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The years pass, the pain increases. Although even body decay can be resisted. “Two years ago I ‘got’ a new knee, the operation was paid for by the Football International Foundation,” Dušan Herda praises the project, which cares for veterans who, despite a great career, could not financially secure themselves in old age in the socialist establishment.
It’s not for the old guard matches, even if he willingly shows up in case of some glory, but he can go to the league matches of ‘his’ Slavia without any problems. “They take care of us, we have VIP tickets,” he appreciates how the management takes care of club legends.
The jubilation of winning the title has not been heard over Eden for three years, but he remembers much worse times. And he was never crowned as a player.
He was already taking instructions
He boasts a gold medal from the fabled 1976 European Championships in Yugoslavia, despite not featuring in a single match or receiving the precious metal. “Back then, only thirteen players who played in the finals received it,” he points out. “The rest of us got them after the fact,” he explains.
However, he belonged to the squad. “I was in the room with Franta Veselý,” he points to his teammate from Slavia, who became the star of the semi-final match against the Netherlands.
Life match – football special Seznam Správ
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Life match
During the European football championship in Germany, we recalled some absolutely exceptional performances of Czech and Czechoslovakian football players, which were written down in the history of not only our football at the European championships. There are a lot of players who experienced a very special day in the national jersey, which you will never forget. In the Life Match special, we recalled the notorious ones, but also the somewhat forgotten ones.
At one point in the final against the Federal Republic of Germany, he had high hopes that he would run out to the famous Marakana in Belgrade. “Coach Václav Ježek called me, he was already giving me instructions. Extra time was starting and it was possible that there would be penalties, and I regularly kicked them in Slavia,” he reveals his contribution.
In the end, colleague Veselý was given priority again, with the belief that he will succeed in what he did against the Netherlands. Herda did not score in the final. Ladislav Jurkemik ran out as the first substitute. Neighbor from the native village.
A famous village
The inconspicuous Slovak village of Jacovec located in the district of Topoĺčany (Nitran region) officially reports 316 inhabitants. However, it is sought after by famous natives from the ranks of athletes.
The decorations are certainly the 1976 European football champions Dušan Herda and Ladislav Jurkemik. “He wasn’t exactly a neighbor, he lived at the other end,” he points a colleague two years younger to the appropriate places. “Our family lived near the field, dad played for the second division Topoľčany,” he reveals, from whom he inherited his genes. As well as his brother Peter, five years younger, who also became a league footballer, a representative and a member of the League Gunners’ Club of the Gól weekly.
Exceptional League – News List mini-special
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An exceptional league.
This year’s Chance League will be about tens of millions more. Thanks to the successful campaign of the Czech teams in the European Cups, the Czech Republic gained the certainty of a seeded team in the basic group of the Champions League in the 2025/26 season. One thing is enough – to win this year’s first football league. Will Sparta Prague defend their title, or will they be dethroned by Prague’s rival Slavia? Will Viktoria Plzeň or Baník Ostrava surprise? There are several interested parties.
It is not surprising that Slovak clubs often set their sights on Jacoveci. “I was attracted by Slovan, there was talk of Trnava, Nitra,” he reveals the range of interested parties. “In the end, the representatives of Slavia came, they offered good conditions, and I went to Prague at the age of seventeen,” describes the move to the capital of the federation. Peter took the same route. “They were also circling around him, but I took him in,” he took care of his younger sibling. “Laco Jurkemika was caught by Inter Bratislava and I think he was satisfied,” he observes the career of another village football great.
The football personalities were later joined by the hockey players. The 2002 world champion and Stanley Cup winner, goal striker Miroslav Šatan, comes from Jacovci. “It’s a sports-advanced village,” agrees Herda.
Secret title
Four years before, after the penalty shoot-out in Belgrade, he and the others attacked Antonín Panenka, who sent the Czechoslovak team to the European sky with his ‘Vršovice dlobák’, he was walking around with the cup intended for the continental champions of Ostrava, Bazaly.
Czechoslovakia became the winner of the first year of the European Under-23 Championship. While the Czech under-21 triumph in 2002 is constantly remembered, this success has fallen somewhat into the background. “Our victory was never talked about much,” complains one of the pillars, Miroslav Gajdůšek. “At the same time, we defeated strong opponents, in the group, Romania, then we knocked out Sweden and Greece. Blochin also played for the Soviet Union in the final and scored two goals for us. We had a strong team and a good crew,” he emphasizes.
