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Two-thirds into their fumbled European Union presidency, the Czechs at last had a reason to celebrate as their foreign ministry's football team beat rivals from the European Commission on Friday.
In a match played after a conference marking five years since EU enlargement in 2004, the Czech team of diplomats and ministry officials won 3-0 despite the efforts of EU commissioner for enlargement Olli Rehn on the other side.
Rehn started as the captain of his multinational team of commission employees, who shouted at each other in a pot-pourri of languages on the pitch.
Foreign minister Karel Schwarzenberg, a member of a cabinet toppled midway through the Czech presidency at end-March, stayed on the sidelines but had only words of admiration for the commissioner-turned-winger.
"I couldn't do that," the 71-year-old aristocrat told AFP, "just look at me. You see, you may shame yourself, but you should never make that your goal."
