Czech Republic, manager Rada has been sacked

The Czech Republic national side is in turmoil after coach Petr Rada was sacked and captain Tomas Ujfalusi quit. Six players have also been banned, with West Ham’s Radoslav Kovac and Reading’s Marek Matejovsky among them.

A string of bad results prompted Rada’s sacking, while a breach of discipline after last week’s defeat by Slovakia led to the player bans. The Czechs trail leaders Northern Ireland by five points in World Cup qualifying Group Three.

They lost 2-1 at home to neighbours Slovakia on 1 April after being held to a 0-0 draw in Slovenia on 28 March, seriously denting their chances of reaching the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.