The Czech Cup final between Sparta Prague and Viktoria Plzen witnessed massive scenes of violence as fans invaded the pitch after the final whistle.
Ahead of the encounter, the match was flagged by local police as high-risk and put in place strict security measures.
After Sparta Prague won the Czech Republic title before the final game of the season, the club also won the Czech Cup final with a 2-1 scoreline over rivals to claim the double for the first time in a decade.
Sparta Prague took the lead in the 78th minute of the second half through Viktoria Plzen defender Sampson Dweh’s own goal.
Viktoria Plzen came back into the game through a Tomáš Chorý’s goal in the 85th minute of the game.
Sparta Prague won the game through Veljko Birmancevic’s strike in the 91st minute of the game. After the final whistle was blown, the fans of the two opposition sides made their way to the pitch.
They began fighting each other, with images from the game showing two fans from Viktoria Plzen beating up Sparta Prague fans lying on the ground.
It was revealed that beer cups were thrown at each other through the air. The presenters from various Czech Republic television channels who set their cameras to cover Sparta Prague make history were assaulted by the fans.
The police put on their riot gear and began to curtail the clash before it escalated into something bigger.
Before the conclusion of the game, there was an interruption in the match due to crowd problems.
The first disruption came after the referee decided to disallow Ladislav Krejci’s goal for Sparta Prague.
The Sparta Prague fans threw plastic cups on the pitch after the referee’s decision. Viktoria Plzen fans set up flames, which caused the game to be stopped in the second half before it proceeded.
How Sparta Prague Manager Brian Priske reacted to the horrible incident
After his team won the Czech Cup for the 2023–24 season, the manager reacted to the horrible incident, saying, “I wouldn’t want to comment too much; I think it was obvious what happened.”
“I think the basis is for the players and the implementation teams to feel safe. And that wasn’t the case today after the final whistle; we didn’t feel safe on the pitch.”
“However, I would not like to comment further, because it is more up to you journalists to find out what and why actually happened.”
What Next for Sparta Prague and Viktoria Plzen?
Both teams will meet again for the Czech Republic Championship on May 26, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. The FA of the Czech Republic will have to deploy a huge security presence at the match venue.
