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The Czech national team’s preparations for the World Cup playoffs have been overshadowed by disciplinary fallout, after the country’s football association moved to punish players for failing to acknowledge their supporters following Monday’s 6-0 win over Gibraltar in Olomouc.
Despite securing second place in Group L and comfortably wrapping up their qualifying campaign, the post-match scenes drew widespread criticism at home. Instead of approaching the travelling fans, many of whom had voiced anger at the team’s recent form, the squad headed directly for the tunnel, prompting swift action from the Czech Republic soccer association.
On Tuesday, officials confirmed that Tomáš Souček would be removed as captain for the team’s next outing and that players would be stripped of their match bonuses, with the money redirected to charitable causes. The governing body also issued a public apology.
"The fans have a full right to express their disagreement with the unsatisfactory performance in the recent games," the association said. "The reaction of the players should have been quite the contrary. They should have thanked the active fans."
Supporters had spent much of the night chanting “Fight for Czechia,” a continuation of frustrations that had been building throughout an inconsistent qualifying run marked by a damaging loss to the Faroe Islands and the subsequent dismissal of coach Ivan Hasek. His assistant, Jaroslav Köstl, oversaw the closing matches, including the comfortable victories against San Marino and Gibraltar.
In a further statement, the association said: "The behaviour of the players overshadowed both the display on the pitch and the significant achievement of reaching the playoffs for the 2026 World Cup.”
It added: "No player stands above the country they represent, nor above the fan who spends their money, time, and energy supporting the national team. Supporters are fully entitled to voice their dissatisfaction with recent poor performances."
The federation stressed the players should have shown appreciation despite the criticism: "They ought to have acknowledged the active fans, not only for their backing last night but for their long and tireless support throughout the entire qualifying campaign, despite a run of unconvincing results."
The FA concluded that Souček will not wear the armband in the next fixture and that the forfeited bonuses from the Gibraltar match will be donated: "Tomas Soucek will not captain the team in the next match, and the players will not receive bonuses from yesterday’s qualifier. The money will instead be donated to those in need."
Czechia, who last appeared at a World Cup in 2006, will enter Thursday’s draw for the 16-team March playoffs as a seeded nation, with four European places still up for grabs.
Featured Image Credit: Pixabay / jorono, Pixabay / Lukáš Jančička
