Prague - Hundreds of Sparta fans last night rallied outside the office of the club's president, Daniel Křetínský, demanding his resignation and scorning the team's recent poor performance, after Sparta lost 4-1 to its top rival, Slavia Praha, on Sparta's home ground at Letná.
"I would like to apologize to all Sparta fans and congratulate to Slavia - their victory was deserved. This is the biggest humiliation I have ever experienced in a derby," said Sparta's coach Vítězslav Lavička at a follow-up press conference.
The conference had to take place in a small press room which can be entered from inside the stadium, as the main press centre was besieged by angered Sparta fans.
Kamil Vacek, Sparta's only scorer last night and at first the only Sparta player available for interviews, refrained from an open criticism of his team: "Speaking for myself, I can say that I have done my best in this match. I won't comment on the others' performance - that is a question for someone else."
Sparta last night suffered the second consecutive Gambrinus liga defeat and is now five points behind Slavia, the country's ruling champions. Sparta was also recently knocked out of the UEFA Cup, and the atmosphere in the club is rather bleak.
As the transfer season for players ended last Tuesday, it seems one of the few options left for Sparta's management is to sack the coach - a practice not uncommon in the club under Křetínský's presidency.
