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Carolina (English) No 245
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STUDENTS' E-MAIL NEWS FROM CZECH REPUBLIC
Faculty of Social Science of Charles University
Smetanovo nabr. 6
110 01 Prague 1
Czech Republic
e-mail: CAROLINA@cuni.cz
tel: (+4202) 24810804, ext. 252, fax: (+4202) 24810987
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
C A R O L I N A No 245, Friday, May 2, 1997.
FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (APRIL 23-30)
Presidents Speak about Czech-German Relations
German President Roman Herzog and Czech President Vaclav Havel put
the era of the Czech-German Declaration officially to rest. Havel spoke
in front of the German Parliament April 24, while Herzog spoke to Czech
legislators April 29 in the Vladislav Hall of Prague Castle. The
speeches of the two statesmen were conceptually different - while Havel
focused on the future, Herzog used the opportunity to evaluate the past.
"As today's Germany cannot return the lives of tens of thousands of
Czech victims of Nazism and return us back to before 1938, when Czechs,
Jews and Germans lived among us together, today's Czech Republic cannot
return Germans expelled (from the Sudetenland) their long-ago home,"
said Havel. His speech, broadcast live on television and radio in both
countries, mostly lacked confrontational themes (such as the expulsion
of Sudeten Germans). The largest response was generated by his comment,
"If, well knowing why, I said two years ago only that Germans who come
from our land are welcomed among us as guests, I can today without fear
say what I did not say then: That they are among us welcomed not only as
guests, but as our one-time fellow citizens, or as their descendants,
who have here centuries-old roots and have the right that we notice and
feel their relation to our country." At the end of his speech in the
Bundestag, Havel called on representatives of both countries to take
advantage of the positive atmosphere between the nations created by the
recently approved declaration.
Herzog in his speech expressed regret for the suffering of the Czech
people and the depriving of their rights, and asked Czechs for
forgiveness: "We are also aware that only with that policy of violence
and crime were the grounds prepared for the following flight and
expulsion." Herzog, in the name of Germany, accepted historical
responsibility for the events of 1938 in Munich and the breakup and
occupation of Czechoslovakia. Herzog critically noted that, in recent
years, "parts of the European elite, as if bored, have turned away from
the union of Europe, and that "euro-skepticism" has because some sort of
fashion. He supported the integration of eastern European nations into
European structures and emphasized that the Czech Republic can count on
the full support of Germany for acceptance into the EU and NATO.
Herzog's speech was also broadcast live in both countries.
Herzog's speech was not attended by members of the Communist Party,
while the neo-Fascist Republicans, until the last minute, threatened to
disrupt the proceedings, though they too chose in the end not to attend.
Members of the Jewish community rejected the invitation as well, as
a protest against the absence in the declaration of individual
compensation for the victims of Nazism.
Petra Sevcikova/Michael Bluhm
John Paul II Honors Legacy of Saint Adalbert in Czech Republic
More than 100,000 people took part in the mass which Pope John Paul
II officiated April 27 on Prague's Letna Plain. The Pope was visiting
Prague for the third time since the fall of the iron curtain. The
occasion was the 1,000th anniversary of the death of Saint Adalbert
(Svaty Vojtech, see Carolina 244).
The Vatican aircraft landed on the evening of April 25 at Ruzyne
Airport and the Pope was welcomed there by President Vaclav Havel and
his wife Dagmar, as well as Cardinal Miroslav Vlk, government and
parliamentary representatives and hundreds of people. TV NOVA welcomed
the Holy Father by showing a horror film entitled "Here Comes Satan".
The Pope, aware of the country's dislike of the Catholic Church and of
religion in general, expressed the hope that the spiritual character of
his visit would find an echo even among those "who for various reasons
feel far removed from everything concerning religion and the Church." He
later dined with the highest representatives of the Czech Catholic
Church at the residence of the Apostolic Nunciate, where he also stayed
during the visit.
On the Saturday morning of April 26, the Pope met young Christians
in Hradec Kralove. It was in that diocese in Libice nad Cidlinou that
St. Adalbert was born. After a tour of the historical part of the city
in the famous popemobile, he served mass in Holy Spirit Cathedral (the
only Catholic cathedral in the world so dedicated) and delivered
a speech especially addressed to young people, who came to greet him not
only from the Czech Republic but from Slovakia and Poland as well.
