The Czech Republic at Euro 96

In 1996, the Czech Republic played in their first major football tournament since the country's formation three years earlier. The unfancied team went on an unexpected run in the competition. One of the stars of the team, Patrik Berger, tells Guy Kilty how it all happened. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You’ll hear from people who have achieved sporting immortality, or those who were there as incredible sporting moments unfolded. Recent episodes explore the forgotten football Women’s World Cup, the plasterer who fought a boxing legend, international football’s biggest ever beating and the man who swam the Amazon river. We look at the lives of some of the most famous F1 drivers, tennis players and athletes as well as people who’ve had ground-breaking impact in their chosen sporting field, including: the most decorated Paralympian, the woman who was the number 1 squash player in the world for nine years, and the first figure skater to wear a hijab. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the tennis player who escaped the Nazis, how a man finally beat a horse in a race, and how the FIFA computer game was created. (Photo: Patrik Berger in Euro 96. Credit: Lutz Bongarts via Getty Images)

You can listen to The Czech Republic at Euro 96 online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The Czech Republic at Euro 96 is an episode from Sporting Witness by BBC.

This episode is 10:36 long.

This episode was published on Mar 21, 2026.

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