The Czech Football Federation (FACR) announced on Monday the suspension for three months of former coach Petr Rada for having uttered racist insults against an opposing coach. Petr Rada, 65, is the current coach of the D2 team Dukla Prague after having been at the head of the Czech selection in 2008-2009.
He insulted his Zbrojovka Brno counterpart, Tomas Polach, after the match between the two teams which ended in a draw (3-3) on March 2, associating him with the Traveler community, a minority victim of discrimination in Europe.
The FACR initially imposed an eight-month suspension on Rada and a fine of 80,000 crowns (3,160 euros), double the average monthly salary in the country. The appeal committee, contacted by the coach, reduced the suspension to three months on Monday but retained the fine. Petr Rada, who will miss the end of the season, said he was disappointed with the decision, believing that his comments were “not racism”, according to the CTK agency.
Czech football has already experienced controversies over racism. In 2020, defender Ondrej Kudela missed the Euro after receiving a ten-month suspension from UEFA for insulting Finnish midfielder Glen Kamara, then at Glasgow Rangers, during a Europa League match.