Sparta Prague

This article is about the football club Sparta Prague. For other sports clubs of the same name, see: Sparta Prague (disambiguation) .

AC Sparta Prague was a redirect to this article. For the Czech cycling team of the same name, see AC Sparta Praha (cycling team) .

Sparta Prague
Basic data
Surname	Athletic Club Sparta Praha fotbal, a. s.
Seat	Prague
founding	1893
Colours	blue-yellow-red
president	Daniel Křetínský
Website	sparta.cz
First soccer team
Head coach	Václav Kotal
Venue	Generali Arena
Places	20,374 seats
league	Fortuna League
2019/20	3rd place
home Away

Sparta Prague , officially: AC Sparta Praha ( Athletic Club Sparta Praha fotbal as ), is a Czech football club from the capital Prague . The club is one of the oldest, best known and most popular Czech football clubs. Sparta Prague achieved the greatest success with 3rd place in the European Cup of National Champions in 1991/92 .

Together with its greatest rival Slavia Prague , Sparta belonged to the almost invincible top in Czechoslovak football until the end of World War II and was also one of the best clubs in European football. Sparta Prague rose in the club's history only in 1975 from the first division. In 1976, the rise followed.

Club history

founding

The club was founded as AC Královské Vinohrady on November 16, 1893 , when a group of dissatisfied athletes left the AC Prague sports club, which had been established two years earlier, to found their own club. This club initially dedicated itself to ice skating, but soon afterwards its own football department was created. Sparta is the oldest Czech football club, but not the oldest football club in what is now the Czech Republic. The German ice and rowing club Regatta Prague was founded as early as 1891, which also had a football department (later DFC Prague ).

Before the First World War

AC Sparta Prague team in 1896

The most important competition in Bohemia and Moravia before the First World War was the so-called Charity Cup , which was held regularly from 1906 to 1916. AC Sparta was able to win this tournament in 1909 and 1915. In 1912 and 1913 a championship was also organized by the Czech Football Association (ČSF) , which Sparta was able to win in 1912 by 1-1 and 4-0 in the final against AFK Kolín .

During the First Republic

In the 1920s, Sparta was at the top of both Czechoslovakian and European football. Between 1919 and 1925 the team lost in 58 games once (0: 1 against Viktoria Žižkov ) and was therefore called "Železná Sparta" (Iron Sparta). When in 1925 a championship was played for the first time by means of a league system, Sparta only finished second behind their eternal rival Slavia, level on points. The team secured the title in 1926 and 1927. After less successful years, Sparta only won the title in 1932, but could not defend it and had to leave the title to Slavia for the next three years. In 1936, 1938 and 1939 Sparta secured the title ahead of Slavia.

Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia

Even during the protectorate, Sparta was at the top of Czech football, with the exception of the 1941/42 season, but had to hand over the title to Slavia Prague except for the 1943/44 game year, when they became champions themselves. In 1942 Sparta lost 8-1 at home to Slavia and only managed to stay in the league with difficulty. In 1943/44 Sparta confidently secured the championship title when they had to accept only 4 draws in 26 games.

After the Second World War

In the first years of the new republic , Sparta always played for the championship, which the club won in 1946, 1948, 1952 and 1954. As a result, Dukla Prague determined the events, Sparta fell into a crisis at the end of the 1950s. In 1959 the club was tenth in the 14 league with only three points ahead of the last Spartak Ústí nad Labem. In 1960, the team saved itself only on the penultimate matchday. Sparta returned to the top in 1965, after winning the Czechoslovak Cup in 1964. Another title win followed in 1967.

The crisis in the 1970s

In the early 1970s, Sparta was only mediocre in the first division. The 1974/75 season is one of the saddest chapters of the club. As penultimate, the team was relegated to the 2nd division. 1975/76 succeeded in rising again. In the next two years, the team successfully fought relegation. Even after that, Sparta did not get beyond midfield placements.

Golden era in the 1980s

Sparta Prague ticket from the 2000/01 season

This changed only in 1983/84 under coach Václav Ježek . This season the double was achieved by winning the Czechoslovak Cup . The guarantors of success included players like Stanislav Griga , Jan Berger and Jozef Chovanec . Until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, Sparta secured the title every year with two exceptions in 1986 and 1992. In 1991/92 Sparta made it to the semi-finals in the European Cup . There the team beat FC Barcelona 1-0 at home , Dynamo Kiev 2-1, against Benfica Lisbon it was only enough to 1-1. In the end, Sparta came second with six points.

