Businessman with a “calculator in his mind” who is “paralyzed with fear” before games – The Athletic

As the full-time whistle sounded at the London stadium on Sunday night, Daniel Kretinsky stood up, surely delighted with what he had seen.

The club he had spent six months carefully negotiating for a 27% stake had just scalped Liverpool, one of the favorites for the Premier League title. All around him, in a stadium that has attracted the attention of more than one potential investor, he will have seen optimistic supporters eagerly anticipating what his involvement might be, excited by the positive Czech influence that his compatriots Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal have brought to the team as players.

He will have seen the potential in front of him for the first time. Both on and off the field.

With West Ham United flying higher than expected, this seems like the perfect time to join the party. And add another high profile addition to a growing portfolio.

But as he applauded The Beatles’ “Twist And Shout” amid the celebrations in east London, 650 miles away, the club he has been associated with for over 15 years, Sparta Prague, cooked up a meal. of a home game against struggling FK Teplice.

It was a reminder that for all of Kretinsky’s business successes, it’s football that has so far proven to be the fudge on his resume.