March 28th, 2010 - Olomoucký Kraj - 1. B Třída, Skupina A - Sokol Vrchoslavice 3 Haná Prostějov 4

March 28th, 2010 - Olomoucký Kraj - 1. B Třída, Skupina A (7th level)

Sokol Vrchoslavice 3 Haná Prostějov 4

Attendance: 100

Admission: 15kc

Distance travelled: 55km

Finally, after a five month long winter break, Haná Prostějov was back in action. Yesterday, they travelled to the village of Vrchoslavice (population 538), which is located about 20km south of Prostějov. To get to the village, I took a train to Nezamyslice and from there I changed for a train to Němčice nad Hanou. After arriving at the train station, I walked the 1.5km to Vrchoslavice. As I arrived early, I made my way to the local pub and had a Rychtář beer.

The ground is located a few minutes walk from the centre, but then again, everything is this village is a few minutes walk away. There was a simple stand, with bench seating for 100 people or so. Beer was served, as was the usual sausage, bread and mustard. The pitch was in pretty good condition, considering the long winter.

The visitors jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, and looked like they would run away with the game. However, after an own goal, and a penalty, the hosts were only down 3-2 at the half. As a Prostějov supporter, the second half was a disappointment. Prostějov did manage to get a goal to take a 4-2 lead, but for much of the duration of the game, Vrchoslavice dominated. In all fairness, they were slightly unlucky not to come away with a point. However, I am pleased that Prostějov came away with the three points, as they now only sit five points back of the promotion spot.

Standings after fourteen rounds (top 5):

1. Horní Mostěnice 33pts

2. Haná Prostějov 28pts

3. FK Byškovice/Horní Ujezd 25pts

4. Sokol Tovačov 25pts

5. Sokol Pivín 25pts

March 27th, 2010 - U17 Elite Round Euro Qualifying - Czech Republic 2 Ukraine 1

March 27th, 2010 - Euro U17 Elite Round Qualifying

Czech Republic U17 2 Ukraine U17 1

Attendance: 500 (official, but more likely closer to 1000)

Admission: 30kc (1 euro)

Distance travelled: 300km

International football, there is nothing like it, no matter the level. The Czech Republic is currently hosting one of the Elite Round groups for U17 Qualifying. Only the group winner will advance.

Kyjov is a town in Southern Moravia of 11,000. It took me 3 hours to get there by train, because I had to go through Brno to get a return ticket. Once I arrived, I walked around for a little while, and eventually found my way to the stadium. It is only a 5 minute walk from the main train station. The stadium has a large stand on one side, and cement steps on the other. Unfortunately, there is a huge track around the pitch.

The Czechs lost their first game against Georgia 1-0, while the Ukranians lost 2-0 to the Netherlands. As a result, both teams were desperate for a win, and it showed. There were many yellow cards and two red cards in the match. It should be noted that each half was only 40 minutes. I am not sure why, but day light was most certainly not a factor. The Czechs scored in stoppage time to record a crucial victory. Ukraine will play Georgia on Monday, while the Czech Republic will play the Netherlands.

Highlights from the Czech FA -http://tv.fotbal.cz/169-sleduj-video

March 20th, 2010 - Gambrinus Liga - Sparta Prague 4 Sigma Olomouc 0

March 20th, 2010 - Gambrinus Liga

Sparta Prague 4 Sigma Olomouc 0

Attendance: 11,000 (100 away support)

Admission: 180kc

Distance travelled: 570km

Well, I finally made the trip to Prague to see Sigma play Sparta. I couldn't have picked a worse day. As it was last Saturday that the news of a potential bribery scandal broke involving Sigma Olomouc and Bohemians Prague (no, not Bohemians Prague 1905, but the other one). Apparently, there is 'proof' coming from the owner of Bohemians Prague that Sigma game them 300,000kc to throw the last game of the 2008/09 season. Sigma had to beat Bohemians, which they did 3-0, to qualify for the 2009/10 Europa League. Who knows what will happen? If Sigma is found guilty of corruption, they will either be kicked out of the league or deducted 20 points. More news can be found on the Czech Football Daily blog - http://prague.tv/czech-football

I took the train from Prostějov to Prague early on Saturday morning. After my arrival, I decided to walk from the main train station in Prague to the Sparta stadium. It was an easy enough walk of a few kilometers through the old town.