1993 until today

Sparta Prague dominated the Czech league that was formed after the separation of Czechoslovakia. In 1996 Sparta was only fourth, 21 points behind its greatest rival Slavia Prague . In 2002 the team finished second behind Slovan Liberec , in 2004 Sparta was runner-up behind Baník Ostrava . In 2006 Slovan Liberec won the championship again. In 2007 Sparta won the double , in 2008 the team won the Czech Cup for the third time in a row.

In 2010/11 Sparta Prague started in the Champions League qualification in the second qualifying round. After the stations FK Liepājas Metalurgs (2nd qualifying round) and Lech Posen (3rd qualifying round), the Prague failed surprisingly at MŠK Žilina (play-offs). In the subsequent group stage of the Europa League, Sparta finished second behind CSKA Moscow and surprisingly ahead of US Palermo and FC Lausanne-Sport , before the capitals were defeated by the favored Liverpool FC in the last sixteen ; in the second leg, the extra time was just missed.

After losing the championship to Viktoria Pilsen in the same season , the team played in the qualification for the Europa League. In the play-offs, the team surprisingly failed to FC Vaslui . Thus Sparta Prague did not play European for the first time since the 1994/95 season. In the league it was enough for Sparta Prague for the second time in a row only for second place. As a result, the team will play in the third qualifying round for the Europa League in the 2012/13 season; there Admira Wacker Mödling was defeated 0-2 in the first leg in Mödling . In the second leg in Prague they achieved a 2-2. This enabled Sparta Prague to qualify for the play-off round, which they survived thanks to a 2: 2 away game and the subsequent 2: 0 home win over Feyenoord Rotterdam . In the ensuing group stage, they finally qualified as the runner-up team behind Olympique Lyon and in front of last year's finalist Athletic Bilbao for the sixteenth finals. There you met Chelsea . However, they were eliminated from this. In the season 2013/14 Sparta won the Czech championship.

Club names

The club was founded in 1893 as the Athletic Club Královské Vinohrady . In 1894 the club was renamed Athletic Club Sparta . Further renaming was in 1948 to Athletic Club Sparta Bubeneč , 1949 to Sokol Bratrství Sparta , 1951 to Sparta ČKD Sokolovo , 1953 to TJ Spartak Praha Sokolovo , 1965 to TJ Sparta ČKD Praha , 1991 to TJ Sparta Praha , 1991 to AC Sparta Praha and 2003 in AC Sparta Praha fotbal as

successes

• 20 × Czechoslovakian champions : ( 1919 , 1920 (not official), 1921 (not official), 1922 , 1923 (not official), 1925/26 , 1927 , 1931/32 , 1935/36 , 1937/38 , 1938/39 , 1945/46 , 1947/48 , 1952 , 1954 , 1964/65 , 1966/67 , 1983/84 , 1984/85 , 1986/87 , 1987/88 , 1988/89 , 1989/90 , 1990/91 , 1992 / 93 )
• 8 × Czechoslovak Cup winners : 1963/64, 1971/72, 1975/76, 1979/80, 1983/84, 1987/88, 1988/89, 1991/92
• 12 × Czech champions : 1993/94 , 1994/95 , 1996/97 , 1997/98 , 1998/99 , 1999/2000 , 2000/01 , 2002/03 , 2004/05 , 2006/07 , 2009/10 , 2013 / 14
• 18 × Czech cup winners : 1945/46, 1971/72, 1974/75, 1972/76, 1979/80, 1983/84, 1985/86, 1986/87, 1987/88, 1988/89, 1991/92, 1992 / 93, 1995/96 , 2003/04 , 2005/06 , 2006/07 , 2007/08 , 2013/14
• 2 × Czech Supercup winner : 2010 , 2014
• 1 × Master of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia: 1944
• 2 × Cup winners of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia: 1943, 1944
• 3 × Mitropa cup winners : 1927 , 1935 , 1964

European Cup balance sheet

Overall balance

competition	Games	S.	U	N	T +	T-
UEFA Champions League	1420	53	30th	59	1860	1960
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	30th	15th	05	10	68	32
Trade fair trophy	10	02	02	06th	11	20th
UEFA Cup / Europa League	1120	45	32	35	1580	1330
total	2940	1150	68	1110	4230	3820

