Slovakia and the excitement of the 2010 World Cup

Slovakia is expecting a wave of enthusiasm and a boost for Slovak football following qualification for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. According to the Slovak Football Association, a new football boom is expected in the country, and its momentum should be harnessed for the future.

For the first time since Slovakia became an independent country following its split from the Czech Republic in 1993, it has qualified for the finals of an international football tournament. A 1–0 win over Poland in a World Cup qualifier secured Slovakia’s place at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. But the Slovak Football Association is not resting on its recent laurels and is investing in the future together with the state: an arena for the national team, with a capacity of 40,000 spectators, is being built in Bratislava .

Amid the general euphoria, Slovakia’s coach remains skeptical. Coach Vladimir Weiss instead urged the Slovak Football Association to make better use of the national team’s current success. Weiss even threatened to resign, but the Slovak Football Association does not seem to take the threat particularly seriously, since otherwise Weiss would be undermining the fruits of his own work..

For the 2010 World Cup, Slovakia is happy to take the underdog role and wants to make life difficult for the favorites wherever possible. Besides Sestak, the 26-year-old VfL Bochum striker who scored six times in the World Cup qualifiers and was therefore instrumental in securing qualification, Slovakia’s likely squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa also includes several players from Germany’s Bundesliga: captain and record international Miroslav Karhan (FSV Mainz 05), Peter Pekarik (VfL Wolfsburg), Lubos Hanzel (Schalke 04), and Erik Jendrisek (1. FC Kaiserslautern) from the second division.