Sport | Topic Archive

Tomáš Ujfaluši, a member of Czech football’s ‘golden generation’ which featured the likes of players like Milan Baroš, Jan Koller and Pavel Nedvěd, has decided to hang up his boots. The 35-year-old defender, who played for clubs like Fiorentina and Atletico Madrid and had 78 caps for the national squad, called it quits due to a lingering knee-injury which prevented him from fulfilling a one-year contract with Sparta Prague.

In Sports News this Monday: Plzeň fans give future national team boss Vrba emotional send-off after last league game; leaders Sparta’s final game before winter break throws up curious incidents; and skier Bauer tops World Cup podium for first time in nearly four years.

In Sports News this Monday: Sparta Prague maintain lead in football’s Gambrinus liga while Plzeň search for a new manager; in hockey, Jaromír Jágr ties NHL record of game-wining goals, and the Czech relay wins World Cup event in biathlon.

There was exciting news for Czech soccer fans on Monday evening with the announcement that Pavel Vrba will become national team manager in January. The highly respected coach is free to take the post after a buy-out clause was activated in his contract with Viktoria Plzeň, the club he led in 2011 to their first ever league title and a berth in the Champions League, a “double” he repeated this year.

In Sports News this Monday: Czech Republic achieve historic success by winning tennis’s Davis Cup for the second year in row; hero Štěpánek describes sharing moment with his family and explains what has driven him to succeed in competition, while doubles partner Berdych pays tribute to top pair’s teammates.

In Sports New this Monday: Coach Hadamczik disappointed with overseas players after Czechs lose all three games in Karjala Cup; Jágr now seventh in NHL all-time points tally table; Hejnová named Czech Athlete of Year but regrets absence of Špotáková; and non-playing captain Navrátil will miss Davis Cup final in Belgrade.

In Sports News this Monday: Sparta equal ice hockey Extraliga margin of victory record with 11:0 demolition of Karlovy Vary; Sparta’s footballers remain seven points clear after beating Teplice in top of table clash; Berdych faces Wawrinka, Nadal and Ferrer at World Tour Finals; and top doubles pair Hlaváčková and Hradecká part ways.

In Sports News this Monday: Sparta extend their lead in Czech league to six points with win over Dukla; Plzeň draw with Slavia in last game before Bayern trip; Nedvěd is hopeful of better times ahead for national side; and Kvitová draws Serena Williams in WTA Championships group.

In Sports News this Monday: Orphee de Blins wins Velká pardubická for second year in succession, while legendary jockey Josef Váňa, 60, retires; 400m hurdles world champion Zuzana Hejnová wins women’s category in European Athlete of Year awards; Czechs beat Malta 4:1 in World Cup qualifier; and Czech FA drop Vladimír Šmicer as general manager.

Tomáš Hertl, a Czech rookie at the San José Sharks, is having a dream debut in the National Hockey League. Indeed, with six goals in only three games, the 19-year-old tops the league’s scoring charts. On Tuesday, Hertl scored four times in the Sharks’ 9:2 demolition of the New York Rangers, becoming the youngest player to do so since 1988. His fourth goal, when he flicked the puck past the goalie from behind his legs, has gone viral on the web. I spoke to Tomáš Hertl’s Prague-based agent Robert Spálenka about the player’s amazing start