Prague celebrates 2013 Super Cup honour
Friday, June 17, 2011
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The Football Association of the Czech Republic were delighted to have been "at the birth of the new idea" after Prague's Eden Stadium was awarded the 2013 UEFA Super Cup.
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Rudolf Řepka, general secretary of the Football Association of the Czech Republic (ČMFS), spoke of his delight at being "at the birth of the new idea" after Prague's Eden Stadium was awarded the 2013 UEFA Super Cup.
The traditional curtain-raiser to the European season has been held at the Stade Louis II in Monaco every year since becoming a one-off match in 1998. The meeting between UEFA Champions League winners FC Barcelona and UEFA Europa League holders FC Porto on Friday 26 August will be the 14th edition held in the principality.
Yet after a 15th next year, the showpiece will move to new surroundings following a decision taken by the UEFA Executive Committee in Nyon on Thursday – starting with the Eden Stadium in 2013.
"Prague and our fans can enjoy a meeting between two top European sides – the UEFA Super Cup is a very attractive sporting event," said ČMFS president Ivan Hašek. General secretary Řepka added: "I'm glad we were at the birth of the new idea to play the UEFA Super Cup in various destinations. The fact Prague is such a nice city in the middle of Europe surely helped us."
The Eden Stadium has a 20,800 capacity and opened in May 2008 on the site of the old ground of the same name. It is home to Bohemians 1905 and SK Slavia Praha. It was one of Slavia's most famous sons, Vladimír Šmicer, who cut the ribbon to officially launch the €40m venue. A Slavia XI took on English amateur team Oxford University AFC, their first foreign opponents 112 years ago, in the first match at the new ground, winning 5-0.
Three weeks later the Czech Republic beat Lithuania 2-0 in a friendly there and the Eden Stadium has since shared national-team hosting duties with the AC Sparta Praha's Stadion Letná.
