Zlaté Moravce-based football club will play Czech club Slavia Praha in a friendly match because the latter scrapped a match against Slovan Bratislava. (source: TASR)
A top Czech football club has pulled out of a friendly match against current Slovak league champions Slovan Bratislava after the latter played a game against a Russian club.
Slavia Praha were due to face Slovan, but backed out when they decides to play Dinamo Moscow in a game arranged as part of a training camp in Qatar this month. Slovan lost the game 2-1.
The move drew criticism, including in Ukraine where Ukrainian football teams called on Slovan to not go ahead with the match. Taking to social media, FC Karpaty Lviv posted a photo of a stadium hit by Russian rockets.
But speaking to the Denník N daily, club owner and business tycoon Ivan Kmotrík defended the decision. He said: "Who should we have played when Dinamo was there as well? We wanted an equal rival, we could have played against Zlaté Moravce at home."
Zlaté Moravce are bottom of the Niké Liga, the top division in the country's league.
However, when Slavia Praha announced they would not play the match, it was FC ViOn Zlaté Moravce that stepped up and offered to play them instead. The match between the two is set to be played in early February in Prague with the Czech club saying it will refund the travel costs of Zlaté Moravce fans. Revenue from ticket sales will go to supporting Ukraine.
