Smicer out of World Cup

FORMER Liverpool midfielder Vladimir Smicer has admitted defeat in his battle to be fit for the World Cup.

The 33-year-old’s hamstring injury has been improving only slowly and he conceded yesterday he would not be fit for the first World Cup finals the Czechs have reached since splitting with Slovakia.

Czech coach Karel Bruckner has not yet submitted a replacement for Smicer but has Libor Sionko training with the squad while Sparta Prague midfielder Tomas Sivok is also on stand-by.