The debate about the conditions for fans at league matches started after the opening of the reconstructed stadium in Pardubice. Not only the fans of Slavia, who defeated East Bohemia 2:0 in the opening match on Saturday, criticized the shape of the section for visiting fans on social networks, which is surrounded by mesh and netting.
“The central motive of the match was not the sports measurement of both clubs, but the appearance of the away sector, which is a great shame. I will not go into complex technical details, but in order for the stadium to be approved, to be approved by the Stadium Commission, you need to get stamps from the fire department, the police, sanitation … Pardubice just adapted,” Svoboda said in a comment on the LFA website, praising the club’s efforts in working on the new stadium.
The Pardubice club defended itself against criticism last week. According to sports director Vít Zavřel, the sector took on such a form precisely so that the stadium could pass approval and certification. Thanks to this, the last team in the table moved home for the spring part of the season after two and a half years spent in an asylum in Ďolíček in Vršovice.
Before the weekend’s duel, the head of Slavia, Jaroslav Tvrdík, joined the criticism of the fencing, who went directly to the sector to support the Slavia fans during the match. “I understand why decent fans riot. I don’t like fenced sectors like this either, and if I could choose, I would prefer stadiums without fences and barriers in the top competition,” wrote Svoboda.
“But here, unfortunately, cause and effect are confused. Fences began to be installed in stadiums due to riots in the corridors, after an agreement with the police, in order to ensure safety. This means that first there were excesses in the corridors, and then fences began to be built. In in an ideal world, the rioters would be sorted out by the fans themselves so as not to spoil their reputation. After all, Jaroslav Tvrdík spoke about something similar after the match in Pardubice. According to him, the problem was not in the cauldron as a whole, but only between individuals. Which is good news for the future of Czech football ,” thinks the chairman of the LFA.
Svoboda believes that it is possible to cultivate the environment in the corridors. But the main burden of responsibility lies with the clubs themselves. “Absolutely and I will be very happy to open a discussion at the League Committee on a possible change to the licensing conditions for visiting sectors, which, however, must also be discussed and agreed with the Police of the Czech Republic. I have personally already spoken to representatives of some clubs and will speak to others. But the LFA can discuss this debate only to moderate, the focus is precisely on the clubs and their willingness to solve this matter,” the head of the LFA pointed out.
According to Svoboda, clubs must take measures such as name tickets or more rigorous punishment of troublemakers. “I understand that it is an unpopular measure, but we will not move without it,” said Svoboda, who encouraged greater communication and cooperation between the clubs.
“Although there is a great sporting rivalry between the clubs, I feel that this is a common theme. I believe that Slavia will gain allies in this regard in Sparta as well, similar to, for example, in the form of participation in the financing of the offside line. Then it is enough for Baník to join, Plzeň, Brno and the problem will be solved quickly, because the ‘fences’ discussed and rightly criticized are mostly installed precisely because of the unruly individuals of these clubs,” added Svoboda.
