2006 the team failed to qualify. Nevertheless, the team is regarded as one of the top 14 seeds in the UEFA under-21 competition.

The first international match played by the Czech Republic national under-21 football team was in September 1994 against Malta, in which it recorded a 1-0 victory. The biggest win in the under-21 football team’s history is the 8-0 win it registered against Bulgaria in October 2001 and the 8-0 win against Liechtenstein in September 2007. Likewise, the team’s worst defeat is the 0-4 loss to Spain in 1997.

The Czech Republic also has under-23, under-18 and under-16 national football teams that participate in the European Championship. The under-23 team had won the championship in 1972, the under-18 team had won it in 1968, and the under-16 had emerged victorious in 1990 when the country was part of Czechoslovakia. Again in 2001 the under-18 team stood second, while in 2000 the under-16 team took the second place in the European Championship.


 

Domestic Football

The Football Association of the Czech Republic also organizes the Czech Republic Football Cup, which is a major cup competition in the country. This event’s history dates back to the Czechoslovakia period. The winner of this cup will be allowed to compete in the following season’s UEFA Cup.

Czech Republic, where football is represented by red, white and blue colors, is home to 3,955 football clubs and 15,378 football teams. Some of the famous clubs are Sparta, Slavia a Dukla Praha, Banik Ostrava, Zbrojovka Brno, and FK Teplice. The country also has 6,25,552 registered players, 8,247 coaches, and 3,856 referees.


 

Stadia

The national football stadium in the Czech Republic is AXA Arena in Prague. The stadium has a capacity to seat 20,854 spectators. The Football Association of the Czech Republic is planning to build a new stadium with 50,000 seating capacity. There are many other football venues in the Czech Republic, some of the important ones being Strahov Stadium with 25,000 seating capacity, Stadion Evzena Rosickeho with 19,032 seating capacity, Na Stinadlech with 18,221 seating capacity, Bazaly with 17,372 seating capacity, Andruv stadion with 12,072 seating capacity, U Nisy Stadium with 9,900 seating capacity, and Na Litavce with 9,100 seating capacity.


 

Facts & Figures

-   Governing body - Football Association of the Czech Republic
-    Home stadium – AXA Arena
-    First international match – Against Turkey in February 1994
-    European Championship – Runners-up in 1996
-    Under-21 national football team – Nicknamed Lvicata (little lions)

World Cup statistics
-    1930 to 1994 - See Czechoslovakia
-    1998 - Did not qualify
-    2002 - Did not qualify
-    2006 - Round 1

European Championship statistics
-    1960 to 1992 - See Czechoslovakia
-    1996 - Runners-up
-    2000 - Round 1
-    2004 - Semifinals
-    2008 - Qualified


Squad
NamePositionGrade FansGroups
David Lafata
Offense
1
 0
Tomáš Hübschman
Defense
2
0
Tomáš Sivok
Defense
15
 0
Martin Fenin
Offense
12
0
Michal Kadlec
Defense
1
 0
Roman Hubník
Defense
1
 0
Tomáš Necid
Offense
9
 0
Jan Rajnoch
Defense
0
 0
Last edited by:
On: August 29, 2009
Version: 18