During the last ten to fifteen years, Czech football was dominated mainly by crooks, which explains why no clear-minded businessman aspired to own a club or get involved in the management of the national federation. Fans, for their part, were hardly numerous in attending the stadiums while the level of competition was rather low. This is at least the opinion of the author of a text published in the latest issue of the independent weekly Respekt, who nevertheless also explains that the situation is fundamentally different today:
“The interest of different businessmen in clubs from the top two national divisions perhaps best illustrates this development. Several clubs have recently changed ownership and others are about to do so. Potential candidates no longer risk being automatically accused of corruption and other crimes once they enter the football world. Clubs are also more concerned about their supporters and everything that happens around the stadiums. In short, Czech football is now sexy. »
Despite this positive development, football in Czechia still has a long way to go. Respekt explains why:
“The quality of stadium reception is not the best in many places, racist or other acts still sometimes occur, especially in lower level championships where suspicions of match-fixing also appear from time to time. other. However, the larger public, the regular participation of its clubs in European competitions, where they often perform honorable, and the growing interest of businessmen clearly show that Czech football is, finally, recovering. »
Europe without Russian gas
“A historic era ended at the beginning of this year”notes the business daily Hospodářské noviny. An era that began in 1967, when gas from Siberia began to be transported to the countries of the former Eastern Bloc through the so-called Brotherhood gas pipeline, before the pipelines were extended to 'to West Germany:
Photo illustrative: René Volfík, iROZHLAS.cz
“Since then, the European economy has become accustomed to this cheap source of energy and that is why it has been difficult to convince Western political leaders that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, gas became a dangerous tool of Russian influence. While the most far-sighted countries abandoned this dream in February 2007, others, less far-sighted, took the same step from February 2022, after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Then there are still those, like Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who continue to believe in the dream of cheap Russian gas supplies without political repercussions. From this point of view, the history of Russian gas perfectly illustrates the European geopolitical naivety of recent decades. »
The economic daily reports that deliveries of Russian gas by pipeline permanently stopped on January 1, 2025. “From now on, Russian gas continues to be delivered to the EU in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG)”he further specifies, before emphasizing that Europe's economy and security need a completely new perspective without any more nostalgia for Russian gas pipelines.
When Václav Havel was elected president by the communists
The Seznam Zprávy site mentioned a historic event dating back to December 29, 1989: the election, by the Federal Assembly, of Václav Havel president of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. An election which, for Czechoslovakia, a country which was then still occupied by Soviet troops, constituted the third of six key stages of the peaceful transition to democracy. For the author, this reminder is an opportunity to dwell on a curious point: the fact that Václav Havel, a former dissident and leading figure in the opposition to the regime, was elected by the communist majority in Parliament, and this, by acclamation and unanimously, as was customary at the time:
The election by the Federal Assembly of Václav Havel as President of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, December 29, 1989|Photo: ČTK
“Unfortunately, there was then no other Parliament available to elect Havel since the first free elections, from which a new Parliament was formed, were held in June 1990. Of course, the election of Havel constituted the culmination of a negotiated and ultimately very peaceful transfer of power. But it also represented a final humiliation for the communist power. For twenty-one years the Communist Party had been kept in power by Soviet tanks (which had been stationed in Czechoslovakia since 1968), and it seemed that it would always be this way. And this, even in the middle of November 1989, when Poland had already been the scene (in June) of partially free elections, when Hungary was also on the verge of organizing its first elections and that the Berlin Wall had already fallen. And then, suddenly, overnight, it was over in the former Czechoslovakia too. »
Seznam Zprávy nevertheless also recalls that after this first election, Václav Havel never again obtained the slightest vote from a communist deputy. And that Havel also, throughout his successive mandates as president, never invited the least of them to participate in any meeting at Prague Castle… Always as a reminder of this election which took place took place under communist control, the online newspaper Echo24.cz notes that this was an absurd situation as was the entire life and work of Václav Havel.
The next legislative elections, a challenge for the democratic development of the Czechia
The legislative elections which will take place next autumn will be the central theme on the political scene in Czechia in 2025. The political scientists that the Info.cz site contacted nine months before this deadline all agree on the fact that the The campaign that precedes them will be brutal. According to them, it is also expected that the persistent dissatisfaction with the political situation and the direction of the country will affect not only the opposition, but also the voters of the ruling parties. “This discontent is likely to result in a significant conflict over the fundamental character of the state, when it becomes clear whether a majority of Czechs wish to follow a path similar to that of Slovakia and Hungary or whether, on the contrary, civil society remains strong enough to correct political excesses”we can read. Info.cz further adds:
“However, Czech society has several important assets that can play a key role in maintaining its democratic orientation. These include the high level of education of the population, its urbanization and the legacy of Masaryk's First Republic, all of which still have an effect on the democratic culture in the country. Despite the political turbulence, these different factors could contribute to maintaining democratic development in the Czech Republic. »
Still as many deaths and, above all, still fewer births in the Czech Republic
The latest statistical data relating to demographic developments in the Czech Republic did not surprise many people. They confirm the preponderance of the number of deaths over that of births. This trend is even more striking than in 2021, when the mortality rate was higher due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “Actually, it’s simple, we don’t reproduce anymore because we don’t want to”observes the online newspaper Lidovky.cz, which continues:
“On the one hand, young couples are delaying parenthood; women often give birth to their first child so late that they can only have one. On the other hand, there are more and more people who simply do not want them, considering that a life without children is much more comfortable, a source of less worry and greater prosperity. And although the majority of politicians talk about the need to support young families, these declarations of good intentions do not translate into any concrete measures. »
While noting that “we voluntarily extinguish ourselves”Lidovky.cz newspaper nevertheless believes that the situation is not yet as dramatic as it seems:
“The demographic decline is small and incomparable to those following the two world wars, not even to mention the classic example of the Thirty Years' War which reduced the population of Europe by more than half. Likewise, we can welcome the arrival of Ukrainian refugees who fill vacant positions on the labor market. Only one thing is certain: the birth rate will not start to rise again as long as our way of life, based on endless hedonism, does not change. »