Roughly 50,000 people welcomed the Holy Father with the chant "In the
Lord let's all be glad; from the Vatican has come our Dad." In the name
of St. Adalbert, whose life should serve as an example for the young,
the Pope spoke out for the preservation of higher values and urged his
listeners to live in truth and love and guard themselves against drugs
and alcohol: "Don't try to find fulfillment in your life by seeking
selfish advantages, but open yourselves to love and you will become
creators of Europe and a new world. The Church needs you."
Only one protester was present at the rally, Hradec businessman
Milan Grondzik with a banner reading "Don't forget! The Catholics burned
John Huss."
From the eastern Bohemian city the Pope returned to the capital,
where he had a meeting with the president and the first lady and
government representatives at Prague Castle in the early evening. In the
evening the Holy Father met monks and the sick at Brevnov Monastery, at
the Nuncio's Residence he then gave Charles University Rector Karel Maly
a copy of the papal bull of 1347 which guaranteed graduates of the
university that their education would be recognized throughout the
Christian world. The original copy was stolen by the Nazis and has never
been recovered.
On the Sunday morning of April 27, John Paul II celebrated the
two-hour mass in front 100,000 people on the Letna Plain. Ministers
Josef Lux and Jan Ruml were among the Czech notables who took the
sacrament from the hand of the highest representative of the Catholic
Church. In the afternoon Havel and Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus also took
part in ecumenical prayers in honor of St. Adalbert. In the St. Vitus
Cathedral the Pope also mentioned John Huss, whose death he labeled
unfortunate (Huss, a Czech, was burned at the stake in 1415), indicating
that he is to be considered among the reformers of the Church. The Pope
then flew back to Rome from Ruzyne Airport at 7 p.m..
Jiri Fremuth and from Hradec Kralove Lucie Vackova/Andy Faust
Perestroika's Father Gorbachev in Prague
Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Kremlin ruler credited with unleashing
the avalanche which swept away Communism in Europe, arrived in Prague
April 25 to pay his respects to Zdenek Mlynar, his friend of many years
and law school classmate in Moscow. Mlynar died April 15 (see Carolina
243), and his funeral was April 25.
In Prague Gorbachev met President Vaclav Havel for a short private
visit. According to presidential spokesman Ladislav Spacek, the main
topic of their discussion was the present situation in Russia. Gorbachev
admitted the deep influence events of the 1968 Prague Spring had had on
him, and stated that less than 10 per cent of Russians wish to return to
past conditions.
Gorbachev was welcomed to the Czech Parliament by Chamber of
Deputies Chairman Milos Zeman. At the conclusion of his visit to Prague,
the first and last president of the USSR again expressed his opposition
to the expansion of NATO. He considers the idea a bad one from the word
go.
Lenka Javurkova/Andy Faust
Cabinet Will Present Administrative Region Bill by End of May
The cabinet will submit to Parliament a draft of a constitutional
amendment on larger territorial administrative regions by the end of
May, according to an agreement reached April 28 between the governing
coalition parties' three chairmen - Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus (Civic
Democratic Party, ODS), Michael Zantovsky (Civic Democratic Alliance,
ODA) and Agriculture Minister Josef Lux (Christian Democrats, KDU-CSL).
The cabinet is going to discuss the precise number of new regions,
because the proposals of the Interior Ministry and the Justice Ministry
differ. While Justice Minister Vlasta Parkanova (ODA) will promote 13
regions (with Prague as the 14th region) Interior Minister Jan Ruml
(ODS) supports a subdivision into 9 administrative regions. The
opposition Social Democrats worked out alternatives with 9, 11 or 14
regions.
The cabinet is also going to debate the terms of introduction the
administrative reform. Ruml already revealed his opinion that the first
election of deputies for new regional municipalities should take place
in the autumn of the year 2000. On the other hand, the ODA and Christian
Democrats are convinced the reform should be implemented by next year's
local elections. "We know that time is short, but in our opinion the
term is realistic," said Zantovsky to the daily Lidove noviny.
Roman Jedlicka/Milan Smid
Minister for Regional Development Schneider resigns
Minister for Regional Development Jaromir Schneider announced his
decision to resign April 29. Schneider's abdication was demanded by his
own party, the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL), particularly by the
party's chairman, Agriculture Minister Josef Lux. Lux said Schneider was
the weakest member of the government. Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus
accepted the resignation without ado.
Schneider, however, disagrees with Lux's accusation and points out
that under his administration the ministry achieved passage of housing
policy. "Successful activity in such an exposed post presumes the
support of your own party, which I do not have," said Schneider.
