For Sparta Prague there is plenty riding on Wednesday’s meeting with Brest. Nobody knows exactly what kind of tally will secure qualification for the Champions League knockout stages but a win would probably put them within touching distance of February’s playoffs. This is already their best European performance for more than two decades; they play in one of the most rapidly improving leagues, a fact that would be borne out if they emerge breathing from the sprawling 36-team bulk.
So it is far from ideal that their buildup has been troubled and, from another angle, symptomatic of a problem football stadiums across the continent cannot shake off. An inquest was inevitable when Sparta fell to a 3-1 home defeat against Banik Ostrava on Saturday, leaving them 10 points shy of the league leaders, Slavia, and severely minimising the chances of a third straight title. But nobody could have expected the tensions around Serbia, Albania and Kosovo to fuel a controversy that has sent the gossip machine into full swing since then.
