HALF A LIFE IN SPARTAN SHIRT V.
— 01/07/1932 —

His transfer to Sparta was kept secret until the last moment, because even then Scheinost, who received this unique reinforcement for the Reds, was afraid of the interference of the competition. Of course, in the pre-war era of Prague's behind-the-scenes life, the competitive struggle was not conducted with such weapons as in later modern times. The transfer of Káďa was hardly noticed in the newspapers either, because sports sections were still Cinderella in the papers and sensational transfers were only dealt with in exceptional cases. For example, Bělka's transfer to Sparta in August 1913, which was certainly at least as big a behind-the-scenes event as Silný's transfer to Sparta, or the unsuccessful flight of Svoboda to the Spartan camp. (Of course, all the sports sections in bold double columns were competing in details.)

And lo and behold, on August 27, 1913, only these few hidden tidbits appeared in the press about the transfer of one of the most famous scorers of Czech football, Bělka.

Bělka again in Sparta. In yesterday's committee meeting of A.C. Sparta, against (?) the wishes of the Sparta committee, Bělka, a former Slavia player, was accepted as a member of the Sparta team.

In the professional world of our football, some planned changes of jersey and insignificant players are often published in newspapers, often as a tool of disgusting bids by prima donnas. The sports columns thus indirectly helped to auction off players and increase the club's revenue. These unhealthy phenomena, however, hopefully, after the recent events of the path of the past! It is never possible to agree with the frequent change of club membership. However, Káďa certainly does not belong to the group of flightless birds, because in the 23 years of his football career he signed only three applications: to Meteor Vinohrady, CAFC and the third of all good things — to Sparta!

We have already mentioned enough about the existential reasons for his two transfers.

For the sake of interest, we are also publishing a gloss printed on the occasion of the transfer of a certain excellent Slavista to Sparta, which is nineteen years old, but still seems relevant even for today's time:


Yesterday we reported briefly that former from Slavia player, Bělka, was accepted back to Sparta. A phenomenon like this is definitely an unhealthy phenomenon, unfortunately not unusual in our country. It is therefore indifferent today who transferred, but it characterizes the conditions in the so-called big clubs, where the players do not show the slightest interest in club membership. There are far more common cases for a player to stay at a club where he might have made a name for himself. In many cases, players change their jersey just like their daily clothes. One day, a player sings at a party: "Slavic chase, my God, it's beautiful..." and tomorrow, "The Spartan chase..."

Some players even set a record for holding two similar parties in one day. There will finally be some club that would put a proposal in the Union the possibility of such abominations?


THE FIRST SPARTA-SLAVIA

Not long after his debut in the Spartan jersey, Káďa had his first tough test in a match with Slavia. Sparta-Slavia matches before the war were, of course, not always the ultimate sensation as they are in the post-war era, but they were always a clash of the forces of two rivals and a struggle for supremacy in Czech football. That's why Káďa's first start in the fight against the red and whites was awaited with great interest. The match was held on the 5th of June 1913 and was watched by about 14.000 spectators. It was a record attendance, which even the official of the match at the time was surprised by saying:


Although it was certain that Sparta today has a team that it hardly ever had before, Slavia, on the other hand, is not what it was in the years of its better sporting past, but these names still managed to attract a record number of spectators to the Slavia field, which can be estimated for 14.000 people. Already two hours before the match, several thousand visitors were on the pitch, and the flow of them was still increasing, so that at the moment when the kick-off signal was given, the Slavia pitch was filled to the last seat.


The audience behaved in an exemplary manner during the match, which is a rare phenomenon in Sparta-Slavia matches. The referee also dedicates about 14 lines of appreciation to the audience, which also received referee Pleskot when he entered the field with heartfelt expressions of sympathy.

Sparta won the match 2:0. For us, the match is also interesting because, for the first time, during Káďa's membership in Sparta, his name appears in the report of the most read sports column. Before that, the Czech public had not even read a single line about the new half-back.

The referee of the match praised the excellent forwards Pilát and Vaník, the authors of the goals. However, for the first time, the praise of the Spartan half-back line appeared in the press, which in later times was praised not only in the thick columns of Czech sports columns, but also praised in the world press.

The first praise of the Spartan half-back line looked like this:


Although we highly value Sparta's offensive power, we still place higher value on its half-backs: Hušek, Fivébr and Káďa are a number of whom, in terms of agility and dedication, there are few to be found. Sparta has its main support in it. The halves feeds the attack excellently and makes the work of the defense easier.

From this line, Hušek stands out again, and we rightly assume that he was the best man in the field ever. The midfield players hold the reins of the game in the big games and they were the ones who decided the victory on the one hand, just as the Slavic side's midfield was responsible for a lot of its defeat.


WHEN THE LORD EMPEROR CALLED THE SPARTANS

The pre-war team of Sparta, in which Káďa played, was usually composed as follows:

Špindler                     Pilát                     Váňa         
Šroubek              Vaník    

  Káďa         Fivébr         Hušek

 Falada         Pospíšil

Zadák

Káďa's successes increased and he soon became an indispensable player, without whom it would be impossible to imagine the Spartan half-back line. However, the Spartan half-back line did not become famous for a long time. The war has come! She caught up with the Spartans on the hot soil of Croatia, in Split. The big "My nations" posters, pasted on all the corners of Split, dealt a blow to the entire sports movement. Even the referee's whistles escaped almost for good in the din of war bugles. The Spartans played their last pre-war lineup on August 28 in Split.

Although the authorities did not want to allow this match, it was still held at Četná intervention. Sparta won over Hajduk Split 5:2.

After the stormy journey to Prague, the lord emperor began to select individual Spartans. The red jerseys gradually turned into a double skirt. Before long, the lord emperor dismantled the red team completely. Hušek, Špindler, Pospíšil, Falada, Zadák, Vaník, etc. fought on different fronts. Váňa and Pilát were on the Serbian front. Poor Váňa stayed there forever! Pilát was badly wounded and operated on. Surprisingly, his great structure withstood the consequences of a serious injury, and after the war Vašek was the best and most memorable leader of the famous Spartan machine. Fivébr was in Škodovce and played for Olympia Plzeň in the war. Sparta thrived in the war, like almost all Czech clubs. The team was supplemented by new players. Players who were in Prague on military leave sometimes played at the inn. Of course, the soldiers often had to play black and avoid the watchful eyes of the military police in the heat of the game. That's why very often the photographer could capture only part of the team, as the players-soldiers hid behind their teammates from the treacherous lens. For example, in one war photo of Sparta before the match with Slavia, we only see Hušek's legs, the rest remained hidden behind the teammate.

Káďa didn't wear a military coat until after his graduation in 1915 at the latest. He was a one-year-old in the 102nd regiment. However, he also played football in the regiment. Then the whole regiment was moved to Bekescsaba, from where Káďa, first with the march number 13, and then with the twenty-third march, again went to frighten the Italians on the Piavu. He was lucky in the army! It started with the fact that the commander of the marshka was the popular Jarda Topol, the right winger of Union Žižkov. Jarda Topol, even though the war turned his beloved black and white color into a gray lieutenant's uniform, remained a good man to the bone.

From the front, Káďa with jaundice got to the hospital in Szegedín, where it was often busier than at the front. Especially when a gypsy band came to the program as a special reinforcement of the military spirit! Military football XIs were formed in Bekescsaba and Szegedín, in which Káďa played a major role. The hit of the season was always the match between the Czech and Hungarian football players. They were often fiercer fights than in some post-war Czechoslovak-Hungarian matches for the European or Central European Cup!