Ex-Hearts goalkeeper Zdenek Zlamal makes Scotland war accusation and brands Rangers 'weird'

Former Hearts goalkeeper Zdenek Zlamal has accused Scottish football fans of “making war”.
Zdenek Zlamal in action for Hearts. Picture: SNSZdenek Zlamal in action for Hearts. Picture: SNS
Zdenek Zlamal in action for Hearts. Picture: SNS

The Czech goalkeeper was speaking on the issue of Sparta Prague fans booing Rangers star Glen Kamara during a Europa League clash last month, when only children attended the match in the Czech capital.

The Finnish midfielder had been subjected to racist abuse by Slavia Prague player Ondrej Kudela last season

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Zlamal had been strong in his defence of Kudela, so much so that his views led to a fine from Hearts before he left the club in the summer.

His rhetoric remains strong, accusing Scots of “making war” and, referencing the booing of Kamara by children, claiming kids aren’t aware of racism.

"Nothing good will come of war,” Zlamal told iDnes' Football podcast.

"I will quote Morgan Freeman, 'Racism will disappear when it is no longer talked about’.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"They do the exact opposite. They want to eradicate it, but they do it the wrong way."

He added: "I tried to take it with a grain of salt, but it's starting to bother me a lot.

"They were exaggerating then, but now they accused the children. I have a child and he doesn't know what it is.

"My view is that racism will disappear. The younger generation doesn't know about it at all.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"Nothing good will ever come from hatred. It bothers me that Scotland considers us racists."

Slavia Prague had accused Rangers of being aggressive when the teams met last season.

Zlamal, who played 53 times for Hearts, talked about an incident during the 2018/19 season when he was on the receiving end of a strong challenge from Scott Arfield in a Scottish Premiership clash.

The Rangers midfielder slid in late on the goalkeeper and was red carded.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"When we played against the Rangers, I caught the ball on the line and about two seconds later their player got there.” he said.

"I thought the team is weird. Something's wrong with them.

"When I saw the match, I again stand behind the fact that he did it intentionally. Overall, the way they behaved was not entirely correct."

Read More
Fans rally behind Robbie Neilson's Hearts turnaround from sacking calls to Europ...

Get a year of unlimited access to all The Scotsman's sport coverage without the need for a full subscription. Expert analysis of the biggest games, exclusive interviews, live blogs, transfer news and 70 per cent fewer ads on Scotsman.com - all for less than £1 a week. Subscribe to us today

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.