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North QLD Fury Coach Franz Straka had political career to rival Mal Meninga
By Michal Roucek
Frantisek “Franz” Straka, the excitable Czech Manager of the North Queensland Fury, who masterminded a tactical victory over three-time team Sparta Prague teammate and Sydney FC mentor Viteszlav Lavicka at Dairy Farmers Stadium on Saturday night, has a football pedigree in the game that none can deny.
After joining Sparta Prague in 1979, Straka amassed 223 appearances for Iron Sparta before moving across the border into the German Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach prior to the fall of Communism, a move which effectively cut short his national team career earning 35 caps for the Czechoslovakian national side. In the Communist days to live and work abroad, a Czech had to renounce citizenship.
Following his playing career, Straka moved into football management in a career which included guiding Sparta Prague and the Czech Republic in 2009 in a single international before resigning after a 1-0 win over lowly Malta to coach the North Queensland Fury in the A-League one year later.
But it is Straka’s experience in public life which has been overlooked by Australians.
In 2006, following being sacked as Manager of Sparta Prague amid allegations of drug use, which were later proved to be unfounded, and comments he reportedly made suggesting Czech ultras fight rival supporters at Letna (a park nearby Toyota Stadium) rather than at Sparta’s home ground, Straka decided to run for parliament as a Christian Democrat MP in Czech elections.
Straka attempted to list as a candidate but had not regained Czech citizenship which is required to run for public office. Straka alleged that he attempted to do so but had his efforts blocked by the Interior Ministry. The Interior Minister came forward to pronounce that his citizenship had in fact been approved but hours later Straka walked away from politics, seemingly without reason, although following comments that Vietnamese Czech market traders should not take Czech jobs in his region of Western Bohemia.
Whatever occurred in Straka’s “Mal-Meninga-like” political career, it is his impact on the Fury to date which been a revelation. He has singlehandedly reinvigorated the Fury’s list, bringing in 12 players whilst 16 left the club amid solvency concerns which threatened the club’s future. Whilst the Fury have taken down Sydney FC, they face a test which could define whether they are early season performers or indeed Finals Series contenders as Straka’s men travel to AAMI Stadium next Sunday.
The man with the lime green jacket, once described on Czech radio as the best dressed man in the Czech Republic, will need all his nous when he matches up with the A-League’s most successful Manager Ernie Merrick in their own backyard, but at least Straka can boast to having a one-time political career as a point of difference.
