The Czech FA’s executive committee issued a formal rebuke, confirming that Tomas Soucek will be stripped of the captaincy for their next match and that the squad will forgo their bonuses from Monday night’s match.
Throughout the game, chants of “Fight for Czechia” rang out from behind one of the goals. The ultras group Fanatismus Cesko had signalled beforehand that they intended to express their frustration at recent performances after a flat autumn run, featuring a home draw with Saudi Arabia, a qualifying defeat in the Faroe Islands, and an unconvincing friendly win over San Marino.
Unhappy with this, the players opted not to applaud the fans at the end of the match as they usually do.
"The behaviour of the players overshadowed both the display on the pitch and the significant achievement of reaching the playoffs for the 2026 World Cup," the FA said in a statement.
"No player stands above the country they represent, nor above the fan who spends their money, time, and energy supporting the national team. Supporters are fully entitled to voice their dissatisfaction with recent poor performances."
The association said the squad should have reacted differently: "They ought to have acknowledged the active fans, not only for their backing last night but for their long and tireless support throughout the entire qualifying campaign, despite a run of unconvincing results."
As a result, the executive committee opted for disciplinary action. "Tomas Soucek will not captain the team in the next match, and the players will not receive bonuses from yesterday’s qualifier. The money will instead be donated to those in need," a statement read.
The Czechs finished second in their group behind Croatia, with five wins, two defeats and a draw, and now head into a March playoff for a place at the 2026 finals.
A 5-1 drubbing in Croatia in June and the 2-1 loss to the Faroes in October, after which coach Ivan Hasek was sacked, were among the campaign’s lowest points.