It was played with a home-away cup system, in June 1972 the team of coaches Jan Fábera and Jozef Vengloš first brought a 2:2 draw from Moscow, in the return match in Ostrava they won 3:1. And one of the goals was also scored by Herd, who was doing his military service in Dukla Prague at the time. “A run from the left and a shot past the goalkeeper,” he immediately recalls the rare hit.
Together with him, Miroslav Gajdůšek and Milan Albrecht took part in the victory. “All lefties,” Herda proves the exceptionality of players with the devil’s foot.
He is proud of the final shot, he is a two-time European champion. Just like Zdeněk Nehoda, who started in the first match in Moscow, Ján Švehlík and Antonín Panenka presented themselves in the qualification.
Where is the money
Twice he sat on the European throne, he never sat on the domestic – Czechoslovak – throne. At the same time, he was extremely close to grasping the ruler’s scepter. Especially in 1976 with the beloved Slavia, who had a great team at that time. This is evidenced by the fact that there were three of its players in the Belgrade Lions squad – Dušan Herda, František Veselý and Pavol Biroš.
To win the championship title, for which the red and whites had been waiting in vain since 1947 after the communist coup, it was not enough – not to lose in the last round at the home of defending champions Slovan Bratislava. The constellation was favorable for them, but also very devastating.
Belasí, as the players of the Slovakian team were nicknamed, calculated well that they would dislodge their direct competitor with a win over Slavia, but if Baník Ostrava wins in Pilsen at the same time, they will be second. And they had no doubt that it would happen, the mining club went hard for their first ever triumph.
They were therefore willing to heal in a different way – to “trade” the match. And who would be a better mediator than a compatriot from Topoĺčany. “Captain Tono Ondruš asked me where I had the money,” Herda says. “It’s still half-time,” he explains.
But he had nothing to offer. Although the agreement was said to have been concluded, the management did not hand over any amount to him. One version says that it was out of greed, because the officials were convinced that Slavia would handle the match on Teheĺenom poli, another states that it was providence. They evaluated that the “symbol of bourgeois sport” could not be the best, while the miner Baník would fulfill the ideological legacy in the time of normalization.
Events on the field confirm this theory. The match was managed by the hired East German referee Rudi Glöckner and he “fulfilled” the assignment. “He didn’t recognize a perfectly regular goal for me,” often recalled the deceased shooter Robert Segmüller last year. “We didn’t have a chance,” adds midfielder Ivo Lubas.
Slovan, without Slavic motivation, won 2:0 and finished second, Baník rejoiced over the title, Prague took the bronze stage. “It’s a terrible shame,” Herda sighs even years later.
Just in the photo
He had a great season in the Slavist jersey, but did not win the title. In January 1981, he moved to another Vršovice club, Bohemians, where a strong team was formed under coach Tomáš Pospíchal. In the year 1982/1983 it even reached its peak!
In the team photo before the start, Herda is also smiling full of hope. He sits at the bottom right next to striker Jaroslav Němek, in the first row among the chosen ones. In the previous one, he played in 22 matches (scoring three goals), mostly starting in the starting line-up.
He still gets the opportunity in the summer Intercup, although more in the role of a substitute, his place is taken by new reinforcements, Slovakian Peter Zelenský from Spartak Trnava in the reserve, former teammate from Eden Miroslav Příložný joins the attack. Herda is still participating in the victory in the group, his last appearance is on July 27 against the Austrian LASK Linec.
However, he will not get a start in the league – and thus a share of the championship title. “Česká Lípa called, it was a kind of monthly brigade,” he describes the circumstances why he is not one of the golden kangaroos. And after the North Bohemian episode, he moves to second division Xaverov. He didn’t even win the title with Bohemians. “It’s a shame, but you can’t have everything,” he reconciles with fate and two triumphs on the European stage.
Dušan Herda
Born on July 15, 1951, Jacove
FC Topoĺčany (1961-1968), Slavia Praha (1968-1971), Dukla Praha (1971-1973), Slavia Praha (1973-1980), Bohemians Praha (1980-1982), SC Xaverov (1982-1987), SC Retz / Austria (1987-1990), SVU Langau / Austria (1990-1991), SV Göllersdorf / Austria (1991-1992)
National team of Czechoslovakia: 1972 (2/0)
Achievements: 1976 European Championship gold in Yugoslavia, 1972 European under-23 champion
2024-08-04 13:30:00
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