Dukla Prague ( cz, Dukla Praha) was a Czech

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club from the city of

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

. Established in 1948 as ATK Praha, the club won a total of 11 Czechoslovak league titles and eight Czechoslovak Cups, and in the 1966–67 season, reached the semi-finals of the

European Cup The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

. As late as 1985–86 they reached the

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...

semi-final and they also made a great impact in the American Challenge Cup competition in New York City with four wins between 1961 and 1964. The club sent seven players to the silver medal-winning Czechoslovakia national team in the

1962 World Cup The 1962 FIFA World Cup was the seventh edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams. It was held from 30 May to 17 June 1962 in Chile. The qualification rounds took place be ...

, in a year which saw them win the fifth of their domestic league titles as well as their player

Josef Masopust Josef Masopust (9 February 1931 – 29 June 2015) was a Czech football player and coach. He played as midfielder and was a key player for Czechoslovakia, helping them reach the 1962 FIFA World Cup Final. He was capped 63 times, scoring ten g ...

be named

European Footballer of the Year The Ballon d'Or (; ) is an annual football award presented by French news magazine ''France Football'' since 1956. Between 2010 and 2015, in an agreement with FIFA, the award was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year (foun ...

. Between the start of the competition in 1955 and 1991, Dukla played more matches in the

than any other team in Czechoslovakia. Dukla Prague football club was connected to clubs of other sports, but this connection continues no longer. However, separate

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competiti ...

, rowing,

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

modern pentathlon The modern pentathlon is an Olympic sport consisting of fencing (one-touch épée), freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting, and cross country running. The event is inspired by the traditional pentathlon held during the anci ...

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

, etc. clubs named Dukla Praha still nurture world-class athletes in their respective sports (like Roman Šebrle and others). In contrast to the football clubs, these are still under patronage of the Czech Army.

History

Dukla Prague was formed in 1948 as " (ATK) Praha" and started life in the top division of Czechoslovak football.Pivoda 2013, p. 7.Jeřábek 2007, p. 162. The Dukla organisation, as it later became known, was run by the

Czechoslovak Army The Czechoslovak Army (Czech and Slovak: Československá armáda) was the name of the armed forces of Czechoslovakia. It was established in 1918 following Czechoslovakia's declaration of independence from Austria-Hungary. History In the fi ...

and included seven sports teams. The club changed its name to " (ÚDA) Praha" in 1953, winning the first of eleven league titles in the 1953 season. The club went on to win the 1956 league title, changing their name to "" the same year in honour of those had fallen at the

Battle of Dukla Pass The Battle of the Dukla Pass, also known as the Dukla, Carpatho–Dukla, Rzeszów–Dukla, or Dukla–Prešov offensive, was the battle for control over the Dukla Pass on the border between Poland and Slovakia on the Eastern Front of World ...

in 1944. The subsequent 1957–58 season brought a second consecutive league title for the club, and its third overall. The 1960–61 season marked the inaugural season of the Czechoslovak Cup. That season, the Dukla team completed a "

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...

" as they defeated

Dynamo Žilina "Dynamo Electric Machine" (end view, partly section, ) A dynamo is an electrical generator that creates direct current using a commutator. Dynamos were the first electrical generators capable of delivering power for industry, and the foundati ...

in the cup final to add to their fourth league title.Jeřábek 2007, pp. 233–234. The club was on the verge of another double in 1962, winning the league but losing in the cup final to Slovan Bratislava. 1962 was also a World Cup year. Dukla was represented by seven players on the Czechoslovakia national football team, which reached the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

before losing to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. Dukla star

scored in the final as Brazil won 3–1, and was later named as the winner of the 1962

Ballon d'Or The Ballon d'Or (; ) is an annual football award presented by French news magazine ''France Football'' since 1956. Between 2010 and 2015, in an agreement with FIFA, the award was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year (fo ...

. Dukla spent the next two seasons winning the league again, making a total of four titles in a row. The 1964–65 season yielded just the Cup before Dukla completed its second double in 1965–66. The club's final trophy of the decade came in the 1968–69 cup. In the first nine seasons of the cup competition, therefore, Dukla had reached six finals and won four titles. The competition's format changed after the 1968–69 season, and it was not until 1980–81 that Dukla would record another title in the competition, repeating the achievement in 1982–83, 1984–85 and 1989–90. In the 1985–86 season, the club recorded its record win, a 10–0 victory against

Dynamo České Budějovice "Dynamo Electric Machine" (end view, partly section, ) A dynamo is an electrical generator that creates direct current using a commutator. Dynamos were the first electrical generators capable of delivering power for industry, and the foundat ...

.Pivoda 2013, p. 28.

International competitions

Between the start of the competition in 1955 and 1991, Dukla played more matches in the

(45) than any other team in Czechoslovakia.Jeřábek 2007, p. 244. The five players from the Czechoslovak league with the most appearances in the competition in the pre-Champions League era of the European Cup all represented Dukla in the competition, these being

Jozef Adamec Jozef Adamec (26 February 1942 – 24 December 2018) was a Slovak football forward and manager. Adamec won seven Czechoslovak First League titles in his club career, winning two with Dukla Prague during his military service, followed by five ...

