CZECH ME OUT
With an Olympic family, it was never going to be easy... but Coufal admits: I’ve come a long way since playing for beer & bangers
VLADIMIR COUFAL knows success with West Ham this season will taste far sweeter than the bangers and beer in which he was paid by SSK Bilovec.
The Czech Republic international was devastated when released by boyhood club Banik Ostrava in 2010 and was forced to rebuild his dreams of a career in football with amateur side Bilovec.
But all the pain and hard work was worth it for this week.
Coufal and his Hammers team-mates face Chelsea today in a big Premier League clash and then Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday in the first leg of a Europa League semi-final.
He said: “At 16 or 17, I played
in third-lowest division in an offer to bring me back, I Czech Republic. I played for wouldn’t go – I had feelings. sausages and beers – that’s “They didn’t give me a proper what the guys played for. chance just because I wasn’t
“Banik destroyed my dream tall enough or strong enough. of being a professional “But I was only 15 years old. footballer and sent me to play Some people grow up slower, for this team with 40-year-old but they didn’t give me a men, who just liked to drink chance, so now when I’m here, after work. It was unbelievable. it feels nice.” Banik ought really
“Of course, I They said I was to have known was determined too small & weak Coufal would when I was for professional make it to the top, released by football given his family’s Banik Ostrava. sporting pedigree. Immediately, maybe a week His mother Alena after, I started to work really represented Czechoslovakia in hard in the gym and go running gymnastics at the 1988 a lot after school. Olympics, while his brother
“I wanted to prove I would be Petr and sister Jana were both able to play professional successful figure skaters. football. But it’s still inside me, He added: “When you have a the feeling. When they gave me very successful mother, she was very demanding on me. Although mostly she looked after my two siblings because it was similar sports – figure skating and gymnastics. A lot of the attributes are similar. My father was also demanding.
“It is not easy to grow up as my siblings were very successful when they were young.
“My brother won an Olympic games for youngsters and my sister was really successful, many times a Czech champion.
“I wasn’t so successful when a kid because I was released from my club and they said I would never play professional football because I was too small, too weak.
“Unfortunately, my siblings had to finish their figure skating careers and I was promoted to
West Ham, so it is a bit contrary now. They are happy and I am also happy.”
Coufal has been back for two games since a groin injury.
He said: “My injury was very complicated and I had it at the Euros. I was taking medication, but, after the Leicester game, it was break point and I couldn’t get out of the bath.
“Now it is a good feeling to be enjoying football without pain.
“The Chelsea game is very important – and Frankfurt will be historical for West Ham.”