October 15, 2025
With the International Break now over, European Leagues take their time to resume with players still to return from their travels, so with hardly any options on this Wednesday afternoon, Fatbear decided to settle down and take a look at a game in the third Level of The Czech Republic.
The MSFL, or the Moravskoslezská fotbalová liga ( Moravian-Silesian Football League ) to give it its full name, is one of three regional third divisions, the champions of which are promoted to the second tier Czech National Football League.
The MSFL consists of 18 sides, who play each other home and away for a 34 game season. The bottom three sides are relegated to the Fourth Divisions.
Today was the final match of round 11, with Vitkovice starting the day in 8th position but knowing that a win could move them up to 4th. Sigma Olomouc B were in third and a victory would take them to joint second in the table. The match was originally due to be played last weekend, but was postponed as Vitkovice had players called up to national Under 19 squads.
MFK Vitkovice
Vitkovice, from the city of Ostrava, is a famous name in Czech football and has a rich history. In 1985/86, as TJ Vitkovice, they won the Czechoslovak League and in the following season’s European Cup eliminated Paris St-Germain 3-2 on aggregate, before being knocked out by Porto in the next round after winning the first leg 1-0 at home.
A second place finish in the 1986/87 Czechoslovak season led to a place in the UEFA Cup, where they eliminated AIK Stockholm, Dundee United and Vitoria Guimares on their way to the quarter-finals, falling to Espanyol ( 0-2 on aggregate ).
Vitkovice had been receiving substantial funding from the local steel and iron works but the fall of Communism and the Velvet Revolution led to financial problems in the industry, resulting in the cessation of support. The club accordingly suffered and were in the third division MSFL when the club withdrew from the league in 2012 due to insolvency.
A reformed club was started and had floated between the 3rd, 4th and 5th divisions until last season when they finished second in the fourth level Divize F to earn promotion and return to the MSFL.
Vitkovice’s home ground is the 15,163 capacity Mestsky Stadium, which is now shared with Banik Ostrava. Their home colours are all blue and white stripes.
MFK Vitkovice This Season
After 10 matches Vitkovice had a 5-2-4 record but were 3-1-1 at home. They started the season like a train with 4 wins and a draw in their first 5 matches, but then lost three in a row. Their last three matches had been a win, a draw, and last time out, a 0-1 lost at Frydek-Mistek.
Home matches are being played this season at the Vista Sports Centre, which has no seats or cover for spectators, nor any floodlights, which explains the early kick-off in mid-week. It does though have a grass pitch, which was a little bobbly and made passing football difficult.
Average attendances this season were 146.
MFK Vitkovice Squad
Only three of the 16 players who appeared in Vitkovice’s last match were over 21. The most notable was 36 year-old Serbian attacking midfielder Nemanja Kuzmanovic, who had a long career in the Czech Republic with Opava and Banik Ostrava, as well as a spell in Cyprus with Nea Salamis Famagusta. Kuzmanovic featured in these diaries playing for Banik in 2022.
Forward Denis Nieslanik was 26 years old and scored 43 times last season. He was in his third season with Vitkovice having previously played for Vyskov and Frydek-Mistek in the MSFL, whilst midfielder Matyas Richtar, also 26, was in his fourth season with the club.
Seven of the teenagers were on loan from Banik Ostrava. Right-back David Rehacek and attacking midfielder Lukas Dvoracek were Czech Under 19 internationals whilst winger Jonathan Okebugwu, midfielder Moses Enebi and left-back Justice Jonathan were from Nigeria, and centre-back Michael Ouly was from the Ivory Coast. Keeper Tobias Keller was the other loanee from Banik, whilst defender Filip Svrcek had signed permanently from Banik.
Nieslanik and Dvoracek were the top scorers with 3 goals each and four players were on two goals each.
FK Sigma Olomouc
Sigma Olomouc have traditionally been one of the strongest sides in the Czech Republic, and have once been covered in these diaries, when they also travelled to Ostrava and were victorious over Banik in July 2022.
https://fatbearssportingdiaries.blogspot.com/2022/07/fc-banik-ostrava-0-3-sk-sigma-olomouc.html
Last season they finished 6th in the Czech First League but it was a 3-1 victory over Sparta Prague in the Czech Cup Final that meant a return to European competition, in the shape of the Conference League stages. However, Sigma’s B team ended in bottom place in the Czech National Football League to be relegated and play in the MSFL this season.
B sides are permitted to play in the Czech league structure but are not allowed to play in the same division as their parent side. The relegation of Sigma’s B side left only three B sides playing at the second level, those of Sparta, Slavia and Banik.