Personal dissonance between Schneider and Lux, more than
Schneider's incompetence, preceded the resignation, according to some
Christian Democrats quoted in the April 30 edition of daily MF DNES.
When Schneider was mayor of the town Zlin, the town provided the local
Tandem company with a suspicious loan, an affair said to bother Lux. Lux
denies Schneider's resignation is connected with the Tandem episode.
According to most Christian Democrats, the leading candidate to
replace Schneider is his deputy, Tomas Kvapil. His experiences in the
field and membership in the party work in his favor. Lux refused to
comment on the matter, saying he will announce a candidate in a few
days.
The April 30 article also cites a source close to Christian
Democrat leadership saying Lux is expecting - in connection with
recently announced economic measures (see Carolina 243) - changes in
ministerial posts by government coalition partners the Civic Democratic
Party (ODS) and Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA). Finance Minister Ivan
Kocarnik (ODS) and Trade Minister Vladimir Dlouhy (ODA) are the
most-discussed possible sacrifices.
Bohdana Rambouskova/Matej Cerny
Head of Prague Interpol Office Resigns
Frantisek Zelenicky, the head of the Prague Interpol office, will
resign from his position April 30. Zelenicky was asked to depart from
his office by Police President Oldrich Tomasek, and Zelenicky heeded the
call, which was based on an Interior Ministry inspection report.
"The activities of Mr. Zelenicky as chairman of the Czech Interpol
office have been in contradiction with the moral standards imposed on
members of the Czech Police," said Police Presidium spokeswoman Ivana
Moosova.
Vit Bartek/Milan Smid
Two Biggest Hospitals Protest Government Cuts
Doctors, nurses and medical students at the General Faculty Hospital
(Vseobecna fakultni nemocnice) protested in front of the Ministry of
Health building April 29 against the intention of Health Minister Jan
Strasky to abolish or drastically reduce the size of the largest Czech
hospital. Just the main grounds of the hospital should remain intact,
and some of its clinics should be moved to the Faculty Hospital
Praha-Motol (Fakultni nemocnice Praha-Motol). Because the General
Faculty Hospital is located in the center of Prague (on Charles Square),
speculation in the media appeared whether behind the planned changes are
not potentially lucrative real estate deals with the hospital's grounds
and buildings. A final decision is expected May 10.
The medical staff of the Motol hospital began a five-day strike the
next day, in protest against the removal of Surgery Department head
Josef Dvorak, who, in spite of impeccable professional credentials, was
criticized for mismanagement of the department and patient complaints.
The hospital's capacity should be reduced by one-third.
Jana Wiesnerova/Milan Smid
Havel: "Paranoia" Statement about Meciar Was Impertinent
President Vaclav Havel labeled his recent statement about Slovak
Prime Minister Meciar's paranoia, made in the interview for French daily
Le Figaro, "impertinent" in his Sunday radio talk show Talks from Lany
April 27. When asked about current Czech-Slovak relations, he said he
has been worrying about them for some time. He described them as correct
but cool and touchy. This fact he considers more important than "whether
somebody lets out some impertinent word, and then somebody else asks for
an apology," said Havel. Some commentators read into Havel's words
a defiant stance toward Slovak formal demands for an apology (see
Carolina 242).
Slovak ambassador to the Czech Republic Ivan Mjartan returned to
Prague April 29 after three weeks in Bratislava, where he had been
recalled for consultation after publication of Havel's comments.
Michal Schindler/Milan Smid
Public Most Annoyed with Economic Problems
Czech poll respondents consider the economy the most alarming
current problem, and they think the government should make the economy
its top priority. According to regular research done by the Institute
for Public Opinion Research from April, economic problems are at the
fore of public interest. Thus, the economy has replaced problems with
healthcare and crime, which had been in the top position in recent
years.
Thirty per cent of respondents, most of whom supported government
coalition parties, responded to the question "What should we strive for
in the next five years?" with the answer solving economic problems.
About a fifth of respondents (21 per cent) answered social problems,
connected foremost with the building of new apartments, a concern
typical for opposition voters. Five per cent of respondents consider
healthcare the biggest problem.
David Vlk/Zdenek Janda
Tenth of Population Agrees with Economical Transformation
Dissatisfaction with the political situation is growing. Last
summer, 50 per cent of poll respondents were not satisfied with the
situation, while in January the number grew to 58 per cent of
respondents, in March 61 per cent and in April it increased to 72 per
cent. The greatest dissatisfaction with the political situation is
expressed by supporters of the Communist Party (97 per cent of their
supporters are dissatisfied) and the neo-Fascist Republicans (91 per
cent). On the contrary, 55 per cent of respondents supporting the ruling
Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and 41 per cent adhering to coalition
partner the Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA) are satisfied.
