Sparta will probably have to do without striker Jan Kuchta for some time. The 25-year-old Czech representative was sent off for foul play in Sunday’s opening round of the league season against Liberec and, according to the disciplinary code, faces a penalty of up to six competitive matches, and can also be fined up to 50,000 crowns. It is likely that the Disciplinary Committee of the League Football Association will immediately deliver a verdict at its regular meeting on Thursday.
Kuchta pre-kicked the ball in the penalty area and passed the defender Filip Prebsl and could not get to the ball. However, the Czech international finished off the situation and hit Slovan goalkeeper Olivier Vliegen with his kick. Referee Ladislav Szikszay initially awarded the Spartan attacker a yellow card, but after consulting with the video referee and reviewing the situation on the monitor, he sent him off.
“Foul play. Kicking an opponent in the head with the sole of his football boot in continuous play in a battle for the ball, endangering the health and safety of an opponent,” stated after the match in the minutes of the match by the head referee.
Given that Szikszay called the tackle a foul play, Kuchta will be suspended for one to six competitive duels according to the disciplinary rules if the foul is not reclassified. At the same time, he can also receive a fine of up to 50,000 crowns.
If the fouled Vliegen did not finish the match due to injury, Kuchta could receive a suspension of two to ten matches and a fine of up to 100,000 crowns. However, that did not happen and the Belgian goalkeeper caught the duel, which his team surprisingly won 2:1.
The harshest penalty would be if the fouling player caused an opponent such an injury that would limit him in his usual way of life for more than seven days or he would be unable to perform sports activities for more than six weeks. In such a case, the punishment ranges from two to 18 months and a fine of up to a quarter of a million crowns.
The Danish coach of Sparta, Brian Priske, is resigned to the fact that Kuchta, a summer signing from Lokomotiv Moscow, will be missing for some time. “The fact that he will be missing is a big problem. But on the other hand, there are simply others who have to show quality to play in the starting line-up.” Priske said at a press conference.
So far, the highest punishment for a foul – 12 games – was received by the disciplinarian in separate history of the Cameroonian Sparta forward Léonard Kweuke, who in 2013 broke the leg of Mladá Boleslav defender Radek Dosoudil in the semi-final of the domestic cup. Milan Matula and Nikolaj Komličenko were suspended for eight competitive matches, the penalty was later reduced to six matches.
Kuchta was sent off in the second Czech league match in a row. He also received a red card in December in the last match for Slavia in Ostrava (3:3), where he stopped the ball heading for the goal with his hand at the end. The disciplinarian stopped him from playing for one match.
Kuchta transferred his sentence to the new Moscow office, but in the end he did not serve it. Despite the penalty, he played for Lokomotiv in the Russian Cup, but because his team lost heavily 0:4 and the opponent did not file an objection, the Czech striker was disciplinary “clean”. In the summer, Kuchta went on a loan to the team of Vršovice’s rival Sparta.
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