HALF A LIFE IN SPARTAN SHIRT III.
— 17/06/1932 —

The severance pay reached a staggering amount — 56 crowns! At that time, however, mysterious hands did not yet work for the auctioning of prima donnas, which today are suspected in the sports public of including commissions of tens of thousands of dollars, often paid for inferior or even incompetent players!

For 56 crowns of the old Austrian currency, a player was acquired whose merits for the laurels of Sparta and our national teams would be denied only by a complete football ignoramus, or an expert at headquarters, who, of course, only recognizes his indispensability and invaluable importance for Czech football sport!

Káďa has been playing in Sparta since 1913 until today — full 19 years! This respectable number of club membership and loyalty already proves that a large part of the club history of our most popular Czech club is closely connected with the name of Káďa.

Káďa remained a Spartan, although of course he was lured to foreign clubs. He received numerous offers from Italy, Spain, America, even from the cradle of football. Káďa received an offer to move to England from the directors of the well-known club Bolton Wanderers after their game with Sparta in Prague.

It is interesting that Sparta's biggest rival — Slavia —, tried to drag Káďa only once. However, to the great joy of the red camp, the only negotiation for a transfer to Slavia ended in failure!

Káďa is 36 years old today. He was discarded by some experts a few years ago.

And behold! Pensioner Káďa was still one of the best internationals last year! That year, his start was pushed through at the radical intervention of the entire Czechoslovak sports public, interpreted by the serioso part of our sports journalism. Even in the club competition, Káďa rendered very valid services to his club last year.

Even today, the voice of the people — the voice of God says: Káďa, he can only play one half and will put all the current international centre-halves in his pocket. Indeed, with today's weak condition of centre-halves, there is a lot of truth hidden in the voice of the people!

THE TRADITION OF SPARTA'S FAMOUS HALF-BACK LINE

Káďa in the red jersey followed the path of his famous predecessors, as Sparta almost always had some outstanding personality in its half-back line. Let's just briefly mention the unforgettable Rezko, Jarda Mysík, Hušek and Fivebra. With the latter, Káďa began his Spartan era. His debut in a red shirt at Letná was during the cup match with A.F.K. Kolín. Before that, however, they saw in Kralupy the novospartan Káďa in a match with the local A.F.K. During his early career in Sparta, Káďa met the no less popular athlete Karel Koželuh, who, however, reaped his main triumphs later on the courts as a world champion. Brothers František, Josef and Antonín also played with Karel Koželuh in Sparta at that time. The attack at that time was composed almost entirely of Koželuhs and looked like this: Karel Koželuh, Feller, František Koželuh, Josef Koželuh and Antonín Koželuh. Later national champion Jenda Koželuh started his sports activities as a member of the Spartan youth team.

Káďa played left half-back in Sparta until 1921, then after Fivébr left for Italy, he moved to the position that gained him the most fame and popularity — centre-half.

This is probably where the history of the most striking phenomenon of our post-war football will end, even though Káďa originally wanted to serve in Sparta — as a full-back. Káďa also played successfully as full-back during this year's tour of the Reds to Holland, when he represented the injured Burgr.

Káďa left the centre-half position only a few times. In 1928 involuntarily. Then he was injured during the Sparta-Slavia match and finished the match on the left wing. In 1925, he was even scouted for some time as Pilát's successor and played centre-forward. But not for long! In the match against Meteor VIII., an ankle injury eliminated him from the ranks of the aspirants to lead the Spartan attack. However, a similar fate befell another member of the continent's best half-back line — Kolenatý.

The transformations of Sparta's reserve line are very interesting and they alternated after the arrival of Káďa as follows:

           Hajný           Káďa              Kolenatý
       Červený          Káďa              Kolenatý
          Perner          Káďa              Kolenatý
         Kučera          Káďa              Kolenatý
           Káďa            Fivébr            Kolenatý
       Káďa            Fivébr            Kučera
   Káďa            Fivébr            Ruth
      Káďa            Fivébr            Hušek

And the last lineup on May 15, 1932 in a match with Židenice in Brno: Koštálek—Káďa—Srbek.

