# 2011–12 Czech First League

The 2011–12 Czech First League, known as the Gambrinus liga for sponsorship reasons, was the 19th season of the Czech Republic's top-tier football league. It began on 29 July 2011 and was originally due to end on 26 May 2012, although due to the Czech Republic's qualification for the UEFA Euro 2012, the end of the season was brought forward to 12 May 2012. Viktoria Plzeň were the defending champions, having won their first Czech Republic championship the previous season.
Sparta Prague started the season with eight consecutive wins, the first such occurrence in league history. Sparta broke their own record when they won their ninth straight league match and opened up a 10-point lead at the top of the table.
The title was decided on the last day of the season, with Liberec hosting Viktoria Plzeň in the knowledge that a win for either team would seal the title, with a draw being enough for Liberec to retain first place. In front of a sold-out stadium at Stadion u Nisy, Liberec held the visitors to a goalless draw, winning the league for the third time since 2002.

## Teams

Ústí nad Labem and Zbrojovka Brno were relegated to the 2011–12 Czech 2. Liga after finishing last and second to last, respectively, in the 2010–11 season. Ústi nad Labem therefore immediately returned to the second tier, while Brno completed a nineteen-year tenure in the top flight.
The relegated terms were replaced by 2010–11 2. Liga champions Dukla Prague and Viktoria Žižkov. Viktoria Žižkov returned after a two-year absence, while Dukla Prague made their debut in the league; however, the Dukla Prague name returned to the league after seventeen seasons, with a club of the same name having played in the top Czech football division until then. The newly promoted clubs were granted licenses to play top-division football on 13 June 2011.
Viktoria Žižkov became the first team to be relegated on 5 May 2012 after Ostrava beat Příbram.

### Stadia and locations

| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity | 2010–11 position |
| Baník Ostrava | Ostrava | Bazaly | 17,372 | 14th |
| Bohemians 1905 | Prague | Synot Tip Arena $^{Note1}$ | 21,000 | 6th |
| Dukla Prague | Prague | Stadion Juliska $^{Note2}$ | 4,560 | 2L, 1st |
| Dynamo České Budějovice | České Budějovice | E-On Stadion | 6,681 | 11th |
| FC Hradec Králové | Hradec Králové | Všesportovní stadion | 7,220 | 8th |
| FK Jablonec | Jablonec | Stadion Střelnice | 6,280 | 3rd |
| FK Mladá Boleslav | Mladá Boleslav | Městský stadion (Mladá Boleslav) | 5,000 | 5th |
| 1. FK Příbram | Příbram | Na Litavce | 9,100 | 12th |
| Sigma Olomouc | Olomouc | Andrův stadion | 12,566 | 4th |
| Slavia Prague | Prague | Synot Tip Arena | 21,000 | 9th |
| 1. FC Slovácko | Uherské Hradiště | Městský fotbalový stadion Miroslava Valenty | 8,121 | 13th |
| Slovan Liberec | Liberec | Stadion u Nisy | 9,900 | 7th |
| Sparta Prague | Prague | Generali Arena | 20,558 | 2nd |
| FK Teplice | Teplice | Na Stínadlech | 18,221 | 10th |
| Viktoria Plzeň | Plzeň | Stadion města Plzně | 13,000 | 1st |
| Viktoria Žižkov | Prague | FK Viktoria Stadion | 5,600 | 2L, 2nd |
Notes:
* Ďolíček stadion does not meet the football association criteria, therefore Bohemians are forced to play at Synot Tip Arena.
* FK Dukla Prague played one home match at Stadion Evžena Rošického due to the implementation of under-soil heating at Juliska.

### Personnel and kits

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Manager$^1$ | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
| Baník Ostrava | Pavel Malura | Martin Lukeš | Nike | Fortuna |
| Bohemians 1905 | Jozef Weber | Radek Sňozík | Adidas | Fortuna |
| Dukla Prague | Luboš Kozel | Jan Vorel | Adidas | Bwin then Staeg |
| Dynamo České Budějovice | František Cipro | David Horejš | Adidas | AVE |
| Hradec Králové | Václav Kotal | Roman Fischer | Jako | City of Hradec Králové |
| Jablonec | František Komňacký | Petr Pavlík | Umbro | Baumit |
| Mladá Boleslav | Miroslav Koubek | Marek Kulič | Nike | Škoda |
| Příbram | David Vavruška | Aleš Hruška | Adidas | Startip |
| Sigma Olomouc | Petr Uličný | Radim Kučera | Adidas | Tipsport |
| Slavia Prague | Martin Poustka | Lukáš Jarolím | Umbro | Synot Tip |
| Slovácko | Miroslav Soukup | Vít Valenta | Kappa | Z-GROUP Steel holding |
| Slovan Liberec | Jaroslav Šilhavý | Tomáš Janů | Nike | Fortuna |
| Sparta Prague | Jozef Chovanec | Marek Matějovský | Nike | Fortuna |
| Teplice | Petr Rada | Petr Lukáš | Umbro | AGC |
| Viktoria Plzeň | Pavel Vrba | Pavel Horváth | Puma | Doosan Group |
| Viktoria Žižkov | Roman Nádvorník | Tomáš Procházka | Adidas | None |
* $^1$ According to current revision of List of Czech Football League managers

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| Baník Ostrava | Karol Marko | Sacked | 30 July 2011 | 14th (10–11) | Pavel Malura | 31 July 2011 |
| České Budějovice | Jiří Kotrba | Removed from position | 7 September 2011 | 15th | František Cipro | 7 September 2011 |
| Slavia Prague | Michal Petrouš | Sacked | 2 October 2011 | 13th | František Straka | 2 October 2011 |
| Viktoria Žižkov | Martin Pulpit | Sacked | 23 November 2011 | 15th | Roman Nádvorník | 23 November 2011 |
| Sigma Olomouc | Zdeněk Psotka | Sacked | 27 November 2011 | 16th | Petr Uličný | 8 December 2011 |
| Bohemians 1905 | Pavel Medynský | Sacked | 6 March 2012 | 12th | Jozef Weber | 7 March 2012 |
| Slavia Prague | František Straka | Resigned | 8 March 2012 | 11th | Martin Poustka | 14 March 2012 |
| Baník Ostrava | Pavel Malura | Sacked | 26 March 2012 | 15th | Radoslav Látal | 26 March 2012 |
* ^1 Slavia manager František Straka resigned on 8 March. Assistant manager Martin Poustka was appointed to serve as caretaker manager for the next match against Jablonec, which was just three days later.

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Slovan Liberec (C) | 30 | 20 | 6 | 4 | 68 | 29 | +39 | 66 | Qualification for Champions League second qualifying round |
| 2 | Sparta Prague | 30 | 20 | 4 | 6 | 51 | 25 | +26 | 64 | Qualification for Europa League third qualifying round |
| 3 | Viktoria Plzeň | 30 | 19 | 6 | 5 | 66 | 33 | +33 | 63 | Qualification for Europa League second qualifying round |
| 4 | Mladá Boleslav | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 49 | 34 | +15 | 50 | Qualification for Europa League second qualifying round |
| 5 | Teplice | 30 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 36 | 30 | +6 | 46 | |
| 6 | Dukla Prague | 30 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 42 | 35 | +7 | 42 | |
| 7 | Slovácko | 30 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 29 | 32 | −3 | 41 | |
| 8 | Jablonec | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 54 | 43 | +11 | 40 | |
| 9 | Příbram | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 44 | 56 | −12 | 39 | |
| 10 | Dynamo České Budějovice | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 30 | 51 | −21 | 35 | |
| 11 | Sigma Olomouc | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 42 | 38 | +4 | 34 | Banned from 2012–13 European competitions |
| 12 | Slavia Prague | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 28 | 34 | −6 | 34 | |
| 13 | Hradec Králové | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 38 | −16 | 31 | |
| 14 | Baník Ostrava | 30 | 7 | 7 | 16 | 31 | 48 | −17 | 28 | |
| 15 | Bohemians 1905 (R) | 30 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 20 | 54 | −34 | 24 | Relegation to Czech 2. Liga |
| 16 | Viktoria Žižkov (R) | 30 | 5 | 4 | 21 | 23 | 55 | −32 | 19 | Relegation to Czech 2. Liga |
* 1 2 3 Sigma Olomouc, the 2011–12 Czech Cup winner, were initially to enter the third qualifying round of the Europa League. However, UEFA banned them from participating in Europa League over the club’s involvement in a corruption scandal. As a result, Sparta Prague, the second-placed team of the league, entered the Europa League third qualifying round instead of the second qualifying round, and Mladá Boleslav, the fourth-placed team of the league, will take one of Czech Republic's Europa League places in the second qualifying round.
* ↑ Sigma Olomouc were deducted 9 points following a disciplinary commission judgement regarding their 2009 corruption case.

## Results

| Home \ Away | OST | B05 | DUK | ČBU | HRK | JAB | MLA | PŘI | SIG | SLA | SLO | LIB | SPA | TEP | VPL | VŽI |
| Baník Ostrava | | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–4 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 3–4 | 2–3 | 3–1 |
| Bohemians 1905 | 0–1 | | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 |
| Dukla Prague | 4–1 | 2–0 | | 4–2 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–4 | 3–0 |
| Dynamo České Budějovice | 0–0 | 3–1 | 3–2 | | 1–0 | 1–5 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 |
| Hradec Králové | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 |
| Jablonec | 4–0 | 5–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | | 0–0 | 5–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–4 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 |
| Mladá Boleslav | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | | 2–2 | 2–3 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–4 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 |
| Příbram | 1–2 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 4–3 | 2–0 | | 4–1 | 0–0 | 0–4 | 2–3 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 |
| Sigma Olomouc | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–4 | | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 2–1 |
| Slavia Prague | 0–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 5–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | | 0–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 |
| Slovácko | 1–0 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 1–3 | | 1–2 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 2–1 |
| Slovan Liberec | 3–2 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | | 1–3 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 4–0 |
| Sparta Prague | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–3 | | 2–2 | 1–3 | 4–1 |
| Teplice | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | | 3–4 | 0–0 |
| Viktoria Plzeň | 1–1 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 5–0 | 4–2 | 3–2 | 5–0 | 0–4 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | | 4–1 |
| Viktoria Žižkov | 0–3 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–4 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | |

## Top goalscorers

    As of 10 May 2012
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | David Lafata | Jablonec | 25 |
| 2 | Marek Bakoš | Plzeň | 16 |
| 3 | Jiří Štajner | Liberec | 15 |
| 4 | Michal Breznaník | Liberec | 12 |
| 5 | Léonard Kweuke | Sparta Prague | 11 |
| 5 | Ivan Lietava | Dukla Prague | 11 |
| 5 | Michael Rabušic | Liberec | 11 |