Jiří Čadek Jiří Čadek (7 December 1935 – 20 December 2021) was a Czech footballer who played as a defender. Čadek played his whole professional career for Dukla Prague. He appeared in 328 league matches, though he never scored a league goal. During ...

Josef Vacenovský Josef Vacenovský (born 9 July 1937) is a Czech football forward who played for Czechoslovakia in the 1960 European Nations' Cup. He also played for Dukla Prague. References Profileat the ČMFS The Football Association of the Czech Republic ...

and Dušan Kabát. Czech writer and sports journalist

Ota Pavel Ota Pavel (born Otto Popper) (2 July 1930, in Prague – 31 March 1973, in Prague) was a Czech writer, journalist and sport reporter. He is primarily an author of autobiographical and biographical novels. Biography He was born in Prague as the ...

wrote a unique book about Dukla's first victory in the American Challenge Cup and named it ''Dukla mezi mrakodrapy'' ( en, Dukla Among Skyscrapers). The supremacy of Dukla was so undisputed the organizers decided to establish the American Challenge Cup as the final of next International Soccer League editions, in which Dukla was invited to play against the winners of the group stage. Dukla won three American Challenge Cups, over Brazil's America-RJ in 1962 (1–1 and 2–1), over West Ham United in 1963 (1–0 and 1–1) and over Zagłębie Sosnowiec in 1964 (3–1 and 1–1). In later years they struggled to maintain international recognition, however they were well known to British fans thanks to

Half Man Half Biscuit Half Man Half Biscuit are an English rock band, formed in 1984 in Birkenhead, Merseyside. Known for their satirical, sardonic, and sometimes surreal songs, the band comprises lead singer and guitarist Nigel Blackwell, bassist and singer Neil Cr ...

's cult song: "All I want for Christmas is a Dukla Prague away kit" which was the B-side of their 1986 single "The Trumpton Riots" and was subsequently issued on the album

Back Again in the DHSS ''Back Again in the DHSS'' is the second album by UK rock band Half Man Half Biscuit, released in 1987. The album was released after the band had split up, and comprised John Peel, Peel Sessions along with some new songs. "Dickie Davies Eyes" ...

and then on the CD release of the album

Back in the DHSS ''Back in the DHSS'' is the first album released by the UK rock band Half Man Half Biscuit (HMHB), in 1985. The album's title puns on that of the 1968 song " Back in the U.S.S.R." by The Beatles: referring to the high unemployment levels at th ...

. Fans of the band have created considerable demand for replica Dukla Prague shirts and made the team a favourite among hipster football fans. Dukla's overall record in the International Soccer League and the American Challenge Cup thus comprises 11 wins, four draws and one loss with a score of 49–19.

Czech Republic era

1994 saw the club's long-running association with the military come to an end and at the same time its status as a top-division team was lost. Dukla finished last in the

1993–94 Czech First League The 1993–94 Czech First League was the first season of top-tier football in the Czech Republic following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia on 1 January 1993. The season started on 14 August 1993 and ended on 8 June 1994. Changes from 1992–93 ...

, employing three different managers over the course of the season.Pivoda 2013, p. 99. In a season which saw the club lose 7–0 to

Viktoria Žižkov Viktoria usually refers to Viktoria, a name which is the same as Victoria (name), but may also refer to: Places * FK Viktoria Stadion, stadium of Viktoria Žižkov * Viktoria-Luise-Platz, building in Berlin * Viktoriastadt, now known as Victoria ...

, Dukla won just one of their thirty matches, a 1–0 victory against Hradec Králové. Dukla played the following 1994–95 season in the third-tier Bohemian Football League, finishing in third place behind SK Chrudim and Pelikán Děčín. Dukla was unable to win the league in the 1995–96 season either, again finishing third, this time behind Atlantic Lázně Bohdaneč and

Česká Lípa Česká Lípa (; german: Böhmisch Leipa) is a town in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 37,000 inhabitants and it is the most populated town of the Czech Republic without city status. The town centre is well preserved and is p ...

. The club then merged with second division side FC Portál Příbram in 1996. The new club, which later became known as

1. FK Příbram 1. is the ordinal form of the number one in a number of European languages. 1. may also refer to: Association football Austria * 1. FC Vöcklabruck, a defunct Austrian association football club Czech Republic * 1. FC Karlovy Vary, a Czech asso ...

, played one season in Prague at Juliska before moving to

Příbram Příbram (; german: Freiberg in Böhmen, ''Przibram'', or ''Pribram'', in 1939–1945 ''Pibrans'') is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 32,000 inhabitants. It is well known for its mining history, and more ...

in 1997, the last home match at Juliska being a 2–2 draw with relegated Baník Havířov on 1 June 1997.

