Czech Republic national football team

Czech Republic

Shirt badge/Association crest
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
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	6
Highest	2 (March 1994)
Lowest	67 (September 1999)
First international
Hungary 1 - 1 Bohemia (Budapest, Hungary; 1 April 1906) Turkey 1 - 4 Czech Republic (Istanbul, Turkey; 23 February 1994)
Biggest win
Czech Republic 8 - 1 Andorra (Liberec, Czech Republic; 4 June 2005) Czech Republic 7 - 0 San Marino (Liberec, Czech Republic; 7 October 2006)
Biggest defeat
Bohemia 0-4 England (Prague, Bohemia; 13 June 1908) Switzerland 3 - 0 Czech Republic (Zürich, Switzerland; 20 April 1994)
World Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 2006)
Best result	Round 1, 2006
European Championship
Appearances	3 (first in 1996)
Best result	Runners-up, 1996
Confederations Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 1997)
Best result	3rd, 1997

The Czech national football team is the national football team of the Czech Republic and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic.

History

Before World War I, Bohemia (present-day Czech Republic), while being part of Austria-Hungary, played seven matches between 1903 and 1908, six of them against Hungary and one against England. Bohemia also played a match against Yugoslavia, Ostmark and Germany in 1939 while being the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.

When the Czech Republic was part of Czechoslovakia, the national team had runner-up finishes in World Cups (1934, 1962) and a European Championship win in 1976. After Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the national team was reformed, and played its first match against Turkey in 1994.

Now, the Czech Republic is continuing its football tradition, finishing second in Euro 96 and making the semifinals of Euro 2004. They made their first World Cup as an independent country in 2006 and they are currently the sixth-ranked country in the world according to the FIFA World Rankings.

The Under-21 national team of Czech Republic won the European championship in 2002.

Stadia

The most important matches of the Czech national team are held in Prague´s AXA Arena, the home stadium of Sparta Prague. Other venues include the cities of Teplice, Olomouc and Liberec. The new leaders of the Czech Football Association have announced that they will be building a new state of the art stadium for 50,000 people.

World Cup record

• 1930 to 1994 - See Czechoslovakia
• 1998 - Did not qualify
• 2002 - Did not qualify
• 2006 - Round 1

European Championship record

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

Players

Notable former players

This lists players who have played most or all of their international careers in the Czech Republic era. For notable players from the Czechoslovakia era, see Czechoslovakia national football team.

• Pavel Nedvěd
• Patrik Berger
• Pavel Kuka
• Tomáš Skuhravý
• Pavel Srníček
• Karel Poborský
• Miroslav Kadlec

Current players

Source: The website of The Football Association of the Czech Republic

Czech Republic national team 2007

Current Squad

Squad called up for the EURO 2008 qualifiers against Slovakia and Cyprus on 17 November and 21 November 2007. Caps and goals as of 17 October 2007

Head coach: Karel Brückner

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
16	1GK	Jaromír Blažek	29 December 1972	12	0	1. FC Nürnberg
24	1GK	Daniel Zítka	20 June 1975	1	0	R.S.C. Anderlecht
25	1GK	Michal Daněk	6 July 1983	0	0	FC Viktoria Plzeň
2	2DF	Zdeněk Grygera	14 May 1980	50	1	Juventus F.C.
5	2DF	Radoslav Kováč	27 November 1979	19	1	Spartak Moscow
12	2DF	Zdeněk Pospěch	14 December 1978	3	0	AC Sparta Praha
19	2DF	Tomáš Zápotočný	13 September 1980	4	0	Udinese Calcio
22	2DF	David Rozehnal	5 July 1980	39	0	Newcastle F.C.
23	2DF	Michal Kadlec	13 December 1984	2	0	AC Sparta Praha
3	3MF	Jan Polák	14 March 1981	33	6	R.S.C. Anderlecht
4	3MF	Tomáš Galásek	15 January 1973	61	1	1. FC Nürnberg
7	3MF	Marek Matějovský	20 December 1981	4	1	FK Mladá Boleslav
10	3MF	Tomáš Rosický (Captain)	4 October 1980	67	18	Arsenal FC
17	3MF	Libor Sionko	1 February 1977	27	4	F.C. Copenhagen
20	3MF	Jaroslav Plašil	5 January 1982	31	2	CA Osasuna
16	3MF	Daniel Pudil	27 September 1985	2	0	SK Slavia Praha
8	4FW	Martin Fenin	16 April 1987	3	0	Eintracht Frankfurt
9	4FW	Jan Koller	30 March 1973	81	50	AS Monaco
15	4FW	Milan Baroš	28 October 1981	59	31	Olympique Lyonnais
18	4FW	Marek Kulič	11 October 1975	9	2	AC Sparta Praha

Recent call-up

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Petr Čech	20 May 1982	56	0	Chelsea F.C.
	1GK	Martin Vaniak	20 October 1970	7	0	SK Slavia Praha
6	2DF	Marek Jankulovski	9 May 1977	62	10	A.C. Milan
13	2DF	Jan Šimůnek	20 February 1987	0	0	VfL Wolfsburg
21	2DF	Tomáš Ujfaluši	24 March 1978	64	2	Fiorentina
	2DF	Martin Jiránek	25 May 1979	31	0	FC Spartak Moscow
7	3MF	Tomáš Sivok	15 September 1983	5	0	Udinese Calcio
14	3MF	David Jarolím	17 May 1979	13	1	Hamburger SV
	4FW	Karel Piták	28 January 1980	3	0	Red Bull Salzburg
11	4FW	Stanislav Vlček	26 February 1976	8	0	R.S.C. Anderlecht

2006 World Cup Information

Czech Republic started the World Cup with an impressive victory. USA barely had a sniff of goal throughout, and the Czechs capitalized. Jan Koller opened the scoring in the 5th minute with a brilliant header after Grygera crossed in the ball. Arsenal's new signing for the summer, Tomáš Rosický hit a belter past US keeper, Kasey Keller before half time to put the Czech's 2-0 up, but it was not all good news. Jan Koller, scorer of the first goal, sustained a hamstring injury just before half time. He had to be stretchered off, and was out of the remainder of the tournament. Karel Bruckner's side emerged from the second half buoyant as before, despite losing Koller, who was replaced upfront by Lokvenc. Two thirds of the way through the second half, Rosický secured the three points with a brilliant solo effort.

Czech Republic next played Ghana on June 17th, losing 2-0 at Cologne. This match was full of excitement right from the start to the end, including a missed PK by Asamoah Gyan and a red card offense by Tomáš Ujfaluši. The game fell into Ghana's hands when Sulley Muntari scored in the 82nd minute making it 2-0.

The Czechs lost their third game as well, falling 2-0 to Italy. This loss ended their first World Cup run, with Italy and Ghana advancing to the Round of 16.

Past squads and campaigns

• Euro 1996 squad
• Euro 2000 squad
• Euro 2004 squad and campaign

See also

• Czech Republic national under-21 football team

External links

• Official web
• RSSSF archive of results 1994-
• RSSSF archive of results 1903,1906-08,1939
• Team at Euro 2008