The league’s top match had to be abandoned in stoppage time with the score at 3:2 for the home side, after hundreds of supporters stormed the pitch. Some of them physically attacked Sparta players and threw pyrotechnics into the away section. In a lengthy statement on social network X, Tvrdík sharply condemned the crowd’s behaviour.
"A group of people – I refuse to call them fans – ran onto the pitch, attacked AC Sparta Praha players, and threw pyrotechnics into the away fans’ section. This is not football. This is not Slavia. It’s a disgrace we all share," the club chairman declared.
He also issued a direct apology to the assaulted Sparta players Jakub Surovčík, Jakub Martinec, and Matyáš Vojta, as well as to the football community. "But words are not enough. That’s why today I am announcing the following decisions. The North Stand is closed to the public with immediate effect," Tvrdík announced this major step. The stadium’s main supporters’ section will remain closed until all perpetrators of the attacks are identified and punished.
According to him, the management is prepared to keep the stand empty for the entire next season if necessary. "And until we are certain that such a situation cannot happen again. We will not negotiate on player safety or respect for our opponents," the chairman emphasized, adding that the club has handed over all CCTV footage and season ticket holder information to the police and authorities. All identified troublemakers face a lifetime ban from Fortuna Arena and claims for damages.
The consequences of the chaos have also directly affected the sporting side. Tvrdík confirmed that, for disciplinary reasons, Chorý and Douděra have been immediately removed from the first team.
The Vršovice club is now awaiting the verdict of the disciplinary committee of the League Football Association, which held an extraordinary meeting on Sunday morning. It is almost certain that the match will be awarded as a 3:0 win to Sparta, which would cut their deficit to leaders Slavia to five points with three rounds left in the championship group. "I apologize, this is the biggest disgrace I have experienced at the club. There are grounds for the match to be forfeited," Tvrdík admitted the likely sporting punishment at the post-match press conference.
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In addition to sporting losses, the reigning champions also face a possible fine of up to ten million crowns and the complete closure of the stadium for several home matches. The entire affair has also seriously damaged the club’s reputation. "Today is a time of failure. But it’s also a time when we must restore hope through our actions, not words," Tvrdík concluded, adding that an independent audit of the security service is already underway at Eden.