i know the country, the culture, the language,” said Petr Čech as he touched down in France, and he is not the only Czech Republic player on familiar territory at UEFA EURO 2016.
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Top marks to the staff at the Czech Republic’s team hotel who managed to pronounce their welcome – “Vítejte v Tours!” – remarkably well as Pavel Vrba’s side checked in at their UEFA EURO 2016 base.
The Czechs had travelled to UEFA EURO 2012 in Poland by train, but that was not a realistic option this time; a two-hour flight was no inconvenience, though, with the mayor of Tours, Serge Babary, and the Czech ambassador to France, Marie Chatardová, greeting them on arrival.
Goalkeeper Petr Čech knows his way around, having first moved abroad to play for Rennes back in 2002, before being signed by Chelsea two years later. “I know the country, the culture, the language – it is an extra bonus for me,” he said.
His memories of the stadiums he will be gracing during UEFA EURO 2016 will be mixed. In February 2004 he saved three penalties in a game in Toulouse, where the Czechs meet Spain in their opening match on 13 June. However, in the same month in Lens – where his team play Turkey on 21 June – he twisted an elbow and missed five weeks of action.
Meanwhile, it has been a long round trip for midfielder Jaroslav Plašil, who recently became the fourth Czech player to reach 100 caps after Karel Poborský, Čech and Tomáš Rosický. On the books at Monaco from 2000–07, and a Bordeaux player since 2009, the 34-year-old is practically a native. “He is coming home!” joked Čech.
