- Title: UK: CZECH REPUBLIC AND FRANCE PREPARE FOR EURO CHAMPIONSHIP SOCCER SEMI-FINAL
- Date: 23rd June 1996
- Summary: PRESTON AND MANCHESTER, UK (JUNE 24, 1996) PRESTON (NO ACCESS EBU TERRITORIES) 1. CZECH TRAINING SESSION AT PRESTON GRASSHOPPERS RUGBY CLUB GROUND 2. WIDE ANGLE TRAINING SESSION 3. KAREL POBORSKY, SCORER OF THE CZECH GOAL AGAINST PORTUGAL 4. FITNESS COACH LEADS STRETCHING EXERCISES 5. POBORSKY RELAXED 6. CZECH OFFICIAL CONFRONTS CAMERA CREW AS MEDIA ARE EXPELLED FROM THE TRAINING SESSION PRESTON (ACCESS ALL) 7. WIDE ANGLE OF MEDIA AT CZECH PRESS CONFERENCE 8. CZECH COACH DUSAN UHRIN SPEAKS ABOUT THE TEAM'S MATCH WITH FRANCE TWO YEARS AGO WHICH ENDED 2-2 IN BORDEAUX. UHRIN SAYS HIS TEAM ARE AT THE SAME LEVEL AS THE FRENCH (CZECH) 9. WIDE ANGLE OF CZECH TEAM OFFICIALS 10. CZECH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT FRANTISEK CHVALOVSKY SPEAKS ABOUT THE TICKET PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED BY HIS COUNTRY'S SUPPORTERS AND SAYS THE ORGANISERS OF THE TOURNAMENT ARE DISAPPOINTED THAT CZECH REPUBLIC REACHED THE SEMI-FINALS BECAUSE THEY ARE SEEN AS A NEGATIVE ATTRACTION (CZECH) 11. CUTAWAY MEDIA 12. UHRIN SPEAKS ABOUT THE REFEREEING OF THE PORTUGAL GAME AND SAYS HE WILL NOT EVALUATE THE REFEREE BUT HIS ACTIONS HAVE SHAPED HIS TEAM FOR THE SEMI-FINAL (CZECH TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH) MANCHESTER (ACCESS ALL) 13. EXTERIOR OF OLD TRAFFORD MANCHESTER (NO ACCESS EBU TERRITORIES) 14. INTERIOR OF OLD TRAFFORD 15. CHRISTIAN KAREMBEU, SUSPENDED FOR THE SEMI-FINAL 16. MARCEL DESAILLY, INJURED 17. YOURI DJORKAEFF, WHO WILL BE WATCHED BY HIS FATHER, A VETERAN OF THE 1966 FRENCH WORLD CUP SIDE 18. COACH AIME JACQUET 19. SABRI LAMOUCHI, BORN TO TUNISIAN PARENTS, SHOWS HIS SKILLS 20. STRIKER PATRICE LOKO DEMONSTRATES CONTROL, SHOOTING AND CROSSING 21. ZINEDINE ZIDANE, MIDFIELDER 22. GOALKEEPER BERNARD LAMA 23. PHOTOGRAPHER 24. PAN ACROSS OLD TRAFFORD Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
- Embargoed: 8th July 1996 13:00
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- Location: PRESTON AND MANCHESTER, UK
- City:
- Country: United Kingdom
- Reuters ID: LVAAWPFTXQHC7VXV0I43PZHVCWS9
- Story Text: The Czech Republic will be without four key players, all of them suspended, when they meet France in the first semifinal of Euro 96 at Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium on Wednesday (June 26).
Jan Suchoparek, Radek Bejbl, Pavel Kuka and Radek Ladel will all miss the match. A red card for defender Latal in the quarter-final win over Portugal rules him out, while the three others are banned after collecting their second bookings in the same match.
German referee Hellmut Krug's handling of the game may have been over-the-top but coach Dusan Uhrin would say only: "I won't evaluate the referee's performance but clearly the suspensions will influence the semi-final." Uhrin added: "Of course it will effect things. After all it's four people and when you put four new players into a winning team it will affect it." At least Karel Poborsky will be playing for the Czechs.
Podborsky's audacious chip over Portugal goalkeeper Vitor Baia in the quarter final is being labelled as one of the goals of the tournament. The goal has put the attacking midfielder at the centre of attention and the sudden interest in the Czech team had led to an increase in security at their training camp.
Poborsky's contract with Slavia Prague runs until the end of June 1998 and his club have vowed not to sell him.
Uhrin's team not only survived the 'Group of Death' but upset Portugal 1-0 in Sunday's quarter-final, and the 51- year-old coach is unconcerned by France's recent record.