As of September 3, 2019

Squad 2016/17

goal	Defense	midfield	attack
01 Marek Štěch 27 Miroslav Miller 35 David Bičík 33 Tomáš Koubek	05 Jakub Brabec 19th Juraj Chvátal 3 Michal Kadlec 25th Mario Holek 26th Costa Nhamoinesu 2 Ondřej Mazuch 28 Ondřej Zahustel	017th Aleš Čermák 06th Lukáš Vácha 08th Marek Matějovský 09 Bořek Dočkal 11 Lukáš Mareček 14th Martin Frýdek 18th Tiémoko Konaté 22nd Daniel Holzer 16 Michal Sáček 23 Josef Šural	29 Martin Nešpor 21st David Lafata 30th Lukáš Juliš 24 Matěj Pulkrab

Well-known former players

• Miroslav Baranek (today ASK Kottingbrunn )
• Raymond Braine (56 times Belgian national player, World Cup participant in 1934 and 1938)
• Vlasta Burian (Czech film actor, goalkeeper 1914–1918)
• Marek Čech (now West Bromwich Albion )
• Petr Čech (now Arsenal FC )
• Josef Čtyřoký (Vice World Champion 1934)
• Jozef Chovanec (midfield director in the 1980s, now president of the club)
• Milan Fukal (today FC Hradec Králové )
• Petr Gabriel (retired 2009)
• Zdeněk Grygera (now Fulham FC )
• Michal Horňák (Vice European Champion 1996)
• Patrik Ježek (now FC Admira Wacker Mödling )
• Tomáš Jun (today SC Ritzing )
• Václav Kadlec (today Eintracht Frankfurt )
• Petr Kouba (Vice European Champion 1996)
• Jan Koller (end of career 2011)
• Andrej Kvašňák (Vice World Champion 1962)
• Vratislav Lokvenc (74 times national player, 2006 World Cup participant)
• Josef Ludl (World Cup participant 1938)
• Václav Mašek (Vice World Champion 1962)
• Pavel Nedvěd (Vice European Champion 1996)
• Oldřich Nejedlý (World Cup participant 1934 and 1938)
• Jiří Němec (Vice European Champion 1996; 1993–2002 FC Schalke 04 )
• Zdeněk Pospěch
• Jan Říha (25 times national player, World Cup participant 1938)
• Tomáš Rosický (now Arsenal FC )
• Horst Siegl (today assistant coach)
• Josef Silný (Vice World Champion 1934)
• Jan Šimák (today Dynamo Budweis )
• Jan Šimůnek (today 1. FC Kaiserslautern )
• Libor Sionko (now FC Copenhagen )
• Tomáš Sivok (now Beşiktaş Istanbul )
• Tomáš Skuhravý (World Cup participant 1990)
• Zdeněk Svoboda (eight-time champion, nine-time national player)
• Steve Trittschuh (38 times US national player)
• Roman Vonášek (later KSC Lokeren , eight-time national player)
• Tomáš Votava (13 times national player)
• Lukáš Zelenka (today 1. FC Slovácko )

Trainer since 1993

• Václav Jílek (Summer 2019 -)
• Michal Horňák (2019)
• Zdeněk Ščasný (2018 - 2019)
• Pavel Hapal (2018)
• Andrea Stramaccioni (Summer 2017 - March 2018)
• Zdeněk Ščasný (April 2015-2016)
• Vítězslav Lavička (July 2012 - April 2015)
• Martin Hašek (December 2011 - May 2012)
• Jozef Chovanec (10th matchday 2008/09 - 16th matchday 2011/12)
• Vítězslav Lavička (1st matchday 2008/09 - 9th matchday 2008/09)
• Jozef Chovanec (30th matchday 2007/08)
• Michal Bílek (6th matchday 2006/07 - 29th matchday 2007/08)
• Stanislav Griga (9th matchday 2005/06 - 5th matchday 2006/07)
• Jaroslav Hřebík (Matchday 17-30 2004/05, Matchday 1-8 2005/06)
• František Straka ( 24-30 matchday 2003/04, 1st –16th matchday 2004/05)
• Jiří Kotrba (matchday 16-30 2002/03, matchday 1-23 2003/04)
• Jozef Jarabinský (1st - 15th matchday 2002/03)
• Vítězslav Lavička (25th - 30th matchday 2001/02)
• Jaroslav Hřebík (1st - 24th matchday 2001/02)
• Ivan Hašek (1999/2000 and 2000/01)
• Zdeněk Ščasný ( 16-30 matchdays 1997/98, 1998/99)
• Jozef Chovanec (6th – 30th matchday 1996/97, 1st – 15th matchday 1997/98)
• Vlastimil Petržela (16th - 30th matchday 1995/96, 1st – 5th matchday 1996/97)
• Jozef Jarabinský (20th - 30th matchday 1994/95, 1st - 15th matchday 1995/96)
• Jürgen Sundermann (10th-19th matchdays 1994/95)
• Vladimír Borovička (3rd - 9th matchday 1994/95)
• Karol Dobiaš (1993/94, 1st - 2nd match day 1994/95)