Sigma had made a strong start in their bid to return to the second tier, with a 6-3-1 record and were unbeaten away from home. The only defeat had been an unexpected 0-2 home reverse to mid-table Hlubina which came in the middle of winning 5 of their first 6 matches. A run of three consecutive draws ended in their most recent match with a 3-1 home win over bottom of the table Hlucin.
Like Vitkovice, only three of the 16 players who appeared in Sigma’s last match were over 21. Left winger Paval Zifcak was the top scorer with 6 goals, and had previously played for Pardubice in the top division as well as making 99 first team appearances for Sigma, one of which was the game at Banik reported on by Fatbear. He looks to have put on some weight in the mean time !
Centre-forward Denis Kramar had scored 5 times, was a former Czech Under 20 International and joined Sigma from Opava, whilst defender-back Vojtech Kristal had signed from Opava and had played over 100 games in the top 2 divisions in the Czech Republic.
Goalkeeper Tadeas Stoppen, a great name for a keeper, was a Czech Under 21 International, whilst ex-Hranice centre-back Adam Dohnalek and winger Filip Urica were Czech Under 20 Internationals. Centre-back Patrik Siegl, defender David Macharacek and midfielder Simon Jalovicor were Under 19 Internationals.
Sigma B’s coach, Roman West, had previously been in charge at Vitkovice and top flight teams Opava and Slovacko.
Sigma B’s average home attendance this season was 184.
Matchday Information
The distance between Olomouc and Ostrava is around 95km and normally takes about an hour by road.
The weather at the 15.30 kick-off local time ( 14.30 UK ) was cloudy and 10 degrees.
A Vitkovice season ticket costs 800 CZK ( £29 ) but details of prices for individual matches were not available on their website.
The match was streamed live on the TVCOM.cz website and Bet365.com made Sigma 8/11 favourites, with Vitkovice at 13/5 and the draw at 29/10.
Sigma made one change to the starting XI against Hlucin with Kevin Huna coming into the side for Siegl, who missed out altogether.
Vitkovice made two changes. Kuzmanovic, who now works as a player’s agent for a living was missing, perhaps he couldn’t get time off ! Maxim Pilar dropped to the bench as Marek Sindler and Enebi started.
Sigma were in a change kit of all yellow whilst Vitkovice were in their blue and white stripes, with blue shorts and socks.
Match Report
The was little urgency to start the match, which eventually commenced six minutes after the scheduled kick-off time. There were probably only around 50 spectators at the ground when play started, but the numbers steadily increased as the first half progressed.
Sigma kicked off and had the ball in the net inside the first minute, but Kramar’s tidy finish was ruled out for offside. Sindler then made a very late tackle on Dohnalek as the Sigma defender made a clearance but no card was forthcoming.
Sigma dominated the early stages but a few balls into the Vitkovice area produced nothing of note until the 5th minute, when a cross from the left-wing from Urica was somehow put wide by Zifcak from the centre of the 6 yard line
Three minutes later, Vitkovice keeper Keller failed to hold a right wing cross and Ouly stabbed away before Kramar could take advantage.
Vitkovice’s response was a cross from the left wing which Sigma keeper Stoppen unconvincingly pushed away.
A long-range Sigma shot was fumbled by the Vitkovice keeper and this time Jonathan put the ball out for a corner.
Sigma’s pressure eventually told when a cross from the left wing was met beyond the far post by the head of Orisek. Players from both sides attempted to play the ball as it bounced across the goalmouth, but they all seemed to miss and the ball ended up creeping inside the opposite post. The goal was credited to Orisek as the score became 0-1 in the 21st minute.
However, out of the blue Vitkovice equalised. There didn’t appear to be too much danger as Richtar ran onto a ball down the right-hand channel, but he unleashed a ferocious finish past the keeper from just inside the area. Perhaps Stoppen could have done better, but it was now 1-1 with 27 minutes on the clock
Shortly after going behind Urica played a teasing ball in from the left that Kramar just couldn’t reach, and Keller gathered at the second attempt
Vitkovice though were buoyed by being on level terms and dominated the rest of the first half. Dvoracek’s free-kick from just outside the area on the left was headed over by Okebugwu from 8 yards. The Nigerian followed up a minute later with a left-footed effort from just inside the area, which Stoppen pushed over the bar.
Okebugwu was in the action again when he was found inside the right-hand side of the Sigma penalty area and laid the ball back to Ouly, whose ball into the area was only partially cleared, but a first time volley from the edge of the area went a yard over the bar
Sindler then turned and shot from the edge of the area but David Drabek was able to block for a corner, which was played short. Dvoracek went down just inside the area near the left byline, but the referee waved away the appeals for a penalty.
