Gambrinus Liga

Most leagues in Europe have only a few powerhouse clubs who dominate the league. The Czech Republic is no exception with Slavia and Sparta from the capital city Prague dominating the league since its inception in 1993. Since then only Slovan Liberec and Banik Ostrava have broken up this dominance.

And this season with only five games to go the Championship title in the Czech Republic has yet to be decided. The usual suspects Sparta and Slavia are currently 1st and 2nd in the table with only a handful of matches left.

Sparta currently sit atop of the division having played a game more than Slavia. Sparta are the most successful club in Czech footballing history having won the Czech league ten times and the Czechoslovakian title on twenty four occasions. (They have also won the Mitropa Cup three times, only Vasas Budapest of Hungary have won more) They have only ever once been outside the top flight, this occured in 1975, it's a subject they obviously don't like to talk about as their official website talks about the "black year" and the reason for their relegation "due to a number of circumstances".

Both Sparta and Slavia look like they will qualify for the Champions League. Sparta were knocked out in the qualifying round by Arsenal, a club that Sparta share an interesting trait. In 1906 a Sparta director made a trip to England, he liked Arsenal's redcurrant kit so much that he brought some shirts back to Prague. Since that day Sparta have worn the colour and made it their own. (Arsenal later changed to red shirts with white sleeves, although they did bring back the redcurrant kit for their last season at Highbury).

Slavia are currently three points behind their city rivals with a game in hand. Prague's second club play in red and white halves, the red symbolising the heart and the white the fair play of the Olympic ideal. They are currently in the progress of moving ground to the delightfully named "Eden" stadium. Some idiots reported that Slavia would be playing Oxford United in the first game in their new ground - despite reports supporting this - it turns out it that Slavia's first opponents will actually be Oxford University - Slavia's first ever match was against Oxford Uni back in 1899.

Battling it out for third place, the UEFA Cup spot, are Brno, FK Teplice and Banik Ostrava. All three have experience in European competition. Brno made the quarter finals of the UEFA Cup in the 79/80 season, FK Telpice knocked out Kaiserslauten and Feyenoord in the 03/04 compeition while Banik Ostrava's Cup Winners Cup semi final in the late 70s is as far as any Czech club has ever gone in European competition.

FC Brno fans taunt Slovan Liberec...

Currently lying in mid-table place are Mlada Boleslav who, like a lot of teams who played behind the iron curtain, have undergone many name changes in their history. In the 1960s they were known as the Skoda Mlada Boleslav (the town contains a Skoda Museum), but even more bizarrely they were known as "Aston Villa Mlada Boleslav" for almost thirty years. Their official site mentions the name change but frustratingly never actually explains it.

Onto the sides battling for relegation and we come across Bohemians Prague (currently known as Bohemians 1905). They are probably the third most successful side in the capital and have one of the most lovely badges in world football. A kangaroo. A club tour of Australia in 1927 led to the adoption of the kangaroo as club badge and mascot, they were even given two kangaroos - both of which were donated to Prague zoo. For the strangely interested you can even buy kangaroo soft toys in their club shop. It's marvellous, but perhaps far too cute.

To give a British slant on the Czech top flight there is an odd story of Byron Webster. A 21 year old footballer born in Leeds who currently plays for SIAD Most (a club situated 70km north of Prague). With the globalisation of football continuing at pace we perhaps shouldn't be surprised, however I can't help but think that we in the UK have got the better end of the deal, losing the battling qualities of the "ex-York City star defender/midfielder" but gaining the Czech midfielder Tomas Rosicky....