Enough of abroad. Former stars to revive Slovak league

Longtime national team players Ján Mucha, Martin Jakubko, and Marek Sapara will raise the level of the top division.

Five years ago, they were the architects of the football euphoria during the qualification and sensational round-of-16 appearance at the World Cup in South Africa. Today, they are returning to Slovakia’s top division. We are talking about national team players Ľubomír Michalík, Marek Sapara, Martin Jakubko, and goalkeeper Ján Mucha. The latter, a former Everton goalkeeper in the English Premier League, has agreed a four-year deal with Slovan Bratislava. He returns to Slovakia after a decade abroad. Yesterday, Mucha had his first training session with the “Sky Blues.” “The main reason for his arrival is that Slovan presented a competitive offer compared to Russian top-flight clubs. Slovan did everything possible to get him,” said his agent Jozef Tokos for the Economic Daily.

Ján Mucha was deciding between two offers – from Slovan Bratislava and a Russian top-division club from Samara. “Apart from the skill of the Slovak club, Slovan was also attractive because of its participation in European competitions. While in Samara he would be fighting to avoid relegation, in Bratislava he will be competing for the title and may play in the Europa League and perhaps even the Champions League in the future,” explains Tokos. Not least, as in the case of striker Martin Jakubko, family reasons played a part in Mucha’s return, as he had been abroad continuously since 2005. “Slovan is building a new ambitious team and I want to help it fulfil its goals on both the domestic and European stage,” Mucha told the official website slovanfutbal.com. The paradox is that at Slovan’s home ground in Pasienky, the 32-year-old goalkeeper had already played 13 years ago, back then as a talented youngster wearing the jersey of the then-successful club Inter Bratislava.

Besides the fans and the clubs themselves, Ivan Kozák, president of the Union of League Clubs – the league’s governing body – is also pleased with the recent returns of successful Slovak internationals. “I am very glad that even in a difficult economic situation, clubs are successfully bringing current and former national team players into their squads,” he told the Economic Daily. According to him, players like Mucha or Jakubko will increase the credibility and attractiveness of the top division. In recent years, it had been seen more as a competition where mostly young and relatively unknown players got their chance. “Now fans will also be able to watch footballers who have already achieved something in their careers, whether in the Slovak national team or in foreign clubs,” said Kozák, a former 1. FC Košice footballer. The league needs players like Vittek, Mucha, and Jakubko to spark greater interest. Ideally, this will increase its attendance and viewership, and thus improve the Union of League Clubs’ position when negotiating with sponsors.