Prague Derby: Sparta vs. Slavia — Hundreds of Police Officers to Boost Security After May Incident

On Sunday, the Letná stadium will host the Prague football derby between Sparta and Slavia, with security provided by several hundred police officers — ranging from patrol and criminal units to canine handlers and mounted police. The heightened measures come nearly four months after the May match at Eden, which was abandoned after a group of home fans stormed the pitch and clashed with players and away supporters. That match was awarded as a 3–0 technical loss for Slavia.

"This is a huge responsibility, and we understand that. I won't hide the fact that there's a certain tension in the air," said Ondřej Kasík, Sparta's director of external relations, on the Livesport Daily podcast. According to him, the club has spent several weeks preparing for the match together with police and other services, trying not to overlook a single detail.

Who Keeps Order at the Stadium

Security inside the arena is the responsibility of the match organizer — Sparta — including entrance checks, stand monitoring, and incident response. Police step in only when a situation escalates beyond the organizers' control.

"Our shared goal is not to make it harder for fans to attend the match, but to create conditions where they can safely enjoy the derby. But the moment someone crosses the line — threatening others, damaging property, or disturbing public order — we will respond," explained Petr Matějček, director of the Prague Regional Police.

According to Kasík, this match doesn't stand out from other derbies or European cup fixtures in terms of security requirements: "We try to think through every possible issue and scenario. For most fans, it's 90 minutes of football on the pitch — but for some of the club's departments, it's first and foremost a whole security operation, within which the football happens to take place."

Hundreds of Officers and a Fan March

A derby isn't just about the stands, chants, and choreographed displays — it's also about what happens on the streets before and after the match. Slavia fans traditionally march from the National Theatre.

According to Jan Daněk, spokesperson for the Prague Regional Police Directorate, several hundred officers will be monitoring order in the city and along the march route: patrol, criminal, traffic, and immigration police, an anti-conflict team, special public order units, the regional public order unit, as well as canine handlers and mounted police. They will be assisted by Prague's municipal police as well.

Preparations between Sparta, Slavia, the Football Association League, the event organizers, and the police have been underway for several weeks. "The main goal is to prevent possible problems rather than deal with them after the fact," Daněk noted, adding that cooperation between the security departments of both clubs is at a high level.

CZK 700,000 for Security

This week, Sparta announced it would spend 700,000 crowns on match security — covering organizers, stewards, medical services, and firefighters. Still, according to Kasík, the May incident hasn't prompted the club to overhaul its approach dramatically: "We're not preparing in some drastically different way. The context has changed, but we already have well-established standards — in some areas, we're simply going deeper into the details."

Police have urged fans to follow the instructions of organizers and law enforcement and to refrain from any actions that could endanger other spectators or disturb public order.

Source: sport.cz