It took a long time but the time has come – Mr.Böhm’s days as the owner of Bohemians Prague are finally over. Mr.Böhm deposited 100% of controlling shares that he owned into Mr.Vejsada’s account. Mr.Vejsada accepted the shares on behalf of his close associate, Mr.Křížek, who is currently abroad. There was a last minute twist though - although the agreement between Mr.Böhm and Mr. Křížek had been apparently already signed, Mr.Böhm went public with the story that he would sell the club to foreign, rumoured to be Swiss, investors. That was highly reminiscent of stories provided by his protégé, Mr.Vit. In the end, to the surprise of no one, Swiss Santa Claus did not materialize and Mr. Böhm had to do the right thing.
It is a bitter-sweet victory for Mr. Vejsada and Mr, Křížek who ran the club for Mr.Böhm remarkably well only to be dismissed and replaced by a convict named Marek Vit. On their return they find the club devastated by years of mismanagement, heavily in debt, with a players’ roster better suited for a high school competition. Good luck to both of them; they will need all the help they can get.
Let us illustrate Mr.Vejsada’s approach to the club’s management. Players have not been paid by Mr Böhm even their base salaries for the month of August, let alone September. The first step of Mr. Vejsada was to survey players to find out how much money they need to cover their living expenses, at least until the next week when he and Mr Křížek catch up with salary payments. Until then players have to make do with a cash advance (based on the survey results) that Mr. Vejsada will provide tomorrow from his own pocket. No wonder, players have more confidence in him than anyone else. He does not sugarcoat the situation but works hard to rectify it.
Mr. Böhm’s motives behind the purchase of Bohemians are unknown. He certainly did not show much interest in the club’s operations. Some think that he had not thought his purchase through, and when he woke up to the realities of the club’s situation he got scared. Some speculate that he was not so much interested in the club itself but rather in the real estate property on which Dolicek stadium is built. Regardless of the motives, he is gone and not a day too soon!
Dolicek ownership is another matter altogether. One of the many previous ownership groups managed to transfer the ownership rights to itself. This group, named Bohemians Real, presented over the years many plans for Dolicek with no actual work done. Dolicek is in a state of disrepair, simply put it is falling apart. There has been a widespread fear that Dolicek will end up to be just another block of apartment buildings. However, a local municipal office stepped in and is said to have acquired 51% of shares of Bohemians Real. Not that a municipal office is above corruption, but this move would seem to indicate that any zoning change would not be easy to come by.
Perhaps it is too early to worry about Dolicek. The first item on the agenda is the very survival of the club. It would be a shame if the club that is supposed to celebrate its centennial the next year were to disappear. However, Dolicek is a cornerstone to the long term well being of Bohemians Prague.
