The Budějovice-Jablonec Football Fan Incident: Club Takes Action Against Security Agency

“First of all, I want to express my regret and absolute disapproval of the actions of some members of the organizing service towards the fan of FK Jablonec, despite the fact that the intervention of members of the security agency was preceded by the very aggressive behavior of this fan,” Koubek said via Dynamo website nine days after the incident. Without giving further details, he added that the club “took measures against the security agency PS Patrol”, which provides organizers for Budějovice matches. According to the company’s manager Petr Schwarz, two of them quit after the scandal.

“At the same time, we will deal with a serious accusation by FK Jablonec against our main organizer Mr. Roman Havlíček, who was also physically attacked in the guest sector,” Koubek pointed out. According to Jablonec’s testimony from a letter addressed to Dynamo, during the post-match meeting in the delegate’s cabin, Havlíček was supposed to comment on a video with beating the fan like this: “They didn’t get enough.” Havlíček was also the main organizer at Sunday’s last match of the regular season with Pardubice.

But back to April 23rd. Dynamo describes the match day from the arrival of Jablonec fans to the parking lot at the stadium, including the type of their car and registration number, as well as the purchase of tickets. It was then that the first problems should have arisen: “The group of FK Jablonec fans is demanding free entry to the away fans sector, stating that they are employees of FK Jablonec, thereby creating a conflict situation.”

Budějovice confirm that the detonator of the incident was the snatching of a seat in the Jablonec sector. “One of the fans of FK Jablonec in the 32nd minute of the match (match score 2:0) pulls out a blue plastic seat from the structure of the stand and immediately afterwards tries to throw this seat in a high arc onto the playing surface of the stadium. Throwing a seat onto the playing surface with the possible impact of players in uninterrupted play, referees, or ball feeders will fail thanks to a fine textile protective net of black color, which prevents the playing surface from possible objects being thrown from the away fans’ sector onto the playing surface,” writes Dynamo.

A minute later, the security guards were supposed to start removing the fans. It was not only the one who tore the seat, but also two others. “Following this incident on the part of FK Jablonec fans, the security staff of the stadium in a peaceful and orderly manner, always two members of the security guard for one visiting fan, escorted a total of 3 FK Jablonec fans behaving in violation of the stadium’s visiting rules from the stands from the away fans sector to the back of this stand and subsequently, 3 fans were taken outside the stadium area, and therefore the away fans sector,” reports Dynamo. “Two FK Jablonec fans remained outside the stadium, but one FK Jablonec fan caused a conflict with security and managed to get back into the away fans sector.”

What was next? “During the half-time break of the game (match score 3:0), the same fan of FK Jablonec physically attacks the staff of the refreshment stand in the away fans’ sector, including security agency workers, and takes a fighting stance with the aim of provoking physical contact and thus a conflict situation. This situation is prevented by the stadium’s organizing service.”

It was during the break that the conflict was supposed to escalate, according to Dynamo, the police also got involved. “An aggressive group of FK Jablonec fans provokes a conflict with members of the stadium’s security agency. Main organizer R. Havlíček and technical delegate F. Hubička arrive in the guest sector with the aim of calming down the situation. The main organizer of the match, who is defending the technical delegate, is attacked and an incident occurs between the members of the security agency and the remaining group of FK Jablonec fans. Members of the PČR also come to the sector of visiting fans, who are also attacked by fans of FK Jablonec,” Dynamo describes.

After that, there should have been a harsh security intervention. Several videos are doing the rounds on social media that have outraged the football nation. Slavist boss Jaroslav Tvrdík also spoke on Twitter several times. “During the main break, there is a fight between a fan of FK Jablonec and members of the security agency, which is preceded, however, by an attack on a member of the security agency by a fan of FK Jablonec with a kick to the agency member’s sensitive parts (crotch), and the physical fight ends with the inadequate intervention of a member of the security agency by knocking the fan to the ground with open palm blows to the upper body of a FK Jablonec fan by a member of the security agency with an attempt to involuntarily push the fan by dragging the upper half of the body from the away fans sector outside the stadium. Apparently, at this moment, a private video recording is taken with a mobile phone by another fan of FK Jablonec,” Dynamo mentions the key moment.

The incident should have ended in the second half by “locating an aggressive group of FK Jablonec fans outside the visiting fans’ sector” and their further attack on police officers. which must be seen as the failure of an individual in the otherwise functional security system of the stadium,” sums up Dynamo.

“I consider the club’s first statement in the press release on Monday morning to be completely wrong, because our camera system did not distinguish the incident with the FK Jablonec fan in such detail. After the publication of detailed footage from a private video, we fundamentally changed our position, because despite all the circumstances, the intervention of members of the security agency against the fan of FK Jablonec was definitely not adequate,” Budejovice boss Koubek responded on May 2.

Both Budějovice and Jablonec will face a fateful disciplinary meeting on Thursday: Dynamo is in trouble due to a violation of the organizer’s obligations, and the northerners are in trouble due to the unsportsmanlike behavior of their fans. Representatives of both clubs and the main organizer of the match, Roman Havlíček, are to come to the headquarters of the League Football Association. The police are also handling the case.