Oulehla at an unusual joint press conference: AI would be better than the referee
Viagem Ústí nad Labem came out on top in the headline fixture of Round 5 of the Chance National League, beating Dukla Prague 3–1 at home to move up to second place in the table. After the match, however, the club also made headlines off the pitch – it organised an unusual joint press conference featuring both managers.
Our Viagem put in a superb performance in the fifth round of the Chance National League, beating Prague-based Dukla 3–1 on home turf. The win sees them move up to second place in the table and confirms that the first team is in fine form at the start of the season. However, as well as their performance on the pitch, the club also found itself in the spotlight because of what happened after the final whistle.
Viagem’s management decided to go against established practice and organised a joint press conference for both head coaches. This move directly contravenes the League Football Association (LFA) protocol – according to Article 3.3 of the league handbook, post-match assessments must be conducted strictly separately, with the away team’s manager speaking first and the home manager only afterwards.
Spokesperson Daniel Ferenc explained why the club had opted for this change: “We want the managers to be able to respond to one another.” A further explanation was then posted on the club’s Facebook page: “Both sides should have the opportunity to express their views and respond to one another. We believe that this change will not only lead to greater interest in football, but also to an improvement in the sporting environment as a whole.”
Home manager David Oulehla and away manager Pavel Šustr know each other well and share a friendly relationship, so they both welcomed the idea of a joint press conference. At the same time, however, they couldn’t resist a few jibes at the established order of things.
“I don’t know why press conferences are split up. We play against each other, then we meet up, have a chat, and sometimes emotions get the better of us, but in my opinion it should be a joint affair,” said Ústí’s Oulehla.
“That’s just the way things are here; we’d rather split people up than have to listen to their opinions,” echoed the Dukla coach.
Šustr continued in a similar vein: “We’re mates, so why should we be sitting here answering questions separately? It seems completely natural to me,” he told reporters, adding: “It strikes me as absurd that we can’t comment on the referees’ performance at all after the match. After all, the people in the stadium and the media all saw the match.”
The home manager, David Oulehla, also had his own take on the subject of the referees. Although he initially emphasised that he didn’t want to comment on the men in black, he nevertheless criticised their performance shortly afterwards: “If AI had been in charge (instead of the referees), it would have been better. For me, it’s a red rag. Let the lads go for psychological tests.”
It remains to be seen how the Football League Association will respond to the club’s unusual move and the critical remarks from both coaches.