The South Bohemian Patriot: Karel Vácha’s Journey through Football History

For the South Bohemian patriot – a native of Hluboká nad Vltavou – looking into historical football chronicles is both endearing and surprising. With 53 goals, he is Dynamo České Budějovice’s top scorer in the top flight.

And he is not too worried about his club record. “When someone scores ten goals per year, Sparta or Slavia will immediately buy him,” he realizes that the powerful take. It was also in his case, in 1996, when Slavia celebrated its first title in the post-communist era, he changed into a red and white jersey. “But before that I did something in Budějky,” he points to his interventions in individual years – 7, 8, 10, 7, 11.

He narrowly missed out on membership in the prestigious League Gunners’ Club of the Gól weekly. He added 20 goals in Slavia to Budějovice, and foreign goals from engagements in Austria’s Tirol Innsbruck (5) and Slovakia’s Artmedia Petržalka (6) also count. So a total of 84 hits.

If second league players were included, because whenever České Budějovice needed help to return to the elite, he was available, he would have reached the goal of 100 goals. “I couldn’t leave Dynamo alone,” proves the reputation of a patriot.

He is not a centurion, but a heartthrob.

He prefers to slide

It was a great honor for the South Bohemian village of Borek, stuck on the northern side of the regional town of České Budějovice. Players from Hluboká nad Vltavou of all age categories came as rivals to the St. Anne football afternoon on Saturday, July 27.

Karel Vácha, the biggest attraction for the fans, took part in the duel between teams over 35 years of age (played twice for 35 minutes). “People came,” praises the chairman of the local club FK Borek Josef Peterka. The best South Bohemian league scorer still attracted. “He showed up in full display, he managed it, he is still dangerous in front of the goal,” declares Peterka. He rejects the word veteran not only in his case. “He played for the earlier born team,” he clarifies.

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It was rather an exceptional event for the former Czech representative. Otherwise, he misses football matches. He did not resent the round ball, but his health is holding him back. “My hip hurts, the left one was on a total, I also recently had an operation on my shoulder,” he complains.

These ailments, which were also joined by back problems, cut his football career short. “I finished at thirty-three,” he points out, having fulfilled the years of Christ on the field. Nevertheless, he sometimes puts on his football boots. “I’ll be persuaded,” he can’t resist.

He likes hockey more. After all, as a pupil he was one of the great South Bohemian talents, but in the end football won out for him. “I’m going to play for the old boys of Motor”, he demonstrates his sustained performance, which guarantees him a place among the old masters in the best South Bohemian club. “I can slide on the ice,” he reveals why hockey is now a more favorable activity for him.

Ivanek didn’t talk, he acted

When he transferred to champion Slavia in the summer of 1996, he was looking forward to winning the Polish trophy for the best team in the Czech league. It was done, despite the huge change of staff and the departure of four European vice-champions (Poborský, Bejbl, Suchopárek, Šmicer), the red and whites climbed back to the top of the table after the autumn.

They went into the winter break with 28 points (the same was collected by Liberec), eternal competitor Sparta had four fewer and held the fifth position. But spring turned into a red ride. Letenský did not lose even once, they only lost with a draw against Slavia and at the end of the year with Karvina, when they already occupied the first place and looked forward to regaining the championship title.

A big change has taken place at Letná. “Ivan Horník arrived,” reminds Vácha of the arrival of a man who confessed and was convicted of corruption in 2004. “That was a major turning point. If the game had been played fairly, we would have celebrated the title,” he still finds it hard to bear this injustice even years later. “But it happens all the time…” indicates that Czech football has not learned any lessons from the affairs.

Title only in Austria

The dreaded shooter got satisfaction in neighboring Austria. Another South Bohemian patriot, coach František Cipro, first took him from České Budějovice to Slavia, when he then took over Tirol Innsbruck, renewed cooperation and enabled him to work abroad under the Alpine giants.

And it was a championship. The problem, however, is who should celebrate it. Even Innsbruck is disappearing and one football club after another is being founded again. “No one knows exactly who a follower is,” the Czech legionnaire throws his arms around helplessly. “We were FC Tirol, then Wacker came, followed by Swarovski, it’s always changing,” he calculates. “The club goes bankrupt, disappears, a sponsor is found, a new one is founded,” he describes the confusing situation. “The current Wacker is not legally linked to ours,” he admits.

Karel Vácha

Born on August 2, 1970, České Budějovice

TJ Hluboká nad Vltavou (1977-1985), Dynamo České Budějovice (1985-1989), RH Sušice (1989-1990), Dynamo České Budějovice (1990-1996), Slavia Prague (1996-1998), FC Tirol Innsbuck/Austria ( 1998-1999), Dynamo České Budějovice (2000-2003), Artmedia Petržalka/Slovakia (2003), TJ Hluboká nad Vltavou (2003-2005).

