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Euro 2012 news sours Czech league triumph for Slovan Liberec star

  8:13

News that he is not being counted on for the Euro 2012 championships has soured celebrations for Slovan Liberec’s Jiří Štajner

Štajner quipped that old horses can jump as high as they have to, but he won't apparently be asked to jump at the Euro 2012 championships foto: ©FC Slovan LiberecČeská pozice

One of the heroes of newly crowned Czech football champions Slovan Liberec, attacking midfielder Jiří Štajner, has had a dampener put on his celebrations — news that he is not being counted on to play for his country in the European Championships.

The veteran 36-year-old Štajner announced Sunday that he had been told that Czech coach Michal Bílek was not counting on naming his for the training camp in Austrian planned before the start of the tournament. The news came just a day after Liberec had clinched the league title with a goalless draw against title challengers Viktoria Plzeň on Saturday.

The midfielder said the news was broken to him by friend and former Czech and Liverpool star, Vladimír Šmicer, who now has a top post with the Czech football association (FAČR). The official announcement of the camp call-up should be made Monday.

Štajner, whose return to the north Bohemian club from German club Hannover at the end of 2010 is credited with its resurgence as a league title challenger, was the third top scorer in this season’s Gambrinus League with 15 goals to his tally. He told Czech media that he could not have done more to try and ensure a place in the Euro 2012 squad.

For the national team, however, Štajner faces the problem that is challenging for the attacking midfield position held by in-form Czech captain and Arsenal star, Tomáš Rosický. Štajner has played for the national team 37 times scoring four goals.

The official Czech nomination for the Euro 2012 squad should be announced on May 29. The Czechs have been drawn in the same opening group as joint hosts Poland, Russia and Greece.