Sports News
Sparta Prague look set to sack coach Josef Jarabinsky, despite being top of the Czech football league as the winter break begins. It's been a successful year for the national football team, with seven wins and three draws out of ten games. In ice hockey, the hapless Havirov have won their first game, after 24 rounds of the Extraliga, and - with a baby on the way - top Czech skier Katerina Neumannova's career could be over. That's all in Sports News.
Sparta set to sack Jarabinsky, despite being league leaders
This weekend's round of Czech league football games was the last before the winter break. The break had been due to start a week earlier, but had to be put back to allow the games postponed during August's floods to be played.
Sparta Prague's 2:1 win away to champions Liberec confirmed their place at the top of the table, ahead of Slavia and Teplice. But, while most club's would be satisfied with poll position in the league, Sparta see themselves as belonging in European football, and their failure to reach the lucrative Champions League - and early exit from the UEFA Cup - could well spell the end for coach Jozef Jarabinsky. Sparta chairman Vlastimil Kostal, who like Jarabinsky has fallen from favour with the club's fans, had this to say ahead of a crucial board meeting.
"It can be expected that the club's board will decide to make some changes in the management team, as a result of failure in key games on the international scene."
Jarabinsky is Sparta's third manager in eight months. When he got the job, Josef Chovanec was also in contention. Now it seems that the club have once again set their sights on the former Czech national coach, also a Sparta player in his day. The trouble is Chovanec is currently under contract at Pribram, who say they'll only release him for a large sum. What's more Spartak Moscow and Ukraine's Donetsk Shakhtyor are also interested in signing the coach. Sparta chairman Vlastimil Kostal again.
"I think that if Sparta also expresses an interest in him, beside Spartak, beside Shakhtyor, I don't think we'd be outsiders."
Draw with Sweden crowns good first year for coach Brueckner
Since the Czech national side drew 3:3 with Sweden last Wednesday, the sports pages have been reflecting on a successful first year for coach Karel Brueckner. Under Brueckner, the Czechs won seven, drew three this year, and should only be challenged by the Dutch in their qualification group for Euro 2004. By the way, the 20-year-old Czech goalie Petr Cech conceded his first goal at senior level during the Sweden game, after an impressive 463 minutes between the posts.
Will motherhood end career of top Czech skier Neumannova?
Havirov win - for the first time in 24 games!
The worst team in the Extraliga, Havirov Panthers, have finally won their first game of the season, after 24 attempts; they beat Liberec 1:0 at home on Sunday. Havirov's first win came just days after the former Czech national coach Josef Augusta left the club. He had been taken on after Havirov's disastrous start to the season. A disastrous end is also on the cards, as the club have only seven points, way behind second-from-bottom Zlin on 23. At the top of the table, Pardubice are nine points in front, despite losing 4:3 to Pilsen at the weekend.