Only 11 per cent of respondents are satisfied with economic
transformation, while 38 per cent consider the process to be "partially
successful," wrote the daily Pravo April 30, citing research conducted
by the Institute for Public Opinion Research. Respondents were asked
between April 1-7, before the announcement of economic measures (see
Carolina 243). Eighty-five per cent of respondents supporting the
Republicans, 77 per cent supporting the Communists and 53 per cent
supporting the Social Democrats do not approve of transformation.
Thirty-five per cent of ODS sympathizers and 13 per cent of ODA
sympathizers are satisfied.
David Vlk/Zdenek Janda
Klaus Meets Legal Public at Charles University
"To create good laws first and then to seep reality into it later,
is an impossible task," said Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus in his speech
in Prague's Charles University Law School April 29. Klaus' speech was
the acceptance of a longstanding invitation from the Czech legal club
VSEHRD. His 40-minute address, entitled "The Law's Relation to Economic
and Political Transformation," was dedicated to the following issues:
legal autonomy, burgeoning public-sector legislation, the relation
between economics and legal theory, and the harmonizing of Czech law
with the EU legislation.
In front of the audience, comprised mostly of lawyers and law
students, Klaus, a professor of economics, admitted that the economy has
been developing for the most part without any contact with legal theory,
that on the one hand the law has been considered a stable framework for
market behavior, while in reality the term was narrowed to some abstract
necessity. He criticized the excessive number of complicated laws, the
application of which has been prevented by the non-functioning of the
executive branch and the organs responsible for dealing with crime.
exclusive report by Libuse Kolouchova/Milan Smid
FROM SLOVAKIA
Chernomyrdin in Slovakia
Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin arrived in Slovakia for
a two-day visit April 28. He met with President Michal Kovac and Prime
Minister Vladimir Meciar, while the main purpose of the visit was to
sign 16 strategic Russian-Slovak contracts.
The long-discussed contract establishing a joint venture in natural
gas (the Russian Gazprom with Slovak Gas Industry) will make Slovakia
dependent on Russian gas until 2008. The military technology agreement
signed raises questions whether Slovakia still wants to enter NATO. Both
prime ministers deny any political background to the contracts but it is
undeniable that Slovakia is coming further under Russian influence. If
Slovakia decides to purchase the S-300 PMU-1 Russian defense system,
some western experts speculate that Slovakia would practically abandon
the road to joining euroatlantic structures.
Jan Potucek/Magdalena Vanova
Government Proposes Canceling Presidential Direct Election Referendum
The Slovak government proposed last week to the Constitutional
Court to the cancelation possibility of proclamation of referendum for
direct vote of president. The referendum is after the government out of
keeping with the Slovak constitution. There is writen that only National
Council can vote president. With actual collocation of power in the
Council it is impossible for any candidate to be voted.
The Constitutional Court will deal with this problem, but its
decision might not come before May 24, when the referendum is to be
held. In that case, Slovak citizens would only respond to questions
about joining NATO and the placement of nuclear weapons and foreign
military forces on Slovak territory.
Jan Potucek/Magdalena Vanova
ECONOMY
MARKETS & COMPANIES
* The Prague Stock Exchange ended a period of stagnation and decided
to move - steeply downhill. After the April 29, session the PX-50 index
fell to a 1997 low - 531.3 points.
* A timebomb exploded in the Investment and Postal Bank (Investicni
a postovni banka). General Director and Chairman of the Board Jiri Tesar
and his deputy Libor Prochazka were arrested and charged with
embezzlement and other breaches of the commercial code. Details of the
case are still secret.
* Antonin Indruch and Frantisek Havlena, two former members of
Agrobanka management, as well as director of the predatory Motoinvest
group, Jan Dienstl, are also behind bars. The reason: dubious trading
between Agrobanka and Motoinvest during the takover of Pilsen Bank
(Plzenska banka). Angry Motoinvest boss Pavel Tykac sturdily defends
Dienstl's behavior. According to some in the Motoinvest camp, they are
victims of a witchhunt ignited by the government's economic aid package
plank to fight the economic criminality.
* The Radegast Brewery decided to cope with the inflation. The price
of their beer, which won the Czech Beer of the Year award for 1996,
shall increase 7 per cent to 9 per cent in the near future.
