The 4,000 population village that ALMOST cracked Europe

 Two weeks ago, I watched a fifth tier Czech match between two teams that had Tatran in their name, namely Kohoutovice and Rousinov. Despite knowing very little about the origins of the Tatran moniker, it was interesting to see just how many teams go by this name in Czech Republic and Slovakia. In fact, just last week, I witnessed Tatran Liptovsky Mikulas at Zilina B.

This week, it's the turn of Banik - a team prefix whose origins are perhaps more easily traceable given that the word translates as 'mining'. Banik Ostrava are probably the first and foremost when it comes to well-know Baniks, but they are far from alone. The second-highest team to carry the Banik name play in the third tier - Banik Most-Sous, who were actually founded in 2020.

In the fourth tier, you've also got Banik Sokolov who've suffered a significnt fall from grace (well, the 2nd to the 4th tier) since 2020. There are plenty more scattered around the various fifth tiers of Czech football, though today's focus is on one specific Banik in South Moravia, Banik Ratiskovice.

On the face of it, they may just appear another fifth tier side in South Moravia, but at the turn of the century, something extraordinary was happening in this village of around 4,000 inhabitants. 

Slovan Liberec 2-1 Banik Ratiskovice, Stadion Evžena Rošického, Prague, 10th May 2000

It would actually make more sense to start in June of 2022, where Banik Ratiskovice are celebrating their 90th anniversary, commemorating a particularly successful era between 1999 and 2000. During this time, Banik were in the second tier. More remarkable, however, was what happened in 2000, and the reason for Slovan Liberec joining these anniversary celebrations.

The Czech Cup is a competition with a storied history following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. Remarkably, four teams from the second-tier have appeared in the final - that being Pribram, Banik Ratiskovice, Slovacko, and Opava. None of them were able to prevail, but Banik Ratiskovice's story is a remarkable one.

It all started when Banik were comfortably promoted to the second tier for the first time since 1961 in 1999 having won the MSFL. They were an impressive seven clear of their nearest rivals Dolni Benesov. Incredibly, they went on to finish 3rd in the second tier in succession, a mere eight and nine points from promotion to the First League respectively over both seasons.

The club dropped a couple of tiers after the conclusion of the 2001-02 season, then dropped one more the following season. Nowadays, the club yo-yos between the fifth and sixth tiers, usually just about managing to stay afloat in the Jihomoravsky Krajsky Prebor. I can only assume some Gretna-esque shenanigans or financial mismanagement led them to their current predicament.

To return to Strahov (the other name for the aforementioned cup final arena), Banik were set to take on Slovan Liberec in their first ever cup final - a remarkable feat in itself, but winning the tournament would be perhaps the greatest achievement in Czech football. 

Starting in the very first round, unlike their opponents who'd joined in the second round, Banik had seen off Dolni Nemci, Brumov, Petra Drnovice, Bisany, Viktoria Plzen (who were in the same division at the time), and Vitkovice in the semis. What is extraordinary is that to my knowledge, bar Plzen and Vitkovice, none of those clubs exist anymore.

Argentine striker Leandro Lazzaro opened the scoring 24 minutes in, before doubling Slovan's advantage on 61 minutes. Banik's Hrozek (whose first name I'm unable to find) halved the deficit, but Banik's First League opponents would see the victory out for their first Czech Cup, and their first European adventure. 

Assuming the subsequent UEFA Cup draw would have been the same for Banik, they could have been playing at Anfield in 2001 (okay, they'd have had to see off Norrkoping of Sweden first, but even so!). Instead, they took a tumble down the leagues and over two decades later, find themselves clinging on to fifth tier status. It's a sad end to a remarkable story.

Banik Ratiskovice 4-2 Boskovice-Letovice, 2nd November 2024

Today, the reality for Ratiskovice couldn't be more stark, as they play host to relative high flyers Boskovice-Letovice, who've often found themselves around the upper echelons of the JMKP.  In fact, the away side have been in the top four for the last three seasons.

Despite lacking a railway station, getting to Ratiskovice from Brno isn't too big an ordeal - you simply get the train to either Kyjov or Hodonin, then take the 664 Kyjov-Hodonin/Hodonin-Kyjov bus. I took the train to Kyjov, which was just over an hour on the Brno-Uherske Hradiste line (which stops almost everywhere it seems). 

From there, I had a bit of a walk and a wait for the bus, but it was a nice enough journey with some pleasant scenery, particularly with the red skies on the way back to Kyjov after the game. There were a couple of issues on the way back, but they were all on my part having not realised Google Maps was suggesting a bus back to Brno instead of the train I'd missed by a single minute.

Anyhow, I arrived at the aptly named Stadion Banik Ratiskovice and couldn't help but be impressed by the setup, which was better than a lot of 2nd or 3rd tier clubs in this country. There was also a healthy attendance of probably around 50-100, with a couple of away fans. 

I had panicked initially at the sight of a fixture already taking place on arrival - had I misread the time of kick-off? Have I really travelled all this way to miss the game? Thankfully a glance at the Banik Ratiskovice Instagram page set me straight - this was just an Under 19 fixure finishing up. Phew!

The teams came out, with Banik donning a Boca Juniors/AFC Wimbledon-esque ensemble - sadly for them, the first-half performance was much more resemblent of the latter. They went 1-0 down within five minutes, at which point I'd feared the worst for this struggling side.

In truth, Boskovice should have been out of sight by half-time - they missed some absolute sitters it would be fair to say. The way Banik looked in the first-half, I didn't feel they'd regret it in the slightest, but Banik were a different animal in the second-half.

Boskovice extended their lead to two after the break, with things looking bleak for the hosts. They'd lost this fixture heavily twice last season, so were potentially fearing the worst. However, they clawed one back to give them some hope. No less than five minutes later, they were level. Then, incredibly, they were ahead just a few minutes after that, with Boskovice absolutely shellshocked.

They couldn't recover, as Banik notched a fourth and earned a crucial three points in their fight for survival. It was a remarkable game - one which will take some beating this season in terms of entertainment value. I think Czech football was trying to prove a point after I said Slovak football was better last week...

Five things you didn't know about Ratiskovice

1.) Ratiskovice is one of the oldest villages in the Hodonin district, with remnants found from prehistoric times in the area, such as mammoth fossils and various tools from the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. 

2.) As for the Hodonin district itself, the area was devastated by a freak tornado in 2021, which left six dead and many more injured. The tornado reached F4 strength, which is the second highest rating on the tornado scale. 

3.) The current coat of arms for Ratiskovice bears the three acorns and two stars that were used as a seal on the Ratisskowicz Charter of 1616. This modern adaption was designed by graphic designer Zbynek Kovar in 1991.

4.) The reason Banik are named as such is due to the lignite mines that dominated the area in the 19th and 20th century, through which many found work, with a brick factory also constructed in 1850.

5.) Nowadays, the surrounding villages of the forest are a haven for mushroom pickers, with the area also renowned for producing some of the finest wine in South Moravia. That said, it is also the only known Czech location of the deadly posionous toadstool, so pick carefully...