Eventually, I found the away supporters entrance, and I bought my ticket. As for the game, it was hard to watch. The ref called a weak red card and penalty against Sigma halfway through the 1st half. This decision basically killed the game. The Sigma supporters were in good voice throughout the game, despite the result. Normally Sigma takes between 5-50 supporters to away games, but on this day they brought 100.

My Czech friends thought I was crazy to go watch Sigma play at Sparta, but there wasn't any problems during the game. However, after the game, there was some minor scuffling. The riot police put the Sigma supporters on a bus, but apparently the fans weren't getting on quick enough. This led to some scuffles between the police and fans. The bus was surrounded by police and whisked through the streets of Prague.

March 13th, 2010- Divize D - Uherský Brod 1 Pelhřimov 2

March 13th, 2010

Divize D (4th level)

Uherský Brod 1 Pelhřimov 2

Attendance: 130

Admission: 25kc

Game rating: 7.5/10

Distance travelled: 225km

Uherský Brod is a town of 18,000 in Southern Moravia located a few kilometers from Slovakia. Some of you may have heard of Jan Komenský (Comenius) who was a 17th century scholar, and he is widely considered to be the father or modern education. Anyway, he was born in a village not to far from Uherský Brod, and he spent part of his childhood in the town.

Back in 1994/95, Uherský Brod played in the 2. liga, where they finished in a respectable position. However, after this season, they dropped out of the 2.liga back to the MSFL (3rd division). During this time, they also made a number of Cup runs.

This was the first weekend of league games after the winter break for clubs in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th levels. Unfortunately, many games were cancelled or played on artifical turf because of snow. Originally, the game was supposed to be played at the natural grass stadium (pictured above), but was switched to the stadium with artifical turf. The natural grass stadium is located a 5 minute walk from the train station, while the other stadium is about a 15 minute walk.

The artifical pitch was a newer version, but it looked like it was in need of repair. Around the pitch was a track, which I never really like. Thankfully, it was only a few lanes, so it didn't make too much of a difference. There is a covered stand with a capacity of a few hundred.

As for the match, the visitors jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, which left the hosts playing catch-up for the rest of the game. It was quite physical, with a number of hard tackles.

Czech Republic football pyramid

I think I tried to explain the Czech football pyramid before in a previous post, but I've found a better and more clear explanation.

1. Gambrinus Liga (all of Czech Republic)
2. Druhá Liga (all of Czech Republic)
3. ČFL, MSFL (between regions)
4. Divize A, B, C, D, E, F (between regions)
5. Krajské Přebory, Pražský Přebory (regional)
6. 1. A třídy (regional)
7. 1. B třídy (regional)
8. II třídy (district level)
9. III třídy (district level)
10. IV třídy (district level)

March 3rd, 2010 - Mirvaci U17 0 FC Belasica U17 6

March 10th, 2010

Mirvaci U17 0 FC Belasica U17 6

Attendance: 20

Admission: Free

A slightly random game, but over the next few years, I will be posting more about Macedonian football, as I will be travelling there more often. The game was played at a neutral venue, Josifovo which is a small town of 1,700 located in southeastern Macedonia about 20km from Greece. The men's side of FC Belasica currently plays in the Macedonian 2nd division. A few years back, they finished second in the first division in consecutive years, and thus competed in the old UEFA Cup.

The U17 team for Belasica is quite well known across Macedonia. They travel across Europe to compete in tournaments, most recently in Presov, Slovakia during the summer of 2009. In the past, Goran Pandev (Inter Milan), Goran Popov (Heerenveen), and Robert Popov (Auxerre) have played for the club. Belasica have sent players to Dynamo Kiev, and Partizan Belgrade on trials. As well as, clubs in Bulgaria, Serbia, Poland and other European nations.

As for the game, it was just a friendly, but the players had good enthusiasm. The pitch was in poor condition, but the quality of players was impressive. They were able to show their skill, despite the conditions. In the end, Belasica should have won 10-0 or more, as they are still getting into game shape. There were no facilities to sit, but the club gave us two chairs to sit on. The keeper who played in this game for Belasica will soon be going on a 10-day trial at Partizan Belgrade.