News

The head coach of the national football team Petr Rada was dismissed on Wednesday by the Czech FA on the grounds of the team’s poor record in qualification for next year’s World Cup. Rada has led the team for nine months, after replacing coach Karel Bruckner who stepped down after the team’s loss to Turkey in the 2008 Euro championship. However Rada’s own record has been less than successful. After a recent draw with Slovenia and a key loss to Slovakia, the team’s chances of booking a berth to South Africa next year appear slim. Some names being mentioned as possible successors to Petr Rada include Ivan Hašek, who coaches in the United Arab Emirates, and former Sparta Prague coach František Straka.

A deal on an interim government and early elections remains viable despite a pullout by two smaller parties, the head of the opposition Social Democrats has said. Jiří Paroubek’s comments on Tuesday echoed an earlier statement by outgoing Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek, whose ruling Civic Democrats, together with the Christian Democrats and the Greens, were defeated in a no-confidence vote last month. At the weekend, the coalition parties and the Social Democrats reached a preliminary agreement on a government of experts to assume office in May and lead the country to early elections. But on Monday the Christian Democrats cast doubt on the deal saying they wanted the outgoing cabinet to remain in power until the end of the Czech EU presidency. The Greens have called the deal “dead” and called for new negotiations.

In an on-line discussion on Tuesday Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek revealed he may leave the Christian Democratic Party pending the results of the Christian Democrats’ leadership conference in May. In the discussion, posted on the Czech EU presidency website, he also admitted he might retire from politics entirely. Mr Kalousek, recently pegged as a possible candidate to head the planned caretaker government, has faced opposition from within his party on a number of key issues, including the privatisation of Prague airport as well as finding a solution to the current government crisis.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II met with President Václav Klaus on Monday at the start of a two-day visit to the Czech Republic. In their meeting the two discussed expanding strong political ties into the economic sphere. Mr Klaus stressed that both sides were looking for new markets and expressed the hope that Jordan would be one for Czech manufacturers and vice-versa. Other issues discussed included the Middle East, with King Abdullah saying he hoped this year would see new talks between Israel and Palestinian representatives. Earlier in the year, the Czech Republic tried to broker a ceasefire after conflict broke out in Gaza – shortly after the Czechs took up the rotating EU presidency.