Lukáš Urbanec is the owner of the successful Opava company U plus U, spol. s ro, which, among other things, deals with the import of substrates for the production of pharmaceuticals. However, his life revolves around football from the very beginning, which he did not resent even after his injury. In addition, for the match with Sparta, the company U plus U, spol. s ro became the main partner of this semi-final duel.
Mr. Urbanec, you have been in business for over twenty years. What does your company U plus U, spol. s ro?
I started my business in 2001, when we started with a car rental company. In 2004, we expanded our scope to include road transport and in 2007 to customs declaration. However, we now specialize mainly in the import of substrates from all over the world for the production of pharmaceuticals. So we are not quite a classic trucking company, but we specialize in medicines and everything related to them. But in business, I always focused on being able to give something back. I did it so I could support things beyond my company. I consider myself an Opava patriot who gives a lot of money back, that’s why I founded a foundation a year ago, and business for me is primarily a tool to give money back and help other people.
In the match with Sparta, you will be the main partner of the match. Your logo will also be placed on the front of the jersey. So what is your relationship to sports in general?
If I start from the beginning, I myself am a former football player. I played as a goalkeeper in the first youth league in Olomouc, but then I got injured and could not continue my career. My teammates were, for example, Tomáš Ujfaluši or Radoslav Kováč, so I am very close to sports. My son is also currently playing in the first youth league, and I try to help him as much as possible in football so that he can see that football is primarily a joy. However, because of the injury, I also began to look at football and sports in general through a different lens. I started to appeal in the public space for our stadiums to be wheelchair accessible. In this regard, Opava has its shortcomings, because someone may think that it is enough to put us in the first row. However, few people think about the fact that we will get wet or freeze there. If I relate it specifically to Opava, there is also a complicated way to the toilet from the space reserved for wheelchair users and, above all, reduced visibility for the game. It is a great pity that there are such shortcomings. At a certain time, my intention was to buy Sigma in Olomouc, where I wanted to put more pressure on the improvement of these premises from the position of the owner. In addition, I also have a comparison with other clubs in the country or abroad. Now, for example, I was with Sparta in Liverpool, where the service for the disabled was on a really different level. I am aware that Liverpool is too far a destination, but suitable examples can also be found in our country, when, for example, Sparta opened places for wheelchair users in the guest sector as well. It is necessary to realize that it is not only about getting to the match, but above all about being able to enjoy it. And it is precisely in this that the Opava stadium has huge reserves.
You have already supported youth football camps in the past. Is football a matter of your heart?
One hundred percent it is. I have supported the football school in Olomouc for many years, and we also donated a large amount of money to traumatology in Olomouc, when the amount rose to almost 1.2 million crowns. We also support various youth academies and centers here in the Opava region, and last year I founded conscious training Academy s.r.o. with Jakub Ihnatišin, and I also support various charity matches or, for example, Libor Kozák’s CECA Cup. It clearly follows from this that football is a matter of my heart and always will be. I also make no secret of the fact that I wanted to own a club and I think that it will turn out that way one day. Although it didn’t work out with the SFC, for example, I don’t see it negatively and I wish Opava football only the best under the new owners and I believe that Opava football will flourish and go up. Of course, football and the club can only be measured by results, but I always look at the company, or in this case the club, as a whole. The A-team is such a cherry on top for me, but one should also take care of the youth, the technical background, the clothes or the stadium. Football is not just the ninety minutes on the pitch. From my point of view, football is just about everything, and the final ninety minutes are just the imaginary bonus.
Let’s stay with football for a moment. Do you consider yourself a fan of Silesian FC?
Frankly, this is a difficult question. We have a lot in common. For example, we have yellow-blue colors, which in our corporate presentation mean the sun and water. From a general point of view, I am clearly a fan of SFC. I’ve also supported the club in the past and now it’s happening again, even if it’s just for one game. Here I see it more from a business point of view, and at this point it is more about prestige than fandom. I would compare it to buying Mr. Trojan’s jersey, which I bought at an auction after the BK Opava match. It was an opportunity for me to get involved in something that will never happen again. And I see the possibility of participating in the MOL Cup semi-final against Sparta in the same way, although of course I would like SFC to experience matches at this level more often.
However, in order not to run away from the question, it’s a really difficult question for me, because I have to admit that I haven’t been to the stadium for about nine years for various reasons. However, I believe that with new management the club can flourish and I am not opposed to a new era and new beginnings. I wish Opava only the best and I will be sincerely happy if football in Opava is successful.
As you already mentioned, you are very active in the area of charity work. You are known to be involved in various charity auctions and auctions. In addition, you also have your foundation.
I mentioned at work last year that I have such an interesting eight-year-old. Eight years ago I injured myself on holiday. I am a quadriplegic, which means that my legs and arms are disabled. Four years ago, my nineteen-year-old son killed himself because of an unrequited love, and I wondered what would happen next. I have declared that I have already been successful, or rather I am, and now is the time to be beneficial as well. Our company has already distributed millions of crowns to various charitable projects, and the newly established U plus U foundation will primarily focus on helping various families with disabilities.
As for jersey auctions, it is of course connected to my love for football, although I also have a few non-football pieces in my collection, either from tennis or basketball. I am currently preparing to place my collection in the company and I dare say that my collection is one of the largest. Coincidentally, my son has played with the number 26 since he was seven, and because of that I have a large number of jerseys with that number. This includes, for example, the jersey of John Terry from Chelsea or Andrew Robertson from Liverpool. I would like one day to have a lot of those jerseys, primarily with this number. It’s not really that I buy jerseys just to have them, but primarily because it makes me happy when the money helps someone or goes to a good cause.
Can you reveal your rarest pieces?
I have the original playing jersey of Pavel Nedvěd from Juventus, as well as his jersey from the Czech national team from the match against Norway, which is directly dedicated to U plus U, spol s ro. I also have several jerseys from Dortmund, through Sparta from Jan Koller. Although I perceive the rivalry between Opava and Baník, I have a Champions League winner’s jersey from Milan Baroš from Liverpool and Vladimír Šmicer from the same club. Among the icons from Opava, I have Libor Kozák or Zdenek Pospěch, from whom I have jerseys from Mainz, SFC and Sparta. I also have the jerseys of both today’s opponents from Filip Souček.
Of the world names, I value Lionel Messi and Neymar from Barcelona the most, which I won in an auction for my son, who is a big fan of Barcelona. I also highly value the jersey of Ibrahimovic or the already mentioned Robertson from Liverpool.
Is there any jersey you are missing in your collection?
I would also like to get a Cristiano Ronaldo jersey, which I lack for the complete trio of Messi, Neymar and Ronaldo. It could come true for me at the Euros after the match between the Czech Republic and Portugal, but that remains to be seen. Thus, my son and I should have our dream collection of Nedvěd, Koller, Messi, Neymar and Ronaldo complete.
On the other hand, I would like all the jerseys for my son with the number 26. This also relates to such a rarity, when last year at the age of twenty-nine Jakub Urbanec made his debut in the Teplice jersey, who starts with this number and my son’s name is Jakub Jiří Urbanec . I managed to get this jersey with a dedication: From Jakub Urbanec, for Jakub Urbanec. We have a special place for it at home where it is displayed and next to it there is a free space where I believe one day my son’s first league shirt will also be.
