Foreign players, coaches, and the politics of belonging: strengthening citizenship in Czech football

Kód výsledku v IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216208%3A11510%2F25%3A10514162" target="_blank" >RIV/00216208:11510/25:10514162 - isvavai.cz</a>

Výsledek na webu

<a href="https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=WG9qmtdBs_" target="_blank" >https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=WG9qmtdBs_</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.14712/23366052.2026.6" target="_blank" >10.14712/23366052.2026.6</a>

Jazyk výsledku

angličtina

Název v původním jazyce

Foreign players, coaches, and the politics of belonging: strengthening citizenship in Czech football

Popis výsledku v původním jazyce

In a globalized world, the use of foreign players by elite sport clubs has become normalized, yet fan perceptions of this practice are not always positive. The top Czech football league has consistently included 100 to 120 foreigners per season, representing 22-27% of players, for more than 15 years. This article pursues two related aims. First, it examines Czech fans&apos; views on the use of foreign players, drawing on survey data from 2018 and 2023. Second, it analyzes the case of AC Sparta Prague, where internationalization strategies under two foreign coaches, Andrea Stramaccioni in 2017 and Brian Priske in 2023, produced contrasting fan responses. While Stramaccioni&apos;s tenure was deemed a failure, Priske&apos;s multicultural squad secured the league championship and shifted perceptions toward greater acceptance. Complemented by interviews with club executives, marketing directors, and sport managers, the analysis highlights how foreign players and coaches can be integrated in ways that strengthen not only club performance but also broader forms of citizenship, understood as practices of belonging, respect, and inclusion within Czech football and society.

Název v anglickém jazyce

Foreign players, coaches, and the politics of belonging: strengthening citizenship in Czech football

Popis výsledku anglicky

In a globalized world, the use of foreign players by elite sport clubs has become normalized, yet fan perceptions of this practice are not always positive. The top Czech football league has consistently included 100 to 120 foreigners per season, representing 22-27% of players, for more than 15 years. This article pursues two related aims. First, it examines Czech fans&apos; views on the use of foreign players, drawing on survey data from 2018 and 2023. Second, it analyzes the case of AC Sparta Prague, where internationalization strategies under two foreign coaches, Andrea Stramaccioni in 2017 and Brian Priske in 2023, produced contrasting fan responses. While Stramaccioni&apos;s tenure was deemed a failure, Priske&apos;s multicultural squad secured the league championship and shifted perceptions toward greater acceptance. Complemented by interviews with club executives, marketing directors, and sport managers, the analysis highlights how foreign players and coaches can be integrated in ways that strengthen not only club performance but also broader forms of citizenship, understood as practices of belonging, respect, and inclusion within Czech football and society.

Druh

J_ost - Ostatní články v recenzovaných periodicích

CEP obor

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OECD FORD obor

30306 - Sport and fitness sciences

Projekt

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Návaznosti

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Rok uplatnění

2025

Kód důvěrnosti údajů

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Název periodika

Acta Universitatis Carolinae. Kinanthropologica

ISSN

1212-1428

e-ISSN

2336-6052

Svazek periodika

61

Číslo periodika v rámci svazku

2

Stát vydavatele periodika

CZ - Česká republika

Počet stran výsledku

14

Strana od-do

127-140

Kód UT WoS článku

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EID výsledku v databázi Scopus

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