A Multinational Pickle: The Odd Case of Znojmo

 When it comes to third tier Czech side Znojmo, there are questons that need to be addressed. In many ways, the main question I would want to ask is: are Znojmo a rare positive example of multinationalism in Czech football, or are they an absolute basket case of a club? The short Football Cliches approved answer is - it's a bit of both.

You only have to look at their squad list on TransferMarkt, as well as the fact they're managed by a Portuguese man named Rui Amorim (no relation to United's current head honcho). The rest of their squad is littered with Lusophone players from the likes of Cabo Verde, Portugal, Brazil, even Guinea-Bissau. A glance at their squad list will show you flags of Finland, Cameroon, Senegal, USA, Ivory Coast, France, and a host of others.

They even have an array of dual nationality players - possibly the only Portuguese-Moldovan player in world football, as well as a Finnish-Moroccan and an Italian-Ivorian. Frankly the assortment of flags on their TransferMarkt page would make the internationalist likes of Vyskov feel inferior by comparison. 

The most insane question to ask is: how has this happened in the regional Moravian (and Silesian) third tier?  Well, it would appear it hasn't necessarily been by design, but necessity. As owner Frantisek Struma stated in March 2023;

 Many Czech players with whom we have negotiated and who would be interested in coming to Znojmo have signed contracts elsewhere, are on loan, could not transfer or did not agree to our conditions due to the limited financial resources at the beginning. 

It would be fair to say the 2020s have been rough for Znojmo, following relegation from the 2nd tier in 2019. A 13th placed finish to start life in the MSFL followed by a 16th placed finish, with COVID the only reason they still remain in the third tier. The 4th placed finish of last season appears to be something of an anomalous false dawn, given the Okurkaři (the Picklers) are in real danger of dropping into the fourth tier.

They have actually even spent a solitary season in the top flight back in 2013-14, only finishing an agonising three points off of survival. Bohemians and Slavia Praha (yep, the same Slavia Praha who are currently champions elect) were the sides that stayed up at their expense. How different things could have been if just one result had swung their way.

Some glorious views before the game.

The game itself.

Some other charming city sights.

Back to the present: Znojmo v Blansko

There were rumours the Picklers wouldn't even be able to fulfill their remaining MSFL fixtures, but thankfully it seems they've been given clearance to finish the season at the very least. Thus far, I've visited Znojmo on two occasions, witnessing a rare 3-0 success against Hranice in 2022, and more recently a 0-2 defeat to Banik B, which effectively sealed promotion for the away side. 

In fact, last time I made the trip, I had the pleasure of sampling the local wine and visiting the Motoring Museum, both of which come very highly recommended. At that point, I was set on a move to Portugal, so I thought it might well have been the last time I would visit Znojmo. As always, life has other brilliant (genuinely) ideas.

Given how much I enjoyed both trips to Znojmo, and the fact the weather is starting to improve, it felt like the perfect time to make a return visit. It's only an hour or so on the bus from Zvonařka bus station, with Znojmo boasting some of the most idyllic views in all of Moravia, perhaps even the whole of the Czech Republic. 

Add to that, the fact I've not been to a game since returning from Romania last week - a frustrating bout of pneumonia essentially put all football related plans on hold, meaning planned trips to Jablonec and Hradec Kralove will have to wait for another time. In the meantime, a Sunday afternoon match by the Austrian border would more than suffice. Following this, I have trips to Slovan Liberec, Karvina, Uhersky Brod, and Unie Hlubina very much on the horizon.

As for this fixture, both teams were in fairly different places, with Znojmo just hovering above the relegation zone, while Blanko's decent run of form toward the end of the first half of the season saw them in the top five. Promotion, however, sadly looks beyond them now, given Trinec and Kromeriz's respective dominance of the Moravian-Silesian third-tier. 

To my surprise, I simply wandered in without needing to pay for a ticket - I later found out that the new owners wanted to see how many fans they could get with a free entry promotion - it transpired that a healthy 555 came to witness the game, though there was a notable absence from the boycotting ultras (also known as 'the pickle boys'). I then saw the absence of the usual bar, meaning a quick walk to the nearest shop to grab a bottle of Coke before coming back in again. Thankfully kick-off was still far enough away to allow for it.

The first half was incredibly one-sided, which was understandable given the fact Znojmo had named only two subs - one of which was a goalkeeper. A couple of their starting XI were also youth products, meaning that, yes, Znojmo finally had more than one Czech in their squad! Blansko took one of their many chances in the first fifteen minutes - a scruffy goalline scramble which I actually didn't see which put them a goal to the good. 

Znojmo actually did quite well to go into the break only a goal down, though Blansko barely got out of first gear. They had their American 'keeper to thank for a lot through the entirety of the game - his consatant bellowing throughout also probably audible from down in the nearby River Dyje. 

At the half-time break, I opted to walk through the stand in order to find the two gents from The Blansko Klobasa for the second half (check out their socials - they're in all the usual places). A lot of what we predicted came to pass, as Znojmo simply ran out of legs, despite their best efforts. Youngster Matyas Bernat simply didn't stop running after lost causes up top. It was hard not to feel some sympathy for the hosts.

Despite remaining in first gear though, Blansko doubled their lead through Jiri Tulaydan, before an expertly finished counter attack from Dom Smurda sealed a comfortable win in stoppage time. A second yellow for Metheus Teixeira made life even tougher for Znojmo, but in truth their race was run from the first whistle. He could have no complaints, but naturally that didn't stop him from complaining.

As well as new owners, Znojmo did actually make the proverbial raft of new signings - the only problem here is that they hadn't been able to register any of them in time. With two fixtures against teams around them coming up in Slovacko B and Uhersky Brod, they might be okay, but having fallen into the drop zone as a result of this loss, the Pickle Boys are in a real...jam.

FULL TIME RESULT:

Znojmo 0-3 Blankso (Sedlak, 13; Tulaydan, 75; Smurda, 90+4: Teixeira - Red Card, 85)

Attendance: 555

Five things you didn't know about Znojmo...

1.) Znojmo is actually one of the Czech Republic's oldest municipalities, dating back to the 11th Century, as well as being one of South Moravia's earliest towns. A look around the town and its many historical fortifications only serves as testament to its ability to stand the test of time. 

2.) The town is also renowned for its winemaking industry, producing Sauvignon and Riesling style wines to name but a couple. This is a tradition that dates back to the 9th Century, and is almost impossible to avoid should you happen to wander through the town.

3.) As you may have gathered from a lot of the pickle references throughout the blog, Znojmo is famous for its pickle industry, which dates back 440 years. Though production has decreased in recent years, the Znojmo cucumber is still at the very heart of Czech cuisine.

4.) By Czech standards, SC Znojmo are a relatively new club, forming in 1953. Their highest finish to date was sadly bottom of the First League back in 2014 - their only season of top flight football. They're also yet to go beyond the Round of Sixteen in the cup.

5.) Znojmo are one of the few South Moravian lower league clubs to have a ground suitable  for top flight football, due in part to their undersoil heating. Should Vyskov earn promotion this season, they may have to ask Znojmo for a favour...