"Two years ago we played a friendly in Bordeaux and were leading 2-0 with 10 minutes to go, even though it ended 2-2," said Uhrin. "We are in the same level as France." "When you have four new players to bring in, of course it will influence the game," he said. "Obviously it causes us a problem, but I just hope the substitutes will do it." The Czechs may also be short of support as well. Complaints by Czech Republic fans at being overcharged for Euro 96 tickets have cast a second shadow over the underdogs surprise semi-final appearance.
Fans who attended the quarter-final claimed they were being charged 75 sterling (112 U.S. dollars) for match tickets sold in the Czech Republic by the official agency, Sport Tourist.
Unless they bought tickets in their own country, they faced problems with immigration officials and risked not being allowed to travel, Czech television reported.
Czech Football Association president Frantisek Chvalovsky expressed his annoyance at the squad's headquarters in Preston on Monday.
"I'm very disappointed by this," he said. "Our talks with the suppliers of tickets later will not be easy." Because of the difficulties fans are experiencing, the Czechs have asked for only 2,000 extra tickets for the match, where they expect to be heavily outnumbered by French supporters.
"We think the organisers are not too happy with the fact that the Czech Republic have advanced,"" said Chvalovsky. "We are a negative attraction." Meanwhile, midfielder Sabri Lamouchi, who turned down a chance to play for Tunisia in the African Nations' Cup this year, is set to play for France on Wednesday.
Lamouchi, who plays for French double winners Auxerre, is expected to replace the suspended Christian Karembeu and make his first appearance in the tournament.
Trainer Aime Jacquet has not named his team but there were broad hints in the French camp that he did not want to disrupt his efficient back four by moving central defender Marcel Desailly into the customary midfield role he fills with AC Milan and that he would opt for Lamouchi.
Lamouchi, who has scored once in six previous appearances for France, is a versatile player who can take up any position from defensive midfielder to striker.
Born in France of Tunisian parents, Lamouchi turned down the chance to play for his country of origin because he said he felt French and because he hoped to play in their national colours.
Jacquet's options against the Czechs are further reduced by Christophe Dugarry's absence. The striker, who injured a knee in the quarter-finals against the Netherlands, has returned to Bordeaux for treatment and will take no further part in Euro 96.
France are expected to play Patrice Loko as lone striker in a team which is likely to show only one change to the starting line-up against the Dutch, the inclusion of Lamouchi for Karembeu.
Youri Djorkaeff will have family as well as national pride urging him on to set up a Euro 96 final showdown with England.
For while all of England wallows in nostalgia, fondly remembering their world cup victory in 1966, the 28-year-old French forward has different reasons for winning through to Wembley on Sunday.
Youri's dad Jean left England with the rest of the French World Cup squad, bowed and broken 30 years ago.
England met their old adversaries in their third group match and won 2-0 to secure their passage into the next stage.
Jean played at right-back that day in the first of two defeats he suffered at Wembley. He was installed as captain two years later but the French side then suffered a 5-0 drubbing at England's hands.
Now Youri is hoping to lay those ghosts to rest on his father's behalf.
Youri used to watch his dad on television when he played for France and stood rigidly to attention when the Marseilles boomed out. Like father like son - Jean will no doubt have a tear in his eye when the national anthem echoes around the stadium before the match with the Czechs.
Djorkaeff junior, who is joining Inter Milan after the championships, said: "My father has looked me up at our training camp and it is wonderful he is here.
"We've had a long chat and as usual he's given me some good advice.
"He has told me this is when it gets really tough, when you really have to work hard to get the result you want.
The French are wary of the Czechs who came closest to beating them in their remarkable 27-match unbeaten run.
"I must admit I have a little weakness for this Czech team," said Jacquet. "They remind me of the Hungarian teams of the 1960s.
"This is a match which could be a trap. The Czechs lull you into a sense of false security and then suddenly attack you when your guard is down.
"They are completely unpredictable. Sometimes they can be brilliant and incisive, other times they can be the opposite.
"We're by no means in the final yet. Our only mistake now would be not to keep playing the same way we have done till now or to underestimate our opponents." Probable teams: France - 1-Bernard Lama, 12-Bixente Lizaruzu, 5-Laurent Blanc, 8-Marcel Desailly, 15-Lilian Thuram, 10-Zinedine Zidane, 6-Vincent Guerin, 7-Didier Deschamps (captain), 18-Reynald Pedros, 11-Patrice Loco, 9-Youri Djorkaeff.
Czech Republic - 1-Petr Kouba, 15-Michal Hornak, 5-Miroslav Kadlec (captain), 12-Lubos Kubik, 8-Karel Poborsky, 11-Martin Frydek or 7-Jiri Nemec, 6-Vaclav Nemechek, 14-Patrik Berger, 4- Pavel Nedved, 10-Radek Drulak, 17-Vladimir Smicer.
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