The Czech Cup final was marred by ugly scenes of violence between Sparta Prague and Viktoria Plzen supporters after fans jumped onto the pitch after the final whistle at the Doosan Arena.
After clinching the Czech First League championship before the final game of the season, Sparta took national cup honors during the testy 2-1 clash, completing the double for the first time in a decade.
The visitors took the lead late on with a Sampson Dweh own goal, but despite losing a man after Pavel Sulc’s red card in the 85th minute, Plzen clawed their way back onto the scoreboard thanks to Tomas Chory’s late equalizer in the minute 87.
But just four minutes later, at the start of added time, Sparta broke the hearts of their hosts when Veljko Birmancevic scored the winning goal.
According to reports in the Czech Republic, the match had been marked by local police as “high risk” and reinforced with strict security measures.
The result of the Czech Cup final was marred by the rush of fans of both teams.
Fans brawled in ugly scenes on the pitch minutes after the final whistle at Doosan Arena
Police in the area had previously classified the contest as “high risk” and had brought in reinforcements.
But after full time and confirmation of Sparta’s impressive double, fans of both clubs took to the field.
Both Sparta and Plzen fans wore masks and hoods as they walked across the pitch and began fighting each other, with footage from the night showing a photo of two Plzen red and blue clad fans punching a traveling fan. face down on the grass.
According iSportBeer glasses were thrown into the air as police dressed in riot gear began surrounding groups of disorderly fans and lining the stands in an attempt to clear the field and see the winners announced.
“Since the organization service was unable to prevent fans of both teams from entering the playing area, we had to enter the playing area to restore public order, mitigate the escalation, and prevent fans of both teams from attacking. each other,” said regional police spokeswoman Pavla Buresova. iRozhlas.
Even Czech Television presenters were attacked while broadcasting on the pitch: a lawn chair used for photographers on the bench was thrown at the three TV presenters, including experts Mario Holko and Vaclav Prochazka, who were forced to move aside. from the road live.
During the match, play was interrupted several times due to crowd problems, with the first interruption coming after the decision to disallow Ladislav Krejci’s goal for Sparta caused fans to throw plastic cups onto the field in signal. of protest.
Messy fans on both sides sported hoods and balaclavas in an attempt to hide their faces.
The men were removed from the fight with a fan lying face down on the grass after being attacked.
Riot police lined the stands to protect fans and prevent more from flooding the field.
Chairs, trash cans and photographers’ tables, as well as glasses, were thrown from the terraces.
Later in the second half, Plzen fans lit a flare on the field, forcing play to be stopped.
Once the field was cleared of unruly fans, Sparta were able to lift the trophy ten minutes after referee Ondrej Berka blew the final whistle.
“I wouldn’t want to comment too much,” Sparta coach Brian Priske said after the violence had subsided. “I think it was obvious what happened.
‘I think the basis is for the players and the implementation teams to feel safe. And today it wasn’t like that after the final whistle, we didn’t feel safe on the field.
“However, I would not like to comment further, because it is more up to you, the journalists, to find out what and why it really happened.”
After the incident, the Czech Football Association and tournament organizer said they had made “every possible effort” to make the event run smoothly.
Their statement read: “In recent weeks, representatives of the association have repeatedly met with fan representatives, security officials and other officials of both clubs, and together attempted to establish measures that would contribute to the smooth running of the final and the ceremony. festive after the game.
“We wanted to avoid indecent images that we do not want to see in Czech football,” the statement continued.
A fan taunted fans in the stadium from the field as flares were lit to cloud the air.
Presenters covering the match for Czech Television were attacked with a flying plastic chair
Journalists tried to dodge the live missile and continue broadcasting from the field.
Within ten minutes, the fans had been cleared, but the remains of the fight were still visible.
But with victory confirmed, the players were finally able to enjoy their triumph and celebrate a stunning end to their 2023-24 campaign.
“Sparta fulfilled all my dreams,” said captain Krecji after full time. ‘It’s a beautiful feeling, a reward for the work we do.
‘It’s because we have our own mentality and style of play. We did not give up and we fought until the end.’
The two groups of fans will meet again on Sunday to play the last game of the season, this time at Sparta Prague’s Epet Arena.