František Straka


František "Franz" Straka is a Czech former football player and lastly manager of MFK Karviná.

Biography

Playing career

Straka played most notably for Sparta Prague. In 1988, he moved to Germany and spent the rest of his playing career there. He played for Czechoslovakia and was a participant in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. He played total 35 matches for the national team from 1983 to 1990.

Coaching career

After retiring from playing, he began coaching. Straka led several top flight Czech clubs, including FK Teplice, Sparta Prague and Viktoria Plzeň. He also coached abroad in Austria, Slovakia and Greece. In 2009, he was selected as temporary manager of the Czech Republic national football team. On 30 June 2009, after only one game in charge he left the position. He won his only match, a 1–0 friendly over Malta on 5 June 2009.
In June 2010, he was appointed head coach of the North Queensland Fury in Townsville, Australia. He became a fan favourite in Australia, due to his affable personality and fashion sense. Straka was ready to lead the North Queensland Fury for another season, however the club folded in 2011 because of financial difficulties.
After speculation he was going to replace Ernie Merrick at Melbourne Victory, Straka returned to Europe, where he was announced manager of Polish Ekstraklasa club Arka Gdynia. In October 2011, he was announced as the replacement for Michal Petrouš as manager of SK Slavia Prague. His appointment as a new manager of Slavia sparked controversy and protests from Slavia fans, who saw Straka as a rival Sparta's patriot. Straka's appointment was also criticized by Sparta fans, who saw Straka as a traitor. After just five months in the job, Straka resigned in March 2012. Straka returned to the Gambrinus liga after a year's break in March 2013, joining bottom of the table side 1. FK Příbram. He lasted only half a year in this job before being replaced by their former manager, Petr Čuhel.
In December 2016, he was appointed as manager of Egyptian side Ismaily SC signing a 1.5-year contract. It was the first time position in the Arab region or Africa of his career.

Personal life

Straka holds German citizenship and is fluent in German. Fans often call him Franz Straka.

Managerial statistics

Honours

Managerial

Teplice
Sparta Prague
Slovan Bratislava