Bohemians draw 2-2 in Brno, then coach slams fixture schedule

Prague’s Bohemians drew 2-2 with Zbrojovka in Brno, but after the match the talking point was not the score but the calendar. Visiting coach Jaroslav Veselý sharply criticized the League Football Association’s decision on a new date for the postponed game with Artis.

The match: a quick goal and a reply

The hosts took the lead in the second minute: in the penalty area the “Kangaroos” failed to mark Dante, who opened the scoring with an accurate low shot by the post. The visitors did not panic, kept the ball and pushed for an equalizer. The halftime substitution helped, above all the arrival of Václav Pilař.

After Vachoušek fouled Pilař, in the 48th minute captain Aleš Čermák scored from the free kick with a precise strike by the post. For the 32-year-old midfielder it is his fifth goal of the season and his second scoring game in a row. About half an hour later Lukáš Penxa put Zbrojovka back in front with a long-range shot, but in the 82nd minute Roman Květ pushed Pilař’s pass into the net to level the score.

Veselý praised his team: “It’s good that the game ended 2-2 and not 0-0. We take the point with humility, because coach Svědík is doing a very good job at Zbrojovka.” He and Svědík are friends who studied for the pro license together and shared a room. The substitutes, Veselý said, gave the team support: the depth of the squad has improved markedly.

The dispute over the new date

Bohemians were supposed to play Artis in Brno a week ago, but the match was moved to Wednesday, Nov. 4, because of a viral infection in the squad of the league’s newcomer. The new date was set by the League Football Association at Artis’s proposal, and the Prague club was angered by it.

The club’s statement says it proposed six other dates to avoid an extremely packed schedule. Because of the postponement, the team now faces five matches in fifteen days, four of them away. In addition, this is the third time this season that a Bohemians game has been postponed because of an opponent.

“What bothers us most is that nobody talks to us and a single date is announced by decree. There was no discussion,” Veselý said. “We offered Monday, Sunday and Wednesday, and dates in the international break, but we were not accommodated. It shows zero respect for our club! The height of arrogance of power, and for me the subject is closed. Now we want to show that we can handle this schedule.”

The Prague side’s next match is on Wednesday: the round of 16 of the MOL Cup in Mladá Boleslav.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz