A window into the past: the Czech coach Jiri Starosta became African champion with Sudan in 1970

The championship of the African continent, officially known as the Africa Cup of Nations, is underway in Cameroon. The Czech footprint is not missing. Nigeria is represented by Slavic offensive midfielder Peter Olayinka, the Czech league has also seen Guélor Kanga (Gabon), Benjamin Tetteh (Ghana) and Michael Ngadeu (Cameroon), who even won the championship with this team in 2017. But the brightest mark was made by coach Jiri Starosta, who led Sudan to the championship title in 1970.

The former solid right-back of TJ Vítkovice, who played in the league from 1950-1952 and met Josef Bican in the team, was able to navigate the complex African environment with skill.

In the second official championship in 1959 he led Ethiopia to the final, but his greatest success came in 1970, when Sudan defeated Ghana 1:0 in the home final.

A Czechoslovak expert working abroad with the approval of the political and football authorities was a very rare case under the socialist establishment.

“In the 1960s, the socialist camp began to help developing countries mainly in methodology and player training,” explains historian Miloslav Jensik how Starosta came to the African continent.

He had the necessary qualifications and prerequisites. “Starosta knew languages and was a very capable coach and manager,” explains Jensik why the choice fell on the former Vítkovice player.

In Sudan, he earned a huge reputation that has not disappeared even after years. “Thanks to him, we went to this exotic country in 1987 for winter preparation, it was a reward for the title,” recalls Ivan Kopecký, who led Vítkovice to a sensational victory in the Czechoslovak top competition in 1985/1986.

The mayor also made a name for himself as a coach on the domestic scene. In the top competition he sat on the bench of TJ Vítkovice in the last two matches of the 1983/1984 season.

His peak came on 7 September 1977, when together with Jozef Vengloš he led the Czechoslovak national football team against Turkey (1:0 win) and replaced the medically indisposed Václav Ježek. His greatest successes, however, came on the African continent.

After finishing his active coaching career, he devoted himself to theoretical work in the Football Association, headed the Central Coaching Council and the Commission of Top Football.