Sparta Prague have crowned their Czech championship win with a cup victory. However, the whole thing was overshadowed by a fan scandal. The police also had to intervene
The 2:1 victory of Sparta Prague over Viktoria Pilsen in the cup final was overshadowed by a serious scandal. As the CTK agency reports, the supporters of the defeated Viktoria entered the pitch first, whereupon the Sparta fans also stormed the pitch. Both fan camps subsequently engaged in sometimes violent clashes .
Stakeholders condemn the incidents in the strongest terms
The riot police had to intervene and separate the fan groups of both teams. TV footage from broadcaster CT showed reporters on the sidelines being pelted with folding chairs, among other things. Meanwhile, no injuries were reported. After the officials finally managed to keep order, the trophy was ultimately handed over to the winners.
“It’s such a joke,” said Pilsen captain Lukas Hejda, who was in the dressing room during the riots and only witnessed the scenes from “hearsay”, at the press conference afterwards. Sparta coach Brian Priske, who had “not felt safe on the pitch”, also condemned the incidents in the strongest possible terms.
It is the second such incident in Czech soccer within a few days. Only on Saturday there had been riots after Sparta’s 5:0 victory over Mlada Boleslav, which secured them the championship title for the second time in a row. After the game, several fans of the defeated hosts ran onto the pitch. Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan then announced the convening of a working group of police and club representatives to discuss possible tightening of security measures in the future.
