PRAGUE, Feb. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- Member of the UEFA executive committee Joseph Mifsud of Malta, Czech Football Association (CMFS) president Pavel Mokry and Czech legendary football player Josef Masopust ceremoniously opened the Czech football Hall of Fame in Prague on Monday.
A permanent exhibition is dedicated to the history of Czech soccer since the 1934 World Cup and until the European championship in 2004.
Czech soccer veterans, including Andrej Kvasnak who brought to Prague the silver medals from the world championship in Chile 44 years ago, along with Masopust attended the ceremony.
Masopust, who has recently celebrated his 75th birthday, said he did not hope to live to see the Hall of Fame.
"It took a long time but we are glad that we lived to see it and that we can review the entire history of Czech football," said Masopust, the best European footballer of 1962.
The ceremony was attended by the European champions from 1976 Antonin Panenka, Frantisek Vesely, Karol Dobias and Ivo Viktor, 1980 Olympics winners Ludek Macela and Oldrich Rott and former national team coaches Dusan Uhrin and Jozef Chovanec.
A commemorative plaque for the second place at the 1996 European championship, for the bronze medals in Portugal and the 2002 European championsĄ¯ trophy won by the under 21 national team are among exhibits. Visitors can also see how footballersĄ¯ strips changed in which they have played since the division of Czechoslovakia in 1993.
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