OF THE six intriguing European semi final, first leg ties being played this week, the one likely to attract the least attention is tonight's UEFA Cup game between Czech side Slavia Prague and French club Bordeaux.
Inevitably, games like Bayera Munich Barcelona in the UEFA Cup, Juventus Nantes in the Champions Cup and Deportivo La Coruna Paris St Germain in the Cup Winners' Cup will generate more media interest than this UEFA Cup semi final featuring two sides who were not expected to go so far in the competition. Indeed, Bordeaux's 3-0 destruction of Italian league leaders AC Milan in their quarter final a fortnight ago must go down as the biggest European competition upset of the season.
Yet, with an eye on this summer's European Championship finals in England, the proceedings in Prague merit close attention. If nothing else, Slavia Prague's UEFA Cup run emphatically underlines the current bright moment in Czech soccer. This football version of a Prague Spring, of course, saw the Czechs produce one of the surprise qualifications for Euro '96 when they topped qualifying Group Five, in the process eliminating Norway and forcing Holland to scramble into the finals via that Anfield play off win against Ireland last December.
Slavia Prague, just as much as the new Czech Republic side, represent the changing face of Czech soccer. Called Dynamo Prague for much of the communist era, this 101 year old club has adapted better than many post communist eastern European clubs to commercial life without state subsidies.
On January 1st, Slavia Prague went "public", quoted on the stock market for about £25 per share for fans. Commercial investors were asked to pay nearly 10 times as much per share. Privatisation, sponsorship and the public "float" should give Slavia limited financial autonomy, enabling the club to hold on to its better players.
On the playing field, such policies appear to have borne fruit Slavia are not only in this week's European semi final, but they are also the current Czech league leaders, three points clear of Sigma Olomouc, with a game in hand. In their elimination of Roma last month, Slavia appeared to mirror many of the best qualities of the current Czech national team solidity, organisation, discipline and hard work.
Slavia's connection to the national team, of course, is more than metaphorical since they provide at least three squad members goalkeeper Jan Stejskal, defender Jan Suchoparek and attacking mid fielder Karel Poborsky. And two other first team regulars, midfielder Patrick Berger (Borussia Dortmund) and striker Pavel Kuka (Kaiserslautern) are Slavia "old boys".
In a sense, no one should be much surprised to see Czech soccer re emerge among the European elite. When Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia (in soccer terms, this occurred after the qualifying round for USA '94), nearly all of Czechoslovakia's best talent was simply rechristened as the Czech Republic.
As such, the Czech national team can be seen to represent one of the most successful of all eastern European soccer traditions. Not only did Czechoslovakia win a European Championship title in Belgrade in 197 but the Czechs haven twice been beaten World Cup finalists loss to Italy Rome 1934, and loss to Brazil, Chile 1961 is possible of course that this is as far as either the Czech Republic or Slavia Prague will get. Given the tough nature of their first round Group C, which contains two tournament favourites in Germany and Italy, the Czechs will cause a major surprise if they get past the first around.
Likewise, if Bordeaux were to repeat their splendid performance against Milan "Milan played well, Bordeaux out of this world" was the accurate post match assessment of Michel Platini, no less then Slavia Prague's interest in the competition will end here.
When it comes to Euro '96, however, it will be well worth remembering that, like other post Berlin Wall ex-communist countries such as Romania, Bulgana and Croatia, the Czech Republic have been able to cash in on the international club experience picked up by its best players, now free to join western European clubs.
Men like 31 year old libero Miroslav Kadlec and strikers Pavel Kuka and Horst Siegl (all with Kaiserslautern), as well as midfield boss Vaclav Nemecek (Swiss side Servette) and midfielder Patrik Berger (Borussia Dortmund), were all crucial to the successful Czech qualifying run.
Furthermore national team coach Dusan Uhrin (a Sparta Prague graduate) is so sure of his squad strength for Euro '96 that last week he sprang a surprise when announcing that he would not be calling on the services of the country's best known player, former Genoa and Sporting Lisbon striker, Thomas Skuhravy.
Skuhravy is currently without a club, having fallen out with Sporting Lisbon, and clearly not match fit. The message is clear. Passengers, even famous ones, are not required in a Czech side where work rate and discipline (not always Skuhravy's strong points) count for much.
Neither Slavia Prague nor the Czech Republic are likely to win new fans with their careful soccer, but Slavia have already sprung UEFA surprises (having eliminated Freiburg, Lens and Roma), while the Czech Republic may spring more in England.
