Kladno, a team of the postponed, aims to prove football belongs in the city

Kladno, a team of 'the postponed,' is stepping onto the Czech second-league football stage, with coach Zdeněk Hašek determined to show that football, not just hockey, belongs in the city.

"Leave your hockey sticks at home this time, we're focusing on balls!" the team's invitation to their second-division debut against Kladno seemed to playfully declare. The city of Kladno is known for its strong ice hockey tradition, and the football club aims to emerge from that shadow.

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Leave your hockey sticks at home this time, we're focusing on balls!

Following a 1-2 loss in their opening match, where the team displayed a sympathetic performance, coach Hašek pondered the city's sporting identity. "We'll see if Kladno is also a football city, when it's a hockey city," he mused. The team's ambition is to carve out its own space and prove its relevance in a city dominated by another sport.

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We'll see if Kladno is also a football city, when it's a hockey city.