. 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.
It surrounds the absence of Veljko Birmancevic, the influential Serbian forward. A fortnight ago Birmancevic was giving Manchester City sporadic headaches at the Etihad before Sparta were seen off comfortably in the second half. Now he was nowhere to be seen, ostensibly owing to a groin problem communicated publicly before Banik’s visit. Local reports painted a different picture: the former Malmö and Toulouse player had, they said, been left out after a row with the club’s sporting manager, Tomas Sivok.
Sparta’s ultras made clear their allegiance in any dispute with a banner reading “Support for Birma” that appeared in the Letna stadium stands during Saturday’s game. But the rest of their message was less wholesome: a number of accompanying standards bore images of Kosovo, over which Serbian flags and the message “No surrender” were …
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