Sparta Chairman Details Frozen Relations with Slavia,Outlines Aspiring Infrastructure Plans
Prague,Czech Republic – Sparta Prague chairman Dušan Čupr has confirmed a complete breakdown in interaction with rival club Slavia Prague,stating relations are “at a freezing point.” Čupr detailed the strained dynamic, contrasting it with past collaborative efforts, such as joint work on television and marketing rights within the League Football Association (LFA). “In principle,we don’t communicate with each other… We don’t talk at all,” he stated.
The comments come amidst a public dispute between Sparta board member Jaroslav Tvrdík and the newspaper sport, owned by Daniel Křetínský, concerning journalist accreditation and perceived bias. Čupr firmly rejected accusations that Sport operates as a marketing arm for Sparta. “The attacks by some people that the daily Sport is Sparta’s marketing department were seriously over the top. We considered legal action,” he revealed, emphasizing that Sparta’s interaction with the newspaper is no different than that with other league clubs.
Beyond the fractured relationship with Slavia, Čupr outlined Sparta’s critically important investment plans, including a contract with the Football Association of the Czech Republic (FAČR) for the construction of a new national stadium in Strahov. However,the stadium is just one component of a broader strategy.
Sparta has already acquired a sports complex in Prosek, currently used by the club’s women’s A-team. Future plans for the complex include the advancement of girls’ academies, reflecting a commitment to growing the women’s game. “We do not see the club onyl as a profit generator, but also as an important social element,” Čupr emphasized.
The Prosek complex will also be expanded to accommodate Sparta’s boys’ youth academy, incorporating new stands, training fields, a boarding school, and classrooms.This project is being undertaken in collaboration with Prague 9 and 18, who have designated it a major priority.
Addressing concerns about potential roadblocks to the Strahov stadium project following the FAČR elections in June, Čupr expressed confidence in its success, citing the existing contract and the critical need for infrastructure investment in Czech football. “We know how the sports infrastructure in the Czech republic is underinvested. The internal debt within the football background is certainly in the order of billions. we want to invest billions in infrastructure, why shoudl anyone be bothered,” he argued.
