Sparta secure Czech championship
Monday, May 2, 2005
Article summary
FK Teplice's 2-0 defeat at SK Slavia Praha handed AC Sparta Praha their seventh Czech title in ten seasons.
Article body
By Ladislav Josef
AC Sparta Praha claimed the Czech First Division title for the seventh time in ten seasons on Monday night after their nearest challengers, FK Teplice, slipped to a 2-0 defeat at SK Slavia Praha.
Comfortable cushion
Sparta had moved 18 points clear at the top with five matches remaining after a 2-0 victory at SK Sigma Olomouc on Saturday, meaning Teplice had to win at Slavia to keep the race going. However, two goals from Pavel Fort secured victory for Slavia and the title for city rivals Sparta.
Two defeats
Sparta have lost just two league games this season, with only FK Mladá Boleslav and FK Marila Príbram taking three points off Jaroslav Hrebík's side. Hrebík replaced František Straka when the latter was sacked after the autumn campaign.
Twenty-year wait
It is 56-year-old Hrebík's first championship after 20 years as a coach, coming in his second spell at the Sparta helm. Hrebík, a controversial appointment, is no stranger to the demands of the job having lasted a mere nine months in his first stint between July 2001 and April 2002.
'Great pressure'
He admitted relief at having fulfilled the club's high expectations. "I feel relieved, but I don't feel any satisfaction," he said. "I am glad that Sparta are champions again. Coaches are always under great pressure here."
European challenge
Hrebík added that there is more to come from his team - and greater challenges ahead. "The improvement is not as fast as I expected," he said. "We will meet much tougher opponents in the [UEFA] Champions League where all our errors will be punished. Success in Europe will be a new challenge for me," he said.
Scoring success
This triumph marks the ninth time Sparta have won the championship in the Czech Republic since the league was established in 1993/94. With 49 goals from 25 matches, Sparta are also the division's top scorers, with Tomáš Jun and Lukáš Zelenka both making significant contributions. Sparta will return to the group stage of the Champions League in 2005/06 having competed there this term.