Reformation and return

The name of Dukla Prague disappeared from the Czech football for several years, but not forever. Dukla Dejvice, a local Prague team founded in 1959, began playing at Juliska stadium and adopted Dukla Prague's yellow and red colours. The club entered the Prague Championship in 2001. In November 2006, Dukla Prague management announced that it had agreed to take over the second league rights of the Jakubčovice team. The legendary club returned to the Czech top league in 2011.

Managers

The following individuals managed Dukla. In the 1948 season there were joint managers.Pivoda 2013, p. 36. *

Ladislav Ženíšek Ladislav Ženíšek (7 March 1904 in Vinohrady – 14 May 1985) was a Czech football defender and later a football manager. He played 22 matches for Czechoslovakia. He was a participant in the 1934 FIFA World Cup, where Czechoslovakia won the s ...

, Jiří Zástěra (1948) *

(1949–50) * Karel Kolský (1951–52) *

Bohumil Musil Bohumil Musil (10 May 1922 – 5 December 1999) was a Czech football player and later manager. As a player, Musil played for several Czechoslovak clubs, but never gained any success with them. He was far more successful as a football coach. Afte ...

(1953) * Karel Kolský (1954–59) *

(1959–60) *

Jaroslav Vejvoda Jaroslav Vejvoda (1 July 1920 – 28 July 1996) was a Czech footballer and football manager. He played for Sparta Prague, Slavia Prague and FC Vítkovice. He capped once for Czechoslovakia. He coached Dukla Prague, where he won the Czechoslovak ...

(1960–65) *

(1965–69) * Milan Tosnar (1965–70) *

(1969–73) *

(1973–75) *

(1975–80) * Ladislav Novák (1980–85) *

Jiří Lopata Jiří Lopata (22 December 1936 – 20 April 2021) was a Czech football player and manager. He played two seasons in the Czechoslovak First League, scoring 27 goals in 51 games for Spartak Plzeň. He spent more time in the league as a manager, ...

(1985–87) *

Jaroslav Jareš Jaroslav Jareš (21 March 1930 – 5 September 2016) was a Czech football (soccer), football player and manager. During his Czechoslovak First League, Czechoslovakian first division career, Jareš played for SK Slavia Prague, Slavia Prague and ...

(1987–90) *

Ivo Viktor Ivo Viktor (born 21 May 1942 in Křelov) is a Czech former football goalkeeper. He played for Czechoslovakia, representing his country on 63 occasions between 1966 and 1977, taking part in the 1970 FIFA World Cup and winning the 1976 Europea ...

(1990–91) *

Michal Jelínek Michal (; he, מיכל , gr, Μιχάλ) was, according to the first Book of Samuel, a princess of the United Kingdom of Israel; the younger daughter of King Saul, she was the first wife of David (), who later became king, first of Judah, ...

(1991–92) *

František Plass František Plass (18 April 1944 – 5 May 2022) was a Association football, football player and manager. He made 164 appearances in the Czechoslovak First League, scoring 16 goals, as well as two appearances in the European Cup Winners' Cup. He ...

(1992) *

Jiří Fryš Jiří Fryš (born 11 March 1950) is a football manager. He led RH Znojmo for four years, seeing them advance from the Moravian–Silesian Football League (MSFL) to the Second League. He led Dukla Prague during the 1992–93 Czechoslovak First L ...

(1993) * Dan Matuška (1993–94) * Svatopluk Bouška (1994)

History in domestic competitions

* Seasons spent at Level 1 of the

football league system Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

: 45 * Seasons spent at Level 2 of the football league system: 0 * Seasons spent at Level 3 of the football league system: 2

Czech Republic

;Notes

Honours

Czechoslovak First League The Czechoslovak First League ( cs, 1. fotbalová liga, sk, 1. futbalová liga) was the premier football league in the Czechoslovakia from 1925 to 1993, with the exception of World War II. Czechoslovakia was occupied by German forces who formed ...

*Champions (11):

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito i ...

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...

, 1957–58, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1981–82 Czechoslovak Cup *Winners (8): 1960–61, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1968–69, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1989–90 International Soccer League *Winners: 1960

References

Bibliography

*Horák, Jindřich, Král, Lubomír. ''Encyklopedie našeho fotbalu : Sto let českého a slovenského fotbalu. Domácí soutěže''. Praha : Libri, 1997. 704 p. *Jeřábek, Luboš. ''Český a československý fotbal – lexikon osobností a klubů'', Praha: Grada Publishing, 2007. *Pavel, Ota. ''Dukla mezi mrakodrapy''. Praha : Slávka Kopecká, 2004. 183 p. Sebrané spisy Oty Pavla; vol. 1. *Pivoda, Aleš. ''Legenda se vrátila'' Praha: MAC, 2013. 157 p. *Sigmund, Stanislav. ''FC Dukla 1948–1998''. Praha : MJF, 1998. 51 p. {{Czech First League Defunct football clubs in the Czech Republic Prague, Dukla Prague, Dukla Sport in Prague Military sports clubs Association football clubs established in 1948 Association football clubs disestablished in 1996 Prague, Dukla Military association football clubs in the Czech Republic 1948 establishments in Czechoslovakia