The sun was now already setting as an incisive pass reached Sindler, who shot from the edge of the penalty box, but Stoppen dived to his right and held on to the attempt.
With 4 minutes of the first half remaining, Vitkovice won a free-kick close to the right-hand touchline. Dvoracek took it and his kick struck the near post and went off for a goal-kick.
As the game moved into added on time, Enebi won possession near the half-way line and released Okebugwu on the left, who ran towards the Sigma area. He then played a square pass across 18 yard line, which was swept home left footed by the advancing Enebi to make in 2-1 with 45 minutes played.
Vitkovice’s lead at half-time was a major turnaround after Sigma had dominated opening 25 minutes but the possession statistics were 55% in favour of Vitkovice.
The second half started in a similar vein to how the first half ended. The impressive Dvoracek played a smart reverse pass but Dohnalek was able to put the ball off before Rehacek could latch onto it. Okebugwu had a shot blocked, then four minutes into the second half Rehacek passed to Dvoracek, who cut inside onto his left-foot but his effort from 14 yards crashed against crossbar and bounced away to safety.
Dvoracek seemed to have licence to roam and was now playing a lot further forward than he had in the first half.
Vitkovice forced two consecutive corners, and from the second Okebugwu teed up Enebi, who completely missed an overhead kick. Sigma swiftly attacked on the counter and Urica drew the last covering defender and unselfishly squared for Zifcak, who calmly slid the ball past the keeper. After hanging on, Sigma were now level at 2-2 in the 53rd minute.
The first yellow card of the game was brandished in the 58th minute after Ouly went in late on Kristal as the Sigma defender played a pass back to his keeper.
Vitkovice were still looking the side most likely to score the next goal as Okebugwu made a strong run and fed Richtar, who perhaps remembering his first half strike, opted to shoot rather than pass to the on-running Dvoracek, but his low shot went a couple of feet wide, and the diving keeper had it covered anyway.
Dvoracek then played a good looking ball down the left for Enebi to run onto. Although the cross was long, Adam Antonin was able to keep the move alive and got to the byline to play a ball across the 6-yard box, but no-one was on hand to finish.
A long-range shot was pushed away by Stoppen and Richtar retrieved the loose ball, but again no-one could apply the finishing touch to the ball across the goalmouth.
Sigma relieved the pressure and won two corners, the second of which was scrambled clear and Dvoracek and Okebugwu looked to counterattack, until Okebugwu was fouled midway inside the Sigma half.
Sigma were getting back into the game and a Kristal header from a free-kick was punched away and Zifcak was crowded out when trying to turn and shoot. Huna then won a corner on the left. Jalovicor’s delivery was long and Kristal could only volley straight back to the Sigma midfielder, whose return cross was glanced over the bar by Matej Kolarik.
Enebi became the second home player to see yellow after late tackle, but Vitkovice shot themselves in the foot two minutes later. Svrcek completely mishit a back pass and Kramar was all alone as he gathered the ball, and slammed a low shot into the bottom corner. Kramar received a yellow card, presumably for his celebration, but he probably didn’t care to much as he had made the score 2-3 after 77 minutes.
Vitkovice desperately searched for an equaliser and Dvoracek played a glorious ball to Enebi who passed to Okebugwu, but the pass across goal was intercepted
Zifcak stayed down injured after a tackle and the referee allowed play to continue. Okebugwu made another good run but Jan Tkacik’s touch when trying to control the low ball across the goalmouth was poor, and the chance had gone.
In added on time, a corner from Dvoracek bounced across the goal, but Sigma were able to clear at second attempt. Svrcek then played a ball across the Sigma area which was missed by everyone. Enebi recovered possession and crossed back into the 6-yard box but Denis Nieslanik was unable to make proper contact with his header, and Sigma gratefully cleared.
Sigma saw out the last few seconds to hold onto a 3-2 victory. The score was harsh on Vitkovice, who deserved something from the game. Dvoracek, Jonathan and Okebugwu all impressed for Vitkovice, but mistakes proved to be costly.
Sigma remained in third place in the table, behind Hodunin on goal difference and 5 points behind leaders Trinec but with a game in hand.
MFK Vitkovice : Keller – Rehacek ( Michlik ), Ouly, Svrcek, Jonathan – Richtar ( Tkacik ), Antonin ( D. Nieslanik ), Dvoracek, Enebi – Okebugwu, Sindler ( T. Nieslanik )
FK Sigma Olomouc B : Stoppen - Orisek, Dohnalek, Kristal ( Andrle ), Huna – Zifcak ( Michalik ), Jalovicor, Drabek ( Gyore ), Kolarik, Urica - Kramar
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