Czech national team: 1997 (1/0)

Achievements: Austrian league champion 1999/2000, 2nd place Slavia Praha (1996/97, 1997/98) 2nd place Artmedia Petržalka (2002/03), Czech Cup winner 1997.

Dynamo České Budějovice – assistant (2005-2006), TJ Hluboká nad Vltavou (2006-2007), Dynamo České Budějovice – assistant (2008) Dynamo ČB “B” (2014/15).

Nevertheless, the golden group is meeting. “I’m going with Patrik Ježek, Venca Daněk was also invited some time ago, who scored a bronze boot in Tirol for 29 goals in the 1990/1991 season,” reveals the Czech track. Coach Cipro can no longer drive, he passed away in February of this year after a fatal illness. “But the fans still remember him, he remained in their hearts,” observed Vácha.

Since the championship team from the turn of the millennium no longer has a successor, they do not meet at the stadium, but at the Leipziger Hof hotel, owned by the club’s former vice-president Andreas Perger. “Everything is organized by the former sports director Siegmund Feistmantl, known as Gogo,” reveals the Czech striker of the biggest fan, who likes to remember the glory days.

Everyone can be Gogo, but the Austrian official does not forget anyone who participated in winning the title. “I have him on my phone in the group, we know about each other,” Vácha praises the modern connection.

Salmon or bear

Already during his professional career, the forward named Vltava, who grew up among South Bohemian ponds and streams, was famous for his passion for fishing. Together with his brother-in-law Vladimír Adam, who worked as a masseur in Dynamo České Budějovice, they set out to cast all over the country and abroad. “They have equipment worth a hundred thousand, they catch one fish a year,” coach Pavel Tobiáš joked on their account.

Vácha has not let go of the hobby, actually a lifestyle, after all, he has a little more time for it after the end of his active activities. And he hunts in true paradises. “I’ve been to Alaska and the Yukon four times in total,” he reveals, a destination that is the dream of everyone who has fallen into fights with the inhabitants of bodies of water. He doesn’t even need exclusive equipment. In the largest country of the United States of America, the catch is guaranteed. When they haul in salmon, the bears catch them with their paws. “That’s right,” confirms the Czech fisherman.

Photo: Archive of Karel Vácha

Fishing is one of Karel Vácha’s great hobbies.

He also went to Sweden several times, but is otherwise loyal to his native region. It sits on the bank of the Vltava at the Hluboká or Lipno dam reservoir. Together with the son of the same first name, who also tried football on the sidelines, but was more devoted to ice hockey.

He had a similar – if not greater – affection for hunting. And again, he visits famous places all over the planet. “In Kyrgyzstan I hunted ibex in the mountains at an altitude of 4,000 meters, deer in Hungary, bear in Croatia, chamois in Austria, antelope in Africa in Namibia,” he recalls, everywhere the rifle with binoculars has taken him.

But even in Czech forests, nimrod will enjoy itself. “My son and nephew and I have a rented farm in the Brdské lesé,” he reveals, stressing that he also takes proper care of the trees and animals.

Photo: Archive of Karel Vácha

Karel Vácha with a caught ibex.

He also built a monastery

Hunting and fishing are hobbies that tend to burden the family budget. His livelihood is provided by the company Stavitelství Karel Vácha a son, the focus of which is already revealed by the name. “It is a family business that was founded in 1992 by my father and I currently run it together with my sister, son and nephews,” he says in the Business and Activity Register.

He classifies the company as small and medium-sized. “We have forty employees and forty hired Ukrainians,” they do not hide that prosperity also requires helpful hands from the Eastern part of Europe. The ongoing war also affected. “During it, the intermediary supplied us with more workers, we also accommodated them with their families,” he coped with the increase in strength. “They helped us,” he appreciates their contribution.

Although foreigners know who Karel Vácha was. “They read on the website who employs them, they learn that I played football, which is gratifying,” he does not hide. Conversations are thus enriched by a supporting topic. “I also know that Blochin and Belanov were Ukrainians,” says the holder of the most prestigious Golden Ball trophy.

There were orders even during covid. When he travels around the country, he sees what the company has built. “Penny Markets, Lidls, industrial buildings, flats, amenity buildings, whatever,” he doesn’t choose. Sports facilities in Mladá Vožica, Zbraslav, Borek near České Budějovice, and Hluboká were also successful.

The monastery of Our Lady over the Vltavou of the Trappist sisters in the Central Bohemian village of Poličany in the Benešov district is the most interesting, an investment of 180 million crowns, which was created on a green field. “We’ll take any job,” he repeats.

2023-08-17 12:01:21
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