* Pilsner Urquell (Plzensky prazdroj) will begin brewing some of its
Gambrinus beer in Kaunas, Lithuania, in May. The capacity of the
subsidiary plant should be 120,000 hectoliters per year.
* Pilsen's Skoda concern and the American company Titan won the tender
to build a mill for recycling used tires in Austria. The contract is
worth 10 million USD. The Skoda company also made public its
enterpreneurial strategies in Russia, where Skoda plans to start a joint
venture with truck producers Kamaz and ZIL. In the Russian plan there
are also ventures in turbine making, airplane motors and subway
vehicles.
* The Military Repairs Company (Vojensky opravarensky podnik)
Sternberk won the tender for repairing 350 Swedish Army armored
vehicles. The contract, valued at 30 million USD, is going to fill
three-quarters of the company's working capacity for the next four
years.
Martin Cermak/Milan Smid
Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank
(valid from May 2)
country currency
------------------------------------------
Australia 1 AUD 24.165
Belgium 100 BEF 86.769
Great Britain 1 GBP 50.365
Denmark 1 DKK 4.701
Finland 1 FIM 5.935
France 1 FRF 5.310
Ireland 1 IEP 46.776
Italy 1000 ITL 18.047
Japan 100 JPY 24.401
Canada 1 CAD 22.125
Luxemburg 100 LUF 86.769
Hungary 100 HUF 16.971
Netherlands 1 NLG 15.915
Norway 1 NOK 4.347
New Zealand 1 NZD 21.454
Poland 1 PLN 9.787
Portugal 100 PTE 17.842
Austria 1 ATS 2.544
Greece 100 GRD 11.277
Slovakia 100 SKK 92.107
Germany 1 DEM 17.900
Spain 100 ESP 21.222
Sweden 1 SEK 3.957
Switzerland 1 CHF 21.073
USA 1 USD 30.916
ECU 1 XEU 34.943
IMF 1 XDR 42.164
CULTURE
Best Novel Award, or The Stuffed Dog for 1,000 USD
A jury headed by emigre writer Josef Skvorecky awarded the Egon
Hostovsky Prize April 24 to 73-year-old writer Jaroslav Putik, for his
new novel The Stuffed Dog. In the Mirror Chapel of Prague's Klementinum,
the author accepted the award for the best prose publication of the
year, together with 1,000 USD. The donator of the prize, which was
awarded from 1974-90 for the best prose novel published by an exile
publishing house, is the writer's son Paul Hostovsky.
At the same time, in Prague's Klementinum, the Czech Literary Fund
awarded the Bohemia Premium. This year, Bulgarian poet and translator
Vatyo Rakovski received the prize for his numerous translations of Czech
poetry. He devoted decades to the works of Jaroslav Seifert, Konstantin
Biebl, Frantisek Halas, Vitezslav Nezval and Vladimir Holan.
Simona Malkovska/Denisa Vitkova
Wax Museum Open
Prague, too, has a wax-figure museum, as doors to the Rapid Palace
on October 28 Street opened to the public March 29. The
15-million-crown project was financed by the Prague Wax Museum company.
The exhibit contains 40 Czech and world personalities, and it should
gradually expand - therefore larger rooms have been bought in Celetna
Street, where the museum should be located by the end of next year.
The entrance hall introduces Czech historic personalities from the
distant past to the present. Visitors can see the imagined form of
Princess Libuse, then Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV (responsible for the
bridge and university bearing his name), Rudolf II, religious reformer
John Huss, Hussite War General Jan Zizka, or Czechoslovakia's first
president, T.G. Masaryk, talking to literary giant Karel Capek. The
majority of the figures are situated on characteristic backgrounds.
Another part focuses on significant personalities of the 20th century
- for instance President Vaclav Havel, Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus,
1968 political reformer Alexander Dubcek, Pope John Paul II, Charlie
Chaplin and Pablo Picasso. Crooner Karel Gott supplied his figure with
a suit, Jaromir Jagr with a hockey uniform. Another wax woman in the
museum is Martina Navratilova. On the world dictators platform, there
stand, next to each other, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, Josef Vissarionovich
Stalin, Mao Tse-tung, and also Czechoslovak President Klement Gottwald
(1948-53) and Czechoslovak President Gustav Husak (1975-89), though
Adolf Hitler is installed separately.
Visitors can see also a kaleidoscopic movie, Magical Prague. Its
creator, Raduz Cincera, already used a similar technique in the
Kinoautomat project in the 60's. The museum is open daily, 10 a.m. till
8 p.m..
