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The Czech football team are on their way home from the World Cup in Germany, after going out in the group stage. There was great optimism here in the Czech Republic when they beat the USA in their opening game. Surely, people thought, they cannot fail to qualify for the knock-out stages. But fail they did, after losing to Ghana, and then being beaten by Italy in their final group game in Hamburg on Thursday afternoon. Where did it all go wrong for the Czech Republic?

These days all eyes are on Germany where the football World Cup is well underway. Most would probably agree that football is good business. Good news especially for retailers: football fans are spending more on items such as beer, spirits, food and audio-visual equipment, as well as more time and money in pubs and clubs. But such high profile sporting events also have a negative impact- namely, for employers, especially if matches are held on workdays and in the afternoons.

After a brilliant performance against the US, the Czech Republic continued in its bid to qualify for the knock-out stage at the football World Cup. But, on Saturday things went far differently against Ghana. Forget about winning, or even eking out a tie: the Czechs were stopped dead in their tracks.

In spite of missing their star forward Milan Baros, the Czech football team put in an impressive performance against the USA in their opening World Cup game on Monday. However, Baros's strike partner Jan Koller was stretchered off in that match; both are unlikely to play in the Czechs' two remaining group games and may not appear again in the competition at all. Can the Czech Republic cope with this double loss?

All eyes are on the World Cup in Germany at the moment, and while the Czech Republic and the hosts could face each other in the quarterfinals, the two countries' diplomats have already clashed, after Germany turned away some Czech fans travelling to the World Cup at the border.

The Czech Republic is in the grip of a severe political stalemate, with neither left nor right capable of forming a majority government and the prospect of early elections lurking on the horizon. But honestly, who really cares?

The Czech national squad couldn't have gotten off to a better start in its debut at the World Cup. From the get-go on Monday the Czech performance was scintillating, and as Jan Velinger reports it didn't take long for the team to score the first goal in front of a sell-out crowd of more than 50,000.

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The Czech football star Tomas Ujfalusi is a tough defender who takes no prisoners on the pitch. But - inspired by his aid-worker cousin Robin Ujfalusi - Tomas has lent support to a project in which football is being used to help children on the streets of the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

Your very own Czech Radio provided commentary for the 1934 World Cup final, as Czechoslovakia went 1:0 up through a goal by Antonin Puc. Czechoslovakia went on to lose that game - and also lost the only other final the country appeared in, in 1962. With the current Czech team in Germany on the eve of the 2006 finals, Michael Longaro looks back now at the country's history in the competition.