Sports News | All stories

Jaroslav Plasil, the only Czech player left in the Champions League, has received his first call-up to play for the Czech national team. The player tells us of what the call-up means to him, and how his club Monaco still hope to bounce back after a Champions League defeat against Real Madrid. Meanwhile, in the Czech league Sparta continued their poor run with a third 0:0 home draw in a row. In the ice hockey Extraliga playoffs Sparta lead Slavia on games, while Zlin are through to the final after beating Pilsen.

The race for the Czech football championship is hotting up, with Slavia closing the gap on leaders Ostrava by beating them 2:0 away. Sparta Prague manager Jiri Kotrba has been fined for swearing - his bad language was clearly audible on television. Both ice hockey Extraliga playoffs are 2:1 on games. In skiing slalom ace Sarka Zahrobska has won two medals at the national championships, while cross country star Martin Koukal has won a Czech Olympic Committee award for the best sporting achievement of 2003.

The Extraliga semi-final playoffs are now under way, and Slavia and Zlin have set the pace with convincing victories. In football, Liberec and Teplice struggle against lower-league opposition in the Czech FA cup, while amateur player Radek Vana wins a Fair Play award for exposing corruption in Czech football.

For the first time in the history of the ice hockey Extraliga the team which won the league, Pardubice, has been beaten in the first round of the playoffs. What's more they were beaten by Pilsen, who only made the playoffs by the skin of their teeth. In football, Sparta Prague beat Slavia 2:0 in a dramatic game at Strahov. And Czech cross country skier Katerina Neummanova has been looking back on an "amazing" season.

Sparta Prague have been knocked out of the Champions League by AC Milan, though not without giving the holders a bit of a fright. Meanwhile, Sparta manager Kotra is under pressure as a crucial derby against Slavia approaches. In the ice hockey Extraliga the quarter-finals are close to being decided, while NHL star Petr Nedved has scored his first goal for new club Edmonton. And young Czech tennis player Iveta Benesova has been enjoying her first ever WTA tournament win.

In this edition of Sports News: Czech success at the Indoor World Championships in Hungary, including Roman Sebrle's record-setting win in the heptathlon; more woe for football's slumping Sparta Prague in the Czech premier division; and, the latest results in the first round of the hockey play-offs including big wins by Pilsen and Vitkovice.

Teplice beat last year's finalists Celtic in the UEFA Cup on Wednesday night, but still went down 3:1 on aggregate; both club's managers give their verdict on the game. In the Czech football league, Liberec's Dosek scored a hat-trick against Zlin, while Ostrava have extended their lead at the top of the table. Pardubice are looking good in the ice hockey Extraliga playoffs and Czech star Petr Nedved has left the New York Rangers after six years at the club.

Czech football league leaders Banik Ostrava have been beaten by bottom of the table Blsany, while defending champions Sparta slipped up at Ceske Budejovice, allowing a resurgent Slavia to go second. Milan Baros has returned from injury in style with a goal in his first league game, while his Czech international team-mate Tomas Rosicky is out with a broken arm. In ice hockey, Pilsen whupped Kladno to take the last place in the playoffs and Czech star Robert Lang has gotten off to a great start at new club Detroit.

Czech teams had mixed fortunes in European football action this week, with Sparta Prague holding AC Milan to a 0:0 draw in the Champions League and Teplice taking a 3:0 battering from Celtic in Glasgow. The last round of the ice hockey Extraliga is promising to be dramatic, with Pilsen and Kladno going head to head for the final playoffs place. And cross country skier Martin Koukal has been in inconsistent form since returning from injury.

Cross country skier Katerina Neummanova has won yet another World Cup race, her fourth in seven starts. Lukas Bauer was less fortunate in Sweden on Saturday, when instead of making for the finishing line he went the wrong way! Sparta Prague and Teplice could only manage 0:0 draws in the Czech football league at the weekend, poor preparation for their mid-week European ties. The Czech ice hockey Extraliga is hotting up as the play-offs approach, and some big stars have expressed interest in playing for the Czech Republic at the World Championships