Lagos (From our reporter) - In a comprehensive interview for Sport.cz and iDNES.cz, there was talk of the canceled general meeting with Slovan Bratislava and the changes in the era of the new owner Pavel Tykač, who should definitely take over the Vršovice club in the middle February
You’ve had some tough days. On the first weekend of February, you planned a warm-up for the spring league with Slovan Bratislava, but after he started against Dynamo Moscow in the preparation, you exchanged him for Zlaté Moravce. How long did you deal with it?
At first we didn’t want to believe it. We thought it might just be a misunderstanding. Especially when the assistant coach of Slovan deleted the announcement on the social network that they will play three warm-up matches, including the one against Dynamo Moscow. We felt it was settled and we didn’t want to make a hasty decision.
But Slovan played seriously with Dynamo in the end.
When we noticed that Dynamo Moscow was broadcasting the match on their website, we didn’t hesitate for a moment. There was nothing to solve. Not only me and the club management stand behind Ukraine, but also the players and coaches. The fans also came with a whole range of activities, I have a lot of emotions associated with it. When you saw our players Taras Kacharaba and Maksym Talovjerov, whom the whole Tribuna Sever invited as leaders of the cauldron and the whole stadium called them… We took care of their families, we listened to terrible stories from the war and we saw refugees at our hotel. I am convinced that if we were to go to the friendly with Slovan Bratislava under these circumstances, our fans would not accept it.
How do you explain that Slovan played with Dynamo Moscow at a time when most of the football world cut off contact with Russia?
I read the statement of Ivan Kmotrík (general manager of Slovan) and Slovan’s summary view of the conflict in Ukraine. And I also registered that it was one of the two teams in the Slovak league that refused to join the support of Slovak professional football to Ukraine. At that moment we realized that our philosophies of looking at war were incompatible. I’m actually sorry we’re talking about it so much.
We have to, it’s a hot topic.
I’ve done more interviews about this than football lately. Almost every media outlet called me from Slovakia and asked me why the view of the war is different in the Czech Republic than in Slovakia. But I don’t want to get into these speculations. Our club has been profiled in the direction of supporting Ukraine for two years, we have been doing it since the first hours.
And why Zlaté Moravce?
We discussed with other clubs from Poland, Austria and Switzerland, we probably wouldn’t have a problem finding an opponent for the general. But when we read the reaction of the Golden Moravians on social networks, we thought it was sympathetic. I myself have a strong relationship with Slovakia, I served in the army with a number of Slovak colleagues.
And further?
It seemed symbolic to us to play a warm-up with another Slovak club. We called each other and made it clear that they mean it and it’s not just a matter of marketing. It turned out that the club has the same values as us and the owner looks at it in the same way in relation to Ukraine. We agreed within an hour and we already know that it won’t be a typical general meeting. We will want to collect as much money as possible and for the first time I am considering personally transporting it to Ukraine. We want to do good things and it’s nice to be able to afford it.
Photo: SK Slavia Prague
The Slavists have completed most of their training in Portugal, the team around striker Mojmír Chytil (with his hands above his head) is waiting for the last preparatory match against the Beijing Chung-che Kuo-an team on Saturday.
Will you be able to afford it even after the club shares are transferred to the new owner, billionaire Pavel Tykač?
Let’s first say where Slavia is today, maybe we can agree on that. It’s an extremely successful club, we’re 32nd in the UEFA cup rankings. In addition, our women won the double and are playing in the Champions League. In addition to sporting successes, we have positive cash flow, the most season ticket holders and fans in the Czech Republic. I think we meet all the attributes of a strong, confident and successful club. The new shareholder does not take over the club in a tragic situation.
How will you continue to develop Slavia?
There will be a revolution in infrastructure and an evolution in sports and operational activities. The most fundamental thing we lack is a youth academy. It’s not about if it will be, but when it will be and what it will be like. It helps us that in December Prague transferred 150,000 square meters of land on which we want to build to the Šeberov district. A primary and secondary school is growing nearby, there will be a swimming pool and an indoor hall. In two months, we will present to the new shareholder, in addition to the long-term prepared variant, two more, and I firmly believe that we will have one of the best academies in Central and Eastern Europe. I would like to cut the ribbon in mid-2026.
What else do you want to accomplish?
To complete the infrastructure in Eden, where we have the best and most modern stadium in the Czech Republic with a capacity of 20,000 spectators. However, there is a lack of parking, and at the request of the shareholder, we are discussing expanding the stadium to 32,000 seats.
What about sporting ambitions?
Pavel Tykač described them clearly, I like it. He understands that not all matches can be won, but he expects Slavia to win at least five titles in a ten-year cycle. Translated: the title is expected from us every two years on average, the emphasis will logically be placed on sports results.
What was the emphasis of the previous Chinese owners?
We were under more pressure to balance the economy and the need to make the club financially self-sufficient. Only then did we strive for the best possible sporting performance. I can illustrate this with the example of the current transfer window, in which we register three big offers for players in the basic lineup.
But no one has left yet.
As a previous shareholder, we would have accepted one or maybe two offers. The difference now is that we have agreed with Pavlo Tykač, even though the club does not officially belong to him yet, that we can afford to reject those offers. The coaches therefore have a stronger staff at their disposal and the story of David Jurásek, who came and was gone in a year, does not have to be repeated. Logically, higher cohesion, better performance and a higher probability of sporting success will follow.
Can you tell who received the offers?
With your permission, I’ll keep it to myself. We want to focus on the spring season and the moment I tell you there is an offer from the Premier League for someone, the speculation starts and the players get confused. When someone calls, we proudly and happily tell them: “We have a new owner who does not wish to sell. Don’t get angry or send us a formal offer.’
We talked about what would change. And what won’t change?
For example, salary caps. We don’t want to spend a lot of money unnecessarily and play football with huge economic losses.
Do you have an example?
We considered the return of Peter Olayinka. He would be a player who would immediately help us in the title fight. In addition to the demands of his current club and his agent, the limit was also a salary over a million euros net, which we could not accept. Our remuneration policy will not change, although we recognize that this may limit us in that we may not bring in all the players from abroad that we would like.
What about the budget? Will it change?
For the year 2024, we presented the shareholders with a balanced financial result, and we do not expect to receive any financial support from the shareholder. At least this year, we will continue to work in a way that the club will make money for itself. We start with a budget of around 800 million crowns, which can grow depending on success.
Purely hypothetically, could you imagine the option that Pavel Tykač would choose the new chairman of the board instead of you?
When we started the first discussions, he told me: “I’m a football fan, otherwise I don’t understand football. I don’t have a team of managers to send to Slavia. A club without people would be just a brand with limited value.” Then he asked me if I, my people and coach Trpišovský were ready to stay with my team. Pavel Tykač wanted us to promise him at least five years.
What do you think?
After consulting with my colleagues, I accepted this commitment. I work with the knowledge that I will lead the club for five years if I fulfill the shareholder’s instructions and ideas.
That means, among other things, winning the league every two years, as you were talking about a moment ago?
We have an agreement with the owner that a title once every two years is a completely legitimate sporting goal, he has the right to expect it from us. This corresponds to the winter reinforcements, goalkeeper Staněk and two players on the left side. And nobody left. Even with that, we can do our best to try to win the title. So far we have talked about second place at worst, but now we want more.
2024-01-25 23:00:59
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