Foreign players, coaches, and the politics of belonging: strengthening citizenship in Czech football

In a globalized world, the use of foreign players by elite sport clubs has become normalized, yet fan perceptions of this practice are not always positive. The top Czech football league has consistently included 100 to 120 foreigners per season, representing 22–27% of players, for more than 15 years. This article pursues two related aims. First, it examines Czech fans’ views on the use of foreign players, drawing on survey data from 2018 and 2023. Second, it analyzes the case of AC Sparta Prague, where internationalization strategies under two foreign coaches, Andrea Stramaccioni in 2017 and Brian Priske in 2023, produced contrasting fan responses. While Stramaccioni’s tenure was deemed a failure, Priske’s multicultural squad secured the league championship and shifted perceptions toward greater acceptance. Complemented by interviews with club executives, marketing directors, and sport managers, the analysis highlights how foreign players and coaches can be integrated in ways that strengthen not only club performance but also broader forms of citizenship, understood as practices of belonging, respect, and inclusion within Czech football and society.