Players turn down national team

The Czech hockey community's hopes that the national team will be able to improve in the upcoming World Hockey Championship after what was widely perceived as a failure at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver are fading as more and more players decline to play in the championships, which start in Germany May 7.

The team's head coach, Vladimír Růžička, said seven players, mostly from the NHL, have declined invitations.

Toronto defenseman Tomáš Kaberle, New York Rangers' Václav Prospal, Roman Polák of St. Louis and Florida's Michael Frolík and Kamil Kreps have all announced they will not play in Germany. Most claim injuries or fatigue as the reason for their decision.

Similarly, some players based in Russia's Continental Hockey League (KHL) have withdrawn their names from the Czech team. Among them are forwards Zbyněk Irgl, Josef Vašíček and Jiří Hudler. Hudler had said earlier he wouldn't play under Růžička, after the coach did not take him to the Vancouver Games.

Prospal, who was dropped from the Olympic lineup at the last minute, was likewise suspected of turning down Růžička's invitation to the World Championship in reaction to Růžička's February decision, though Prospal denies the claims.

"It's obvious I was disappointed that I could not play in the Olympics," he said. "But the Olympics and the world championship have nothing in common. I was glad Růžička called me this time and wanted me to play, but I had to refuse due to a knee injury."

On the contrary, Růžička can count on star forward Jaromír Jágr. The 38-year-old player, who last season competed with Avangard Omsk in the KHL, confirmed his interest to play in Germany. The Czech team's top goalkeeper, Tomáš Vokoun of the Florida Panthers, said he would also play in the championship.

Volcanic disruptions

Iceland's volcanic ash cloud has altered the plans for the Czech women's tennis team to travel to the Fed Cup semifinals in Italy April 24 and 25. Instead of boarding a plane, Lucie Šafářová, Petra Kvitová, Květa Peschke and Lucie Hradecká left Prague April 18 in two Mercedes vans.

"It's an unexpected challenge," said team leader Lucie Šafářová before the 1,320 km (820 mile) journey between Prague and Rome. She said the last time she traveled to tournaments in Italy by car was when she was a junior.

"I've packed some games, including Scrabble, plus papers and magazines. ... It will be something like team building in the van," Šafářová joked.

The Czechs are entering the matchup as underdogs. Italians have dominated on the WTA Tour in recent tournaments. Francesca Schiavone won a tournament in Barcelona April 17, and Flavia Pennetta won an event in Marbella a week before. Meanwhile, Roberta Vinci won doubles competitions in both tournaments.

"They are obviously in very good shape. But we still have a chance to succeed," Kvitová said.

Last year, the Czech team was just one point from advancing to the finals. In a semifinal matchup against the United States in Brno, the Czechs were unable to convert match point in the doubles match and eventually lost.

"It would be a tremendous achievement if we celebrated victory this time," Šafářová said.

Sanctions

On April 15, the Czech Soccer Association's Disciplinary Committee levied severe sanctions against FC Bohemians for their refusal to appear at April 10's game against rival Bohemians 1905.

FC Bohemians were fined 6 million Kč, and 20 points were deducted from their league record. As a result, the club will be relegated from the top flight league at the end of the season.

The result of the game between FC Bohemians and Bohemians 1905 was a forfeited victory for Bohemians 1905.

"We also considered throwing FC Bohemians out of the league now," said the committee's chairman, Jiří Golda. "But we didn't want to bring complications to the league's last rounds this season."

It was the first time in league history that a club intentionally failed to show up for a game. By refusing to play against Bohemians 1905, FC Bohemians escalated the five-year dispute over the use of the name Bohemians and the kangaroo logo. FC Bohemians' management said they would ask the game's European governing body, the Union of European Football Associations, to settle the dispute.

František Bouc can be reached at
fbouc@praguepost.com