The Czech Football Association has dealt a severe blow to MFK Karvina, relegating the Czech Cup winners from the top flight and fining them $480,000 over a match-fixing scandal.
The historic success was tarnished by a police probe into the club based in the eastern coal-mining city of Karvina, which led to the largest match-fixing crackdown in the country's history.
The FACR Ethics Committee decided to relegate the club from the top league due to disciplinary offences committed in relation to top-flight relegation games.
The verdict concerns three top-league games played in 2024, and the FACR also slapped a $145,000 fine on Karvina mayor Jan Wolf, suspected of influencing referees, and banned him from football for 12 years.
Five Karvina players were sanctioned with bans and fines worth up to $7,000.
The decision can be appealed, and Karvina will be allowed to play in the second division next season.
