Father of a 22-year-old man, paid $22000 (500k Koruna) in order to get his son to play for Czech Football League (ČFL) team, FK Usti nad Labem. Interestingly, the man’s son Martin Podhajský has never played football before.
According to a report by BBC Sport, Martin’s father paid the hefty amount to see his son play for 10 minutes for the team. The report said Martin could replace the team’s captain and striker when he finally makes his appearance for the team.
As per a report by essentiallysports.com, the President of Ústí nad Labem’s soccer club, Přemysl Kubáň, was part of the agreement to allow Martin to play in lieu of the amount paid by his father. Přemysl justified his decision and said that he would allow anyone to play for such a big amount.
“He didn’t play soccer. What do I know, only FIFA on the computer. On the other hand, I didn’t see half a million rolling on the ground. If someone gives it to me, I’ll let anyone join,” said Přemysl.
The football club’s management has registered Martin with the Czech Football Association, before his upcoming debut.
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Meanwhile, the decision has not gone down well among football fans. Sports in the country have been plagued by such instances of corruption. Notably, former ice hockey coach Vladimir Růžička was accused of accepting money to allow his son to play in a hockey team.
“FIFA player Martin Podhajsky joins Czech third-tier club FK Usti nad Labem with no real football experience. His father paid €20,000 to secure the deal. A unique football story!,” wrote one user on “X”(formerly Twitter).
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