16 Czechoslovakians #20 Slovan Bratislava

 The final instalment of my long weekend in Vienna and Bratislava sees the trip culminate in a visit to one of Slovakia’s biggest sides in Slovan Bratislava. Having witnessed a decent 2-2 draw between 2^nd tier Petržalka and Tatran Prešov earlier in the day, Slovan’s home game against MŠK Žilina had a lot to live up to.

 

I’d purchased my tickets during a brief wander of the city at the reasonable price of around 8 Euros, though during that particular wander, I’d discovered that Bratislava perhaps wasn’t as enjoyable as it had been during my first visit last year. Perhaps it’s about where you are in the city, or the fact it was a Sunday, but there didn’t seem to be a lot to do or see where I’d been.

 

Granted it can’t have helped that it was a solo trip, or that I had little money to spare at this point, but I’d expected slightly more from my trip to the Slovak capital this time. There’s no denying the city’s modern veneer, but beneath that it seems to only be shopping centres and roads that take an age to cross.

 

That said, I took a walk past the fascinating Štadión Pasienky, which was right near Tehelné Pole – home of Slovan Bratislava. Pasienky, with its remarkable floodlight towers, hosts Slovan’s 2^nd team, who play in the 2^nd tier. On walking past, it resembles more of an abandoned baseball field than a football stadium.

As well as hosting Slovan’s 2^nd side currently, it also played host to Artmedia Petržalka briefly in between stints in which Inter Bratislava and Slovan Bratislava played there. This is before we even mention the likes of Metallica and Depeche Mode having played Pasienky.

 

The new Tehelné Pole hosts Slovan now, and feels a little identikit as far as stadiums in this part of the world go. It brought to mind somewhere like the Madejski with slightly more atmosphere – in fairness, the ultras made a lot of noise unbefitting of the team’s drab performance – they lost 1-0 to a solid MŠK Žilina, whose ten or so fans had a lot to celebrate on the short trip back home thanks to Dominik Javorček’s first half strike.

The Europa Conference League tie against Basel (which they ended up losing on penalties) could well have been on the mind, but this was Slovan’s chance to take some control in the title race. Around a month on, they trail DAC Dunajska Streda (Danube Wednesdays) by three points, albeit with a marginally better goal difference. It’s still very much anyone’s title.

 

Who are ya?

If I mention Slovak football, it’s likely the first name you’ll think of is Slovan Bratislava, and it’s no surprise given their location in the capital, as well as their esteemed history. Founded 103 years ago as I. ČSŠK Bratislava, they changed their name to what it is today in 1953, and have been the most successful team in the nation.

 

They also hold the prestigious honour of the only Czechoslovak side to win a European trophy, when they beat Barca 3-2 in Basel back in the 1969 Cup Winners’ Cup. Incidentally, I highly recommend Steven Scragg’s brilliant A Tournament Frozen in Time book for more on the brilliant obscurity of the Cup Winners’ Cup.

 

As well as this, the club also supplied seven players to the victorious Czechoslovakia side of the 1976 Euros. Put simply, Belasí (the Sky Blues) are one of the best known sides in Slovak football for good reason, and they have the trophies and medals to back it up.

 

They were champions of Slovakia already by 1922, though the late thirties brought great disruption when Jewish coach József Braun was tragically forced to leave Bratislava – he later died in a 1943 forced labour camp at just 41 in Ukraine. A senseless loss in history’s darkest hour.

 

With Czechoslovakia dissolving as a result of the Munich agreement, the Slovak republic emerged, with the club moving into the first iteration of Tehelné pole – the second of which would open in 2019. Though there was plenty else happening in the world at the time, Slovan won four titles from 1939 to 1945.

 

After Czechoslovakia reformed following the war, the club became the first champions of the newly reformed league in 1949. They would go on to win 8 Czechoslovak titles, finishing 2^nd on 10 occasions too. These would fit nicely alongside their 8 Slovak titles won prior to and during the Second World War. As well as this, the club won 5 Czechoslovak Cups until the countries of Czech Republic and Slovakia were separate  entities again in 1993.

 

It wasn’t all smooth sailing, with the club relegated for the first time in 1984-85, spending three seasons in the Slovakian National League. When the Slovak League became a separate entity again, Slovan won three consecutive titles right off the bat. Despite Košice winning the following two, Slovan would take the title again in 1999.

 

They were relegated again in 2004 following financial trouble, though they would return two years later. Since 2008, the club have won another 8 Slovak titles. In terms of Slovak cups, Slovan have won an incredible 17 since 1969.

 

As far as recent European history goes, the club has started to feature in group stages more frequently due to the emergence of the Europa Conference League. Infuriatingly for Slovan, they crashed out to Basel, who they’d played four times in the tournament without losing. That was Slovan’s first venture beyond the group stage in the 21^st century, but it would be fair to assume it won’t be their last.

 

Vladimir Weiss’ men got themselves back into title contention with a 2-1 win over leaders Dunajská Streda just yesterday, though they still trail by three points. With 8 games still to be played, the title race could well be going down to the wire, especially given that Dunajská Streda and Slovan have to play each other once more in just under a month’s time.