KÁĎA'S MOTHER ON HER DEATHBED

The change in Káďa's dress was also a change in the Pešek family's circumstances. The financial situation immediately changed for the better once the scepter of the Spartan cabinet was entrusted to Káďa's mother. Mrs. Pešek actually only listened to her son's football glory or read about it. She rarely saw her little Karel on the pitch, and then only in passing, and never, perhaps, being occupied with organizing the proper functioning of the stomachs of the Spartan barriers, was she able to see the much vaunted blonde-haired ornament of the red team for a full ninety minutes on the pitch!

However, Mrs. Pešek also once played a big role in Sparta's club life. Although this role is very comical today, at the time when it was played, it brought Ms. Pešek to mortal anxieties, and even to her deathbed!

It was at war! Káďa served then as a one-year volunteer. First in Benešov, then he experienced the hardships of war for seven months on the Italian front. In 1917 he was in Szeged. One day he received a telegram that his mother was seriously ill. Káďa, although he loved his mother very much, was not at all frightened, on the contrary, he happily snapped his fingers and asked for a vacation. He got her. He boarded the train and arrived in Prague in an excellent mood. He had no fear at all about his sick mother, because he had already been informed before the telegram was delivered that his mother was only faking her illness so that her little Karel could strengthen the ranks of Sparta in Sunday's tough match with D.F.C. It was simply one of those various stratagems and pranks of war by which the lord emperor was cheated by the families of those who were honored to be allowed to fight for his honor and glory.

Káďa's mother, like hundreds of thousands of other mothers, would prefer to make a mess of the entire war, just to have her son with her. However, it was agreed that she would only spend a week on her deathbed.

That's how Káďa got to Prague, only to reappear after a long time at Letná in a battle with the dreaded team of Prague Germans. However, Káďa did not play the match against DFC. His mother's sacrifice for the victory of the club's colors was actually in vain in this DFC match — Sparta did not take place because, just as Káďa was coming to Prague, the Spartans announced their withdrawal from the Austrian Verband. Káďa, of course, already stayed in Prague and played for Sparta in its battle with its namesake from Kladno. (The match with Sparta Kladno was hastily arranged instead of the failed match with DFC)

Káďa's mom played her part in a great way. Her role as a rogue was checked daily by the military office, but everything turned out well. Especially for her as a mother. She actually cared very little whether the Reds played with DFC or Sparta Kladno, especially since her little Karel, thanks to the planned sensational match against the Germans from Prague and her severe illness, he got to Prague for a week!

CAN SPARTA EXIST WITHOUT SLAVIA?

However, the growing football industry was swallowed up by the war. Most Sparta players had to exchange their beloved shirt for a military coat. Naturally, Káďa, as a private, could only play football in exceptional cases. We will therefore fill the gap of his absence at Letná with some general chapters about Sparta and the history of our football. We will start with two names: Slavia and Sparta. Hardly in the history of Czechoslovak sports have two names gained more popularity and popularity than Sparta and Slavia, around which the main interest of the sports public actually revolves.

If we sometimes observe the extreme behavior of the supporters of both camps, at first glance it seems to us that it is an annihilating struggle for life and death. Destroying Sparta seems to be the life goal of overly temperamental Slavists, just like the motto: Destroying Slavia, is in turn apparently the most important task of the enormous supporters of Sparta. And in the meantime, if perhaps one side really succeeded in carrying out the dream job, they would find that among the ruins of the hated club, the existence of his beloved club lies in the rubble. Sparta and Slavia are two conjoined twins who were born by mother Letná and whose lives are connected by a single artery. Slavia cannot live without Sparta and vice versa. Can you imagine our football life without the typical rivalry between the two most popular Czech clubs.


See also: Káďa on the football field
See also: Káďa: Half a Life in Spartan Shirt