Czech-Slovak merger talks heat up

Europe's governing soccer body, UEFA (Union of European Football Associations), has been developing a project of merging the Czech and Slovak top-flight leagues into a joint competition.

"UEFA President Michel Platini wants to take this opportunity to demonstrate that sports work differently from politics. While Czechoslovakia split, the soccer league could be looking for a possible reunion," said the Czech Soccer Association's General Secretary Rudolf Řepka.

UEFA has been putting together a study that considers forming a joint Czech-Slovak soccer league. They should present it to representatives of Czech and Slovak soccer associations in October.

"They have been developing a free study that will suggest several possible options," Řepka said.

In fact, the Czechs and Slovaks initiated the project of revitalizing the Czechoslovak soccer league at the end of last year. In late February, the two sides made the talks public.

"It's a matter of a few years before the project materializes," the Czech Soccer Association (ČMFS) Vice Chairman Miroslav Kříž said at the time.

Officials say the joint league could launch for the 2012-13 season.

However, the initially negative response from UEFA was seen as the main obstacle for the project. UEFA changed its opinion during the spring and asked both national soccer associations to submit various data about the two national leagues in order to develop an independent study.

"They asked for a lot of data regarding the league and said they would develop a free study," Řepka said.

The ČMFS turned over the requested data at the end of June.

"They were also interested in average turnouts at stadiums in the first and also second divisions over the past three years," Řepka said.

While UEFA apparently supports the concept of a joint league, the opinions of local soccer clubs remains unclear.

Preliminary counts suggest the joint league would have 18 teams: 12 Czech and six Slovak. Each season, the last two teams in the standings would be demoted to national leagues and the top two teams from the national leagues would be promoted to the joint league. However, the current Czech top-flight Gambrinus liga features 16 teams. As a result, should the joint league materialize, four Czech teams would be demoted to a lower division. UEFA could also reduce the number of spots for Czech and Slovak teams in the European Cups. Currently, the Czech Republic and Slovakia can field four teams each in the annual cup competitions. Should the two national leagues merge, UEFA could reduce the eight spots to four.

Řepka said particular results of the study to be submitted by UEFA next fall will be decisive. He said financial issues would likely be the deciding factor.

"Should the joint league bring about an increase of some 10 million Kč ($509,944) in annual income for each club, the clubs would perhaps not veto the project. But we can also conclude that the joint league will not bring in any additional money, and conversely, it could decrease the amount of spots in the European Cups," Řepka said.

Řepka said local clubs will have the final say.

"As soon as the UEFA study has been submitted, clubs will be given the chance to vote whether they want to go that way or not," Řepka said.

František Bouc can be reached at
fbouc@praguepost.com