Quick Facts
Biography
František "Franz" Straka (born 28 May 1958) is a Czech former football player and manager, who currently is the manager of Ismaily SC.
Biography
Playing career
Straka played most notably for Sparta Prague. In 1988, he moved to Germany and spent the rest of his playing career there. He played for Czechoslovakia and was a participant in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. He played total 35 matches for the national team from 1983 to 1990.
Coaching career
After retiring from playing, he began coaching. Straka led several top flight Czech clubs, including FK Teplice, Sparta Prague and Viktoria Plzeň. He also coached abroad in Austria, Slovakia and Greece. In 2009, he was selected as temporary manager of the Czech Republic national football team. On 30 June 2009, after only one game in charge he left the position. He won his only match, a 1-0 friendly over Malta on 5 June 2009.
In June 2010, he was appointed head coach of the North Queensland Fury in Townsville, Australia. He became a fan favourite in Australia, due to his affable personality and fashion sense. Straka was ready to lead the North Queensland Fury for another season, however the club folded in 2011 because of financial difficulties.
After speculation he was going to replace Ernie Merrick at Melbourne Victory, Straka returned to Europe, where he was announced manager of Polish Ekstraklasa club Arka Gdynia. In October 2011, he was announced as the replacement for Michal Petrouš as manager of SK Slavia Prague. His appointment as a new manager of Slavia sparked controversy and protests from Slavia fans, who see Straka as a rival Sparta's patriot. Straka's appointment was also criticized by Sparta fans, who see Straka as a traitor. After just five months in the job, Straka resigned in March 2012. Straka returned to the Gambrinus liga after a year's break in March 2013, joining bottom of the table side 1. FK Příbram. He lasted only half a year in this job before being replaced by their former manager, Petr Čuhel.
Ismaily Sc:
For the first time in his career to coach in the Arab region or Africa in 28 of December he was appointed as a new manager for Ismaily SC the Egyptian side on a contract for one year and a half with a lot of ambitions.
Managerial statistics
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| North Queensland Fury |  | 7 June 2010 | 1 March 2011 | 7001300000000000000♠30 | 7000400000000000000♠4 | 7000700000000000000♠7 | 7001190000000000000♠19 | 7001133300000000000♠13.33 |
| Total | 7001300000000000000♠30 | 7000400000000000000♠4 | 7000700000000000000♠7 | 7001190000000000000♠19 | 7001133300000000000♠13.33 | |||
Honours
Managerial
; FK Teplice -1 x winner of the Czech Cup (2002/03)
-advance to the third round of the UEFA Cup ( 2003/04 )
AC Sparta Praha -1 x winner of the Czech Cup (2003/04)
-advance to the core group of the UEFA Champions League 2004/05
Slovan Bratislava
- Slovak Super Cup (1) : 2014
-advance to the core group of the European League ( 2014/15 )
Personal
He has a German citizenship and is fluent in German. Fans often call him Franz Straka.