World Cup fever hits Prague bars
You'd have to be living on the moon not to know that the whole world has gone football crazy over the World Cup, which is currently taking place in Japan and South Korea. Unfortunately, the Czechs didn't qualify so there is perhaps less World Cup fever here than you'd find in countries which are taking part. Nevertheless, Czech TV has been showing every single game, people have been calling in sick, restaurants and pubs with TV sets are full and the bookies are laughing all the way to the bank. Surprisingly perhaps, some people have actually come here to Prague on holiday to catch the greatest event in world sport. And the place you'll find them - and scores of local expats - enjoying the game at 8:30 in the morning is at one of the city's numerous Irish bars. This morning Dita Asiedu went along to one Irish pub, Rocky o' Reilly's, to soak up a bit of the World Cup atmosphere.
Robbie Norton (owner): "Our customers are English and Irish mostly but we're getting huge interests. I'm old enough to have seen many, many World Cups but there is a huge interest in this series for some reason. Maybe it's just the mix of games. Obviously during the England-Argentina game and the Ireland - Germany game, this bar was completely full to the point that we actually had to close and not allow any more people in the bar."
Do you also have problems with too much drinking, do people start drinking early in the morning?
RN:"Not really, most people are being sensible. It's eight a.m., people are a little bit careful. Normally they come in and have their breakfast and a cup of coffee or a cup of tea. Then they will have a couple of beers but generally speaking, people are being very sensible."
What are your names?
"Rachael and Samantha."
And you're here to watch the World Cup with a beer in front of you at eight o'clock in the morning?
S:"It has to be done, it's part of the atmosphere".
R:"We're students who have come over for a week's holiday."
So why wake up at eight or seven in the morning?
S: "We are fans and we are girls! It's the fun of it."
R:"We're cheering for our country."
RN:"We have some fanatical women football supporters. Some very, very serious girls whose knowledge of football would far exceed mine. During the Ireland - Germany game when Ireland equalised in the last couple of seconds, this pub broke into a huge party that finished at two a.m. although the game finished at two o'clock in the afternoon. There was dancing on the tables and dancing on the bar and it was very crazy."
