Czech television will stop showing popular soccer matches if fans continue their anti-Semitic insults.
Public broadcasting station Czech Television said Wednesday that it will cease to broadcast the popular Sparta Prague team if fans continue to display or chant anti-Semitic slogans.
On Monday, fans of Sparta Prague displayed a banner that referred to their arch-rivals Slavia as Jude, German for Jew. The fans also chanted “Jude, Jude,” a longstanding taunt used against Slavia. Czech Television cut the sound as soon as the chants became audible.
The station said a similar incident would result in a ban against the airing of Sparta games.
Following similar chants in August, the Prague Jewish community sent an open letter to Sparta management that urged them to crack down on the fans, and officials responded that they took the matter very seriously.
In September, a leading Sparta player was fined for giving a Nazi salute to fans, although he says his hand signal was meant to calm the fans.
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