Slovakia saddened by losses of Pollák and Čišovský
Monday, June 29, 2020
Article summary
Slovak football has lost two distinguished figures with the deaths of former players Jaroslav Pollák and Marián Čišovský.
Article top media content
Article body
Jaroslav Pollák, who was 72, won 49 caps for Czechoslovakia, and was a member of the squad that won the European title in Yugoslavia in 1976. He played in the semi-final win against the Netherlands, but missed the triumphant final against West Germany in Belgrade through suspension after being sent off in the encounter with the Dutch.
The former VSS Košice, Dukla Banská Bystria, Austria Wien and Sparta Praha midfielder, who had been ill for some time, was also part of the Czechoslovakia squad that won the bronze medal at the 1980 European Championship finals in Italy.
Pollák was included in the 1976 Team of the Tournament, having been impressive against the Netherlands until his dismissal.
Marián Čišovský, who has died at the age of 40 after a lengthy battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), enjoyed a fine career as a defender for, among others, Inter Bratislava, Žilina and Artmedia in his native Slovakia, before moving abroad to play for Romanian club Poli Timișoara and Czech Republic outfit Viktoria Plzeň.
He won the Czech title twice with Viktoria, and was a three-times Slovak champion - twice with Inter and once with Artmedia. Čišovský won 15 caps for Slovakia between 2002 and 2013.
Čišovský featured in the Plzeň club’s UEFA Champions League group stage campaigns in 2011/12 and 2013/14. "My friend, a true fighter, has passed,” wrote former Viktoria captain Pavel Horváth.
Viktoria devoted their 2015 league title win to Čišovský. "If I could swap the cup for Marián´s health, I would do it immediately," said coach Miroslav Koubek after raising the trophy.