Czech Republic coach Karel Brückner has confirmed that Pavel Nedved is not a member of his provisional 23-man squad for Euro 2008...
The boss revealed today that he had held a meeting with the 35-year-old Juventus ace regarding the latter's international retirement, but that the head-to-head did not prove fruitful.
"I spoke to him yesterday but nothing's changed," he said.
"He won't be in the team. By not saying otherwise he confirmed his decision."
This is a particularly tough blow for the Czechs given that captain Tomas Rosicky of Arsenal will definitely miss the tournament due to injury, leaving a significant gap in the midfield.
Brückner has sought to reward good domestic form by including the likes of Slavia midfielder Daniel Pudil and newcomer Vaclav Sverkos, who leads the Gambrinus Liga scoring charts with his side, Banik Ostrava.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Jaromir Blazek (Nuremberg), Petr Cech (Chelsea), Daniel Zitka (Anderlecht)
Defenders: Zdenek Grygera (Juventus), Marek Jankulovski (AC Milan), Michal Kadlec, Tomas Sivok (both Sparta Prague), Radoslav Kovac (Spartak Moscow), Zdenek Pospech (FC Copenhagen), David Rozehnal (Lazio), Tomas Ujfalusi (Fiorentina)
Midfielders: Tomas Galasek (Nuremberg), David Jarolim (Hamburg), Marek Matejovsky (Reading), Jaroslav Plasil (Osasuna), Jan Polak (Anderlecht), Daniel Pudil (Slavia Prague), Libor Sionko (FC Copenhagen), Stanislav Vlcek (Anderlecht)
Strikers: Milan Baros (Portsmouth), Martin Fenin (Eintracht Frankfurt), Jan Koller (Nuremberg), Vaclav Sverkos (Banik Ostrava).
Goal.com - Euro 2008 - Nedved Out Of Czech Euro 2008 Squad