You have stated that the association, as the recipient of hundreds of millions of subsidies from the National Sports Agency, operates in a non-transparent manner and does not proceed efficiently and economically in its management. Can you divorce it?
There are people sitting on the union who are not doing their job well and do not even want to leave. Sport is underfunded in the Czech Republic, in Europe we are on the tail in this regard. We need to start pushing for politicians to set up a sports ministry, that’s where everything comes from. Maybe it bothers me that the union with the IIHF did not help the KHL players to remove them from the contracts. Players with a valid contract face attacks here.
Who exactly do you blame?
We have Petr Bříza here, who is the vice-president of Czech Hockey and the IIHF. I didn’t see the activity and I know that the agents fought to do something about the CSLH and the IIHF. Nothing happened at all. That’s terrible. But when I return to the union.
Just look at the attendance of the President (Tomáš Král), Vice Presidents (Petr Bříza, Aleš Pavlík, Libor Zábranský) and members at meetings of the Executive Committee. Those people go there like a newsagent. ČSLH is an octopus, I would say the hockey mafia.
Those are pretty strong words.
Before the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, I gave information that the president of ČSLH would borrow nine million crowns from the subsidiary of the PRO-HOCKEY.cz association for his own investment at a 3% interest rate. The entire executive committee and no one else have commented on this. As if nothing had happened, no consequences had been drawn. That’s something beyond the edge. The things that happen at the union seem normal to the people there. But that’s not normal! ČSLH spent 50 million crowns from public money on a commercial aircraft, which was called WSM. 50 million crowns that could be used to develop hockey, youth, coaching support. For such a huge amount of money, Czech hockey would definitely move on.
Two months ago, the association’s spokesman Zdeněk Zikmund stated in the daily Sport that WSM was not a contractual partner of ČSLH, cooperation with Pro-Hockey.cz went smoothly until WSM’s assets were seized and the clubs of the second highest competition received bonuses resulting from the titular partnership. There is currently a lawsuit against WSM and we will not comment until it is completed. “
But the money is just gone. And who is responsible for that? No one! It is an uncollectible receivable in the item. And there are many more things on the union.
Petr Dědek, owner of the HC Dynamo Pardubice club.Photo: HC Dynamo Pardubice
Feel free to name another.
For example, opaque shopping, legal services. When the audit comes, some will wonder. These gentlemen do not understand at all that they will be elected to the Executive Committee and they think that nothing is happening. But because of their function, you have to act like a good manager when you manage someone else’s property. Those gentlemen are on the verge of criminal liability. I must say that we are considering filing a criminal complaint against some members of the executive committee. What is happening there is beyond the reach of human understanding. This is not how it will work in the future (with regard to Czech hockey).
Who exactly are you considering filing a criminal complaint against?
To the President and the Vice Presidents. Our lawyers are already analyzing it. (At the union) the acts became inconsistent with the laws of the Czech Republic. It seems that we will really give impetus to law enforcement.
Yes. The purchases and services that the union makes without tenders and at unreasonably high prices? Legal and tax audits will show this. I think that the police should act, because tens of millions of crowns are lost from Czech hockey.
Do you believe that the June elections of the new president of the union will bring change?
Under the weight of media pressure, Mr. King finally backed down and said that he was resigning. At first he didn’t even want to, on the contrary he wanted to control his election period. We all know that the World Championships in Prague and Ostrava are approaching (2024) and they want to be there. Their motivation is debauched. Jim is not about Czech hockey, but about taking money or other benefits. Now they decided they wanted to choose a puppet.
Who can run? A person who is interested in the position of president cannot bring with him colleagues who would support him and help promote his vision. Because most of the (current) gentlemen who are associated with current corruption and sports and economic failure will remain on the executive committee.
So what solution do you see?
Everyone should do their best to call on all members of the CSLH Executive Committee to resign, as they are co-responsible for the sports failure. But also for stealing and spending money that belongs to hockey on the association. Not to benefit individuals. Mr. Král made it out of it, I would easily call it the privatization of ČSLH. There are four terms. Legal services are provided by related companies. He doesn’t check him anywhere, he just says, “We have an audit.”
He hides behind an economic audit. When there’s a proper audit to check how the money is flowing. How Mr. Urban (Martin Urban, general secretary of the union) buys tickets for the union from his private company a year in advance and then sells them to the union … And there are such things!
Do you really believe that the people on the union’s executive committee will resign?
I discussed it with them because I am not afraid of confrontation. But they told me that there was no one else and that they did the best anyway. That a Finnish coach (Kari Jalonen) will be married and there will be a change. Yeah Al that sounds pretty crap to me, Looks like BT aint for me either. But it will certainly not be a long-term success. This is not a systemic change. I believe that a candidate (for the president of the association) who is serious about Czech hockey will apply. So I don’t know about him yet. So far, all possible candidates – Pavlík, Bříza and Hnilička – are connected with the current era. I believe that by 8.6. someone who really means it will sign up.
Do you see anyone like that?
It should be a manager who has a performance, an economic education and knows the languages. He should have sports advice under him. It is necessary to change the structure of the union. The current president decides not only on economic but also on sports matters. He had the Glory of Lener on the union for many years, and when he was the only one to say, “Tom, you were in the StB, you should leave,” he fired him from day to day. who don’t oppose him, just vote for him, and that’s wrong.
Do you have an ideal candidate?
The only possible candidates outside the current system is Alois Hadamczik. Dynamo Pardubice will support him when there will be no other candidate than those connected with the union. I believe other people will sign up to have a lot to choose from.
And if there was no fundamental change in the union in June?
We would continue to work for change to come. It may not work now, but I believe it will be in the near future. The current members of the Executive Committee must realize that they are co-responsible for the mess and should resign. I’m not saying they’ll do it under the burden of investigation. But when they find out that the obligation follows from the law, they may realize it themselves and leave.
