Czechs protest German border controls

PRAGUE, June 14: The Czech Republic has protested Germany's decision to turn away some Czech fans travelling to the World Cup on the grounds that they lacked the cash to stay in the country, the Czech Foreign Ministry said today.

A Czech consul in Berlin has handed over a note to the German Foreign Ministry pointing out that Germany was violating EU rules by demanding that Czechs show they have enough money to cover the cost of their stay.

''The Foreign Ministry asked the German side in a (diplomatic) note to immediately ensure that such cases will not be repeated,'' it said. The Czechs joined the European Union in May 2004.

The daily Mlada Fronta Dnes reported on its Web site www.idnes.cz that dozens of fans had been turned away at the border because they could not prove they had 30 euros per day to cover their stay.

The Czechs opened their World Cup campaign with a 3-0 win over the United States on Monday and face Ghana and Italy in their remaining Group E matches.

REUTERS

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