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September 8th, 2008
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Outside looking in

For the first time in 16 years, Vladimír Šmicer watches Euro from off the pitch

By František Bouc
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
June 11th, 2008 issue

VLADIMÍR WEISS/THE PRAGUE POST
Old Town Square is a popular spot for throngs looking to watch Euro matches, such as the national team's June 7 victory against Switzerland.
Photo courtesy of MARTIN MALÝ, SLAVIA.CZ
This year, Vladimír Šmicer is trying to contain his emotions on air.
Midfielder Vladimír Šmicer has come up with a hard-to-believe conclusion: It’s sometimes more difficult to watch soccer than to play it.
The longtime icon of the national team scored at least one goal in each of the previous three Euro tournaments. He made his debut as a television commentator during the Euro 2008 opening match between the home team Switzerland and the Czech Republic, held June 7 in Basel.
The Czechs won 1-0 despite a Swiss team that controlled the game. Šmicer admitted that merely watching the game and talking about it as a commentator was quite “exhausting.”
“It feels strange. … I still feel I should be on the pitch rather than here,” Šmicer said. “I felt nervous and powerless at the same time.”
Despite winning the opening game, the Czech team frequently struggled against the agile Swiss players. And Šmicer had his own problems in the commentators’ box.
“As a newcomer to this job, I had planned not to be overly emotional during games,” Šmicer said. “But it was sometimes difficult here.”
Šmicer had declared before the championship that he would not be overly critical. “I’d rather like to explain situations from the viewpoint of players on the pitch,” Šmicer explained. “However,” he added quickly, “I will not spare anyone of criticism if I spot someone that isn’t giving his full effort.”
The match against Switzerland was not only Šmicer’s TV debut, but it also was the first broadcast of a major international soccer event by TV Prima.
Given the euphoric atmosphere in the sold-out stands, Prima’s commentators sometimes praised the level of the game despite the passive play of the Czech team. Šmicer tried to lessen the bias by pointing out that the Czechs have to improve in the midfield and be more active.
“That’s my role, to try and comment on where the mistakes are and what should be done,” he said.
Practicing names
Šmicer accepted an offer from Prima to work as an expert commentator during Euro 2008 after a series of lengthy injuries made it clear that he would not be eligible to play in the tournament himself.
“I took it as a chance to be close to the games when I could appear myself,” said the 34-year-old midfielder, who still plays with the Gambrinus liga champions, Slavia Praha.
In the past three European Championships, Šmicer was an essential player.
The then-22-year-old midfielder started the country’s stunning campaign at Euro 96 in England. The Czechs were down 3-2 in a game against Russia and needed to draw in order to qualify for the playoff rounds. Šmicer scored the all-important equalizer two minutes before the end of the game. The Czechs then advanced through the playoffs to the final game, which they lost to Germany.
Four years later, in Euro 2000, Šmicer scored both goals in the national team’s only victory, 2-0 against Denmark.
And, in Euro 2004, Šmicer scored the winning goal in the team’s 3-2 win over the Netherlands. In that game, the Czechs were 2-0 down after 20 minutes of play but still managed to recover. The comeback began an impressive march to the tournament’s semifinals.
More than almost anything else, Euro games stick out in Šmicer’s career.
“It’s the atmosphere, when one half of the stadium cheers for one team and the second one for the other side,” he said. “This can be experienced nowhere else.”
Despite his tremors in the broadcast booth, getting ready for Euro 2008 was less demanding for Šmicer than in the past.
“I only underwent a two-day seminar with the TV crew, where we discussed how the broadcast should be shaped. We also practiced pronunciation of players’ names,” he said.
While temporarily off the field, Šmicer said that he is not yet considering a full-time job as a soccer commentator in the future.
“I still want to play for Slavia for at least one more year,” he said. “Later on, I’ll see.”

František Bouc can be reached at fbouc@praguepost.com


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[08:46 16/06/2008] : I am living here and I love Czech Republic. I am a Turkish man with many Czech friends who talked too much as they were so sure to win...anyway I am so glad Turkey did win ...WE ARE THE BEST...
egemen yildirimcan
prague
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