Slavia Prague: the literary cycling club that became a Czech football power
Medical students in Vinohrady founded Slavia on 2 November 1892 as a society for literature and cycling. Football arrived in 1896, along with a goalless draw against Sparta that sparked the fiercest rivalry in Czech football. The club has since gathered 22 league titles and once went 54 top-flight games without defeat.
That first society soon folded, and a successor formed in 1895 put cycling first until footballers joined. On 25 March 1896, captained by Karel Freja, they beat AC Prague 5–0, then met Sparta four days later. From 1905 the Scot Johnny Madden, formerly of Celtic, imported new tactics and presided over a 25-year golden age: 134 wins in 169 domestic matches and 304 in 429 internationals. He retired in 1930 aged 66 but spent the rest of his life in Prague. A Mitropa Cup followed in 1938.
Eight Slavia men were in Czechoslovakia's squad at the 1934 World Cup, and the arrival of striker Josef Bican from Admira Vienna delivered four straight titles from 1940 to 1943. Leaner decades brought relegations in 1961 and 1963 before a return in 1965. In 1996 a 14th championship ended a 49-year wait, the team reached a UEFA Cup semi-final, and four of its players starred as the Czech Republic took silver at Euro 1996.
After losing five Champions League qualifiers, Slavia finally reached the group stage in 2007–08 by beating Ajax 3–1 over two legs. Drawn with Arsenal, Sevilla and Steaua București, it suffered a 7–0 thrashing at the Emirates yet held Arsenal 0–0 at home and finished third. A new 21,000-seat ground at Eden, begun in October 2006, opened on 7 May 2008 with a friendly against Oxford University.
Money troubles hit in 2010, when the club owed 112 million koruna to former owner ENIC and midfielder Petr Trapp walked out complaining of three months without pay. On 5 May 2011 protesting fans invaded the pitch during a cup semi-final with Olomouc, and Sigma was handed a 3–0 win. Chinese owners, first CEFC China Energy from September 2015 and then Sinobo and CITIC, gave way in December 2023 to Czech businessman Pavel Tykač, reportedly for 2 billion crowns. The unbeaten 2020–21 title campaign is part of a haul of nine championships and 11 cups since 1993.
Source: SK Slavia Prague