Ondrej Slavik/Denisa Vitkova
Kelly Family in Prague (and Ostrava and Bratislava)
Twelve-year-old girls finally lived to see their beloved Kelly
Family, which arrived in Prague's Sports Hall April 29 and performed its
sweet spectacle. Their tender stamping, rocking and groaning immediately
won over the young, 15,000-strong audience, which provided its idols
with stuffed animals throughout the entire production.
Kelly Family, in spite of their near-zero creativity, perfectly
managed the art of mass manipulation - each hand-wave straight away
caused a hysterical reaction. Meanwhile, all members of the extended,
red-cheeked family took turns at the microphone, so that each of them
got a chance to sing at least once. A few spectators were nearly
trampled, while the nerves of others almost collapsed. First-aid workers
were busy.
Martin Cermak/Denisa Vitkova
SPORTS
Czech Hockey Players Undefeated in World Championships
The Czech Republic national hockey team, last year's world
champions, started the world championships in Finland with two wins.
In a match April 26, the Czechs defeated Germany after uninspired
play 2-1. They were losing 0-1 after the first period after Luedemann's
power-play goal, but in the final period M. Prochazka and Simicek's
goals decided the Czechs' first win.
The next day the Czech Republic met Finland. The 1-1 score (goals by
M. Prochazka and Nieminen) held for two periods. The Czech winning goal
was curious: a puck rebounded from the boards behind Myllys's goal
unexpectedly to Martin Prochazka in front of an empty net, and he
scored. Attendance at the match was 13,279.
After two rounds, the Czech Republic leads its group with four
points, ahead of Russia and Finland, both with three points. The three
best teams advance to the final group.
Roman Jedlicka/Mirek Langer
After deadline: Czech Republic - Slovakia 3-1, Czech Republic
- Russia 2-3.
Sparta and Slavia Get Better in League Championship Title Fight
First- and second-place teams Sparta and Slavia increased the
distance betweem sand their pursuers from northern Bohemia in the soccer
league's 25th round April 25-27. Third-place Liberec fell in Opava's
thundering stadium to the excellent play of home team 0-2. In Jablonec,
a team still thinking of European cups feared for its home no-loss
streak. Jablonec tied Drnovice 1-1, saving one point with 14 minutes
till the match's end.
Slavia and Sparta did not repeat their performances from the last
round, and won with luck. Sparta got three points in Zizkov, Slavia had
to be careful with Plzen's offense till the match ended. Bohemians took
an important step to maintain their first-league status, tying in
Ostrava. Karvina is last, five rounds remain to the league season's end.
25th round results: Ostrava - Bohemians 1-1, Zizkov - Sparta Praha
0-1, Ceske Budejovice - Karvina 2-0, Jablonec - Drnovice 1-1, Hradec
Kralove - Brno 0-0, Teplice - Olomouc 0-0, Opava - Liberec 2-0, Slavia -
Plzen 2-1.
Jakub Prochazka/Mirek Langer
Ostrava Surprisingly Knocks Sparta Out of Soccer Cup
Banik Ostrava surprisingly defeated Sparta Praha on Sparta's field
1-0 in the Czech Soccer Union Cup, thanks to Pikl's goal five minutes
before the end of the second overtime. Sparta Coach Chovanec was visibly
disappointed, while Ostrava's coach expressed his pleasure with his
squad's responsible play and excellent goalkeeping. After an unexciting
first half, Sparta's offensive typhoon appeared. However, Banik was
closer to winning in regulation time, as one Banik player hit the
crossbar in the 90th minute. Siegl blew two Sparta chances and so
Ostrava made it to the semifinals.
Jakub Prochazka/Mirek Langer
After deadline: Dukla Praha (2nd league) - Plzen 1-0, Slavia Praha
- Jablonec 2-0. Olomouc will meet Brno May 7.
Semifinal matchups: Dukla - Olomouc/Brno, Ostrava - Slavia.
WEATHER
I'm looking out the window and it's gloomy. In the air you can feel
rain and coffee from down the hall. The thermometer read 10 degrees
Celsius/50 degrees Fahrenheit this morning, now in the afternoon it's
about 15 degrees Celsius/59 degrees Fahrenheit. The sun hasn't bothered
to get up before noon the last few days. It should be better over the
weekend, but this year nobody knows what that's supposed to mean.
English version edited by Michael Bluhm
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