Slavia Prague handed forfeit loss for mass pitch invasion during derby against Sparta

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Slavia Prague handed forfeit loss for mass pitch invasion during derby against Sparta

Yahoo Sports1h ago2 min readOriginal source →

TL;DR

Slavia Prague has received a forfeit loss for a pitch invasion during a derby against Sparta Prague, resulting in a 3-0 victory for Sparta. Slavia will also play its next four home games without fans and has been fined 10 million koruna.

Key points

Slavia Prague forfeited a match due to fan pitch invasion
Sparta Prague awarded a 3-0 victory
Slavia fined 10 million koruna and banned from having fans at home games

Mentioned in this story

Jakub SurovčíkJakub MartinecMatyáš VojtaTomáš ChorýDavid Douděra

Slavia PragueSparta PragueWorld Cup

PRAGUE (AP) — Slavia Prague was handed a forfeit loss in its abandoned game against archrival Sparta Prague as punishment for its fans invading the pitch during stoppage time of the heated derby in the Czech league this past weekend. The disciplinary ruling issued on Tuesday awards Sparta a 3-0 victory. Slavia was leading 3-2 Saturday when hundreds of its fans stormed the pitch in the seventh minute of added time. Many of the supporters brandished flares and some attacked several Sparta players, including Slovak goalkeeper Jakub Surovčík, defender Jakub Martinec and forward Matyáš Vojta. A total of 10 minutes of added time had been set to be played, but the match was abandoned without resumption. Slavia was also ordered to play its next four home games without fans and was fined 10 million koruna ($484,000). Slavia said it would not appeal. It remains atop the standings, five points ahead of Sparta with three games to go. Slavia apologized and said the club will cooperate with police who are investigating the incident as hooliganism, which could be punishable by jail terms. Czech soccer association head David Trunda said the incident was damaging to “Czech football, the clubs and the overwhelming majority of decent fans.” Trunda has been engaged in talks with the government to improve security at Czech stadiums. Slavia chief executive Jaroslav Tvrdík said the club will install a facial recognition system at the stadium. Tvrdík announced Sunday that Slavia would close its North Stand, which hosts die-hard fans, with immediate effect. The stand will be closed until all the perpetrators are identified and brought to justice. The perpetrators will be banned from Slavia’s stadium for life, the club said. The two Slavia players who were shown red cards during the derby — league leading scorer Tomáš Chorý and defender David Douděra — were suspended for the rest of the season, Tvrdík said. The club has transfer-listed the pair. Both players were included Tuesday in the Czech Republic's preliminary 54-man national team roster for the upcoming World Cup. The Czechs have qualified for the tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico for the first time in 20 years. \\\_ AP soccer:

Q&A

What caused Slavia Prague to forfeit the match against Sparta Prague?

Slavia Prague forfeited the match due to a mass pitch invasion by its fans during stoppage time, which led to the game being abandoned.

What penalties did Slavia Prague face after the pitch invasion incident?

Slavia Prague was fined 10 million koruna, ordered to play its next four home games without fans, and had a forfeit loss recorded against Sparta Prague.

What measures is Slavia Prague taking to prevent future incidents?

Slavia Prague plans to install a facial recognition system at the stadium and has closed its North Stand until the perpetrators of the pitch invasion are identified.