Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
lost to Turkey in the final first round of the 2008 European Cup
(Turkey scored 3 goals in the last 10 minutes of play).
Within the Czech Republic, the two oldest and by far most
successful soccer clubs are the bitter Prague rivals, Sparta and
Slavia. Sparta's 1970s-era stadium is at Letná (behind the giant
Metronome ticking above the river in Letenské Park). Slavia's
brand-new stadium is in Vršovice (12 stops on tram #22 from the
National Theatre). In 2008, Slavia snatched the title from Sparta
in the last round of the league, but neither team qualified for
Europe's top club competition—the Champions League; Sparta
lost to Panathinaikos Athens, and Slavia to Fiorentina.
The mounting losses highlight the degree to which the Czech
Republic lacks—in professional sports as much as in other sectors
of the economy—the financial muscle to challenge the European
biggies. Elimination from Champions League means a huge eco-
nomic loss, invariably solved by the sale of the team's most promis-
ing player to a big club abroad days after the defeat.
The other two Prague teams in the top Czech league are the
Bohemians and Viktoria Žižkov. Although both clubs operate on a
fraction of the budget of the two big Ss, their fans make up for the
lack of skill on the pitch with a die-hard attitude in the stands.
Hockey
The Czech national hockey team won four out of the last ten world
championships. In 2006, the Czech team lost to Sweden in the
final, and didn't make it to the finals in 2007 or 2008. Currently,
more than 60 Czech players take the ice in America's NHL.
Think of Jaromír Jágr, one of the NHL's all-time leading scorers.
(In a “Beckham move,” Jágr in 2008 switched from the New York
Rangers to the newly founded, Russian oil-fueled Continental
Hockey League, with a contract that ensures he remains the world's
best-paid hockey player, and the league's most coveted star.)
Sparta and Slavia, the traditional Czech soccer powers, also
have hockey teams, but the rivalry is less intense, as the teams
from smaller towns are more than their equals. Slavia plays in
the state-of-the-art Sazka Arena built for the 2004 world hockey
championships (right at the Českomoravská Metro stop).
Back in the old days, ice hockey was the only battleground on
which Czechoslovaks could seek revenge on their Russian oppres-
sors (ice hockey is also the most popular sport in Slovakia). The
hockey rink is still where Czechs are proudest about their nation-
ality. If you are in town in May during the hockey championships,
join locals cheering their team in front of a giant screen on the
Old Town Square, as well as on other main squares around the
countr y.
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