CZECH football this season has been all about the city of Prague once more, with Sparta and Slavia dominating proceedings. Sparta clinched the title with one game to go, finishing two points ahead of their traditional rivals. Both giants from the capital lost only twice in the league, their consistency was quite remarkable and there were 15 points between second-placed Slavia and Viktoria Plzeň.
Sparta’s coach is Dane Brian Priske who took over in 2022 after previously working with Antwerp and Midtjylland. Priske’s success since joining Sparta – two league titles and the Czech Cup – have alerted the rest of Europe to his methods. His win rate at the club is 65.63% with just four league defeats in two seasons. His style is pragmatic and highly disciplined and he is an advocate of data-driven decision making. He is currently being linked with the vacant job at Feyenoord.
Priske’s squad is predominantly Czech, but it also includes three of his compatriots, all of whom have arrived since he took the job. But the success of his team has been boosted by the signing of Jan Kutcha from Lokomotiv Moscow, a 27 year-old striker who has scored 31 goals in 60 league games. Kutcha netted four times in Sparta’s title-clinching 5-0 victory at Mladá Boleslav. He is probably the highest paid player in the Czech football at the moment.
The club’s players are set to be involved in the Czech Republic’s EURO 2024 squad, including 21 year-old Martin Vitík, a tall central defender who was being watched by AC Milan and Newcastle United. Ladislav Krejčí (25), Sparta’s captain and key midfielder is another player who could be targeted by clubs around Europe. He will also be one to watch in Germany this summer. Kuchta, who has a reputation for being something of a free spirit, is also in the 26-man squad.
Sparta and Slavia both outspend the rest of the Czech First League, but they also are capable of selling in the market to earn good fees. In the past two seasons Slavia have received € 44 million in transfer income, while Sparta have earned € 35 million.
Sparta are 60% owned by Slovakian investment company J&T Credit Investments and 40% by Daniel Křetínský, a Czech billionaire who also has a stake in West Ham United. Slavia were owned by Chinese investors Sinobo and CITIC Group but have since been bought by Pavel Tykać. Both clubs have average gates of between 16,000 and 17,000 in stadiums of around 20,000.
In 2022-23, Sparta won the league with Slavia missing out on the head-to-head results between the two clubs. In the Czech Cup final, Slavia beat Sparta 2-0. This season, Sparta disposed of the cup holders in the quarter-finals and went on to meet Viktoria Plzeň, who were hosting the final at their Doosan Arena. It was a heated affair with crowd disturbances interrupting the games. Sparta went ahead in the 79th minute through an own goal but Plzeň levelled before Veljko Birmančević scored the winner in added time. There were chaotic scenes at the end of the final with fighting on the pitch and even TV presenters getting attacked by flying chairs. The Czech football association have launched an investigation into the fracas. Ironically, on the final day of the league campaign, the two teams met again in Prague and drew, rather diplomatically, 1-1.
Both Sparta and Slavia qualified for the UEFA Champions League and will play in the second and third qualifying rounds respectively. A place in the 36-team group stage is at stake, which could be a significant financial benefit for both clubs. Even a modest amount of success would only serve to make the Prague duo’s competitive advantage even greater.
GAME OF THE PEOPLE 