West Ham United have been outstanding ambassadors for English football during the Club’s run to the 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League final.
And on Tuesday, ahead of the squad’s training session at The Great Strahov Stadium in Prague, Czechia, the Hammers received a warm welcome from two leading diplomats.
Libor Sečka became a keen West Ham supporter during his five-year posting as Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland between 2016-21 – a period which saw the Irons sign Tomáš Souček and Vladimír Coufal from Slavia Prague.
Matt Field OBE is the current British Ambassador to Czechia, a post he took up in January this year. Field is also a big football fan, supports Oxford United and, prior to becoming a diplomat, was on the Japan 2002 World Cup Organising Committee.
Both welcomed manager David Moyes and his squad and sporting director Mark Noble to Prague, before Czech national team captain Souček and fellow international Coufal presented the diplomatic duo with West Ham shirts to mark the occasion.
With thousands of Hammers arriving in Prague ahead of Wednesday’s final at Eden Aréna, Field says the city is excited to be hosting the Club and its fans for such an historic fixture.
“I’m so pleased,” he began. “When it got to the quarter-finals, that’s when I started to feel there was a real chance that we would end up with West Ham here with us, so I’m delighted. There are a lot of supporters of West Ham and Czech football in general here, so I think there will be a lot of people backing West Ham and we’ve all got our fingers crossed.
“We’ve got a lot of fans coming over, which is great. We’re hoping they’ll really enjoy the city and the game, both those who are in the stadium and those who are in the great fan zones which have been set up. Everyone who is coming here, I’m sure will have a great time, enjoying and respecting the city.
“To have a final with a British club playing in it is a great occasion. The game itself is going to be really interesting, and the difference in styles between West Ham and Fiorentina will make for a really good final, so we’re looking forward to that, while also hoping we’ll get the right result at the end of it!”
3️⃣ days to go. You can do it, #Hammers!#HammersgotoPrague #UECLfinal ⚒️🇨🇿⚽️ pic.twitter.com/csAmUDZ7Td
— Libor Sečka 🇨🇿 (@LiborSecka) June 4, 2023
For Sečka, seeing West Ham come to Prague, where he is now based as Czechia’s Special Envoy of the Minister for the Indo-Pacific, is a dream come true.
The experienced diplomat has forged strong and genuine links with the Club, its Czech players past and present, staff and fans. Working with Souček and Coufal, he raised thousands of pounds for the late Isla Caton.
“I feel great!” he smiled. “When I was in London, it was my plan to get West Ham to Prague and now they are here on merit and it’s filling me with happiness and expectation. I very much hope the final will be a great event. I have so many West Ham friends and they have reached out to me on twitter and invited me for a beer on Wednesday, and I am looking forward to meeting them!
“Tomáš and Vladimír very much played their part in this with their hard work and putting their whole hearts into West Ham, so it is great satisfaction for them to be here today and to show they are with West Ham and with Czech football.
“We are quite a small country and having such a big football event with such historic clubs is the dream of every Czech football fan, and of course I will go to the stadium, I will shout and support the team and I hope we will be successful.”
*UK nationals who require urgent assistance whilst in Czechia should contact the British Embassy by phone on +420 257 402 111, or by e-mail at [email protected].