Sparta B

Sparta B is Sparta Prague's second team. Shortly after the club was founded, Sparta had a reserve team, the so-called B-Team.

Like the first team, the reserve took part in the Charity Cup in 1906 and 1907, and in 1909 in the championship of the Bohemian Football Association ČSF. As part of the reorganization of Czech football after the Communists came to power in 1948, Sparta was divided into the so-called krajská soutěž in 1951 , the second highest division at the time, which became the third highest division with the introduction of a second division in 1953. The return to the second division succeeded Sparta B in 1966, in the second division the B team was able to hold until 1971.

In the 1970/71 relegation season, Sparta B achieved a sensational success. After the team had defeated Sparta Košíře 1-0 in the quarter-finals of the Czech Cup , the B-team met their own A-team in the semifinals. The reserve won surprisingly 2-1 and was in the final against Škoda Pilsen . After a 1-1 draw in Pilsen , the second leg also ended with a 3-3 draw. When the score was 5: 5 after a penalty shoot-out, the rules at the time said that the lot had to decide the cup winner. Pilsen had luck on their side, but Sparta Prague's B-team left the field as the undefeated loser.

In 1977 the Czechoslovak Football Association decided to disband all B-teams. This decision was taken back by the officials in 1984, the team was now called Sparta Praha junioři , to emphasize the educational character. The juniors started in the fourth division, from which they made the leap into the third division for one year in 1986/87. In 1990 they returned to the designation B-team.

Sparta B played since the establishment of the Czech Republic in the third class ČFL, in 2002 the team was promoted to the second division . Unlike in Germany, B-teams from a first division club are also allowed to compete in the second-highest division. As a rule, all Sparta B players have professional contracts. Nevertheless, due to the great competition and the short-term sporting goals, only a few make the direct jump into the A-team.

After a two-year stay in the ČFL from 2006 to 2008, Sparta B rose again to the 2nd division in June 2008.

Sparta Prague in popular culture

Some films - the most famous example is Proč? ( German : Why?) from 1987 - took up the fan culture of Sparta Prague and related social problems such as hooliganism and vandalism.

literature

• Oldřich Bartůněk: 250 zápasů Sparta - Slavia ve faktech a fotografiích 1896–2001 . Praha. Riopress, 2002, ISBN 80-86221-53-9
• Vítězslav Houška: Železná Sparta . Praha, Olympia, 1992, ISBN 80-7033-186-0
• František Nepil : Má stoletá lásko! . Praha, Olympia, 1993, ISBN 80-7033-284-0
• Jiří Novotný, Karel Felt: Sparta, můj život . Praha, Cesty, 2002, ISBN 80-7181-820-8
• František Prückner: Čtyřicet let v hledišti Sparty: (zpověď fotbalového fanouška) . Praha, Bohemia, 1998, ISBN 80-85803-28-3
• Adolf Růžička et al .: AC Sparta Praha . Brno, Computer Press, 2003, ISBN 80-251-0084-7

Web links

Commons : Sparta Prague  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Official website of AC Sparta Praha fotbal as
• Fan site SpartaPraha.net
• Side of the ultras
• Side of the fans

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Europa League 2012/13 kicker.de. Retrieved May 4, 2014
2. ↑ Plzeň jen remizovala v Jablonci, Sparta získala titul sportovninoviny.cz from May 4, 2014. Accessed May 4, 2014

Coordinates: 50 ° 5 ′ 59 ″  N , 14 ° 24 ′ 58 ″  E