Vítězslav Lavička is a Czech

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

 football

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 manager and former player currently in charge of Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n A-League

A-League

The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...

 club Sydney FC

Sydney FC

Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...

.

Playing career

As a player, Lavička played for several Czech clubs, including Škoda Plzeň, RH Cheb and Sparta Prague.

Managerial career

In 2006 and 2007, he was voted Coach of the Year at the Czech Golden Ball

Golden Ball (Czech Republic)

The Golden Ball is awarded in the Czech Republic by a poll of Czech sport journalists from the Club of Sport Journalists . Eligible are Czech players in the Czech Republic and abroad. Awards for young player and coach of the year are also awarded...

 awards and Coach of the Year

Czech Footballer of the Year

The Czech Footballer of the Year is awarded in the Czech Republic by the Football Association of the Czech Republic . Eligible are Czech players in the Czech Republic and abroad...

 in 2006.

On Wednesday 4 February 2009, he was appointed the new manager of Australian A-League club Sydney FC

Sydney FC

Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...

 along with Czech counterpart Michal Zach as assistant coach.
Lavička has re-signed to manage Sydney FC for the 2010-2011 season in a bid to get the club another A-League title. He was successful in managing Sydney to their second title in the 09/10 A-League season. It was 05/06 when Sydney won their first title. He will also be looking to guide them to an Asian Champions League title in 10/11.

Sydney FC

In the pre-season to A-League season 2009/2010, Lavička guided Sydney FC

Sydney FC

Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...

 through a program of 12 matches against local teams and Hyundai A-League opponents undefeated, scoring 25 goals and conceding 1 goal in over 1080 minutes of football.

In Lavička's first league match of the 2009/2010 season Sydney FC

Sydney FC

Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...

 ran out 3-2 winners, against expansion team North Queensland Fury, played in Townsville. The match also featured the A-League debut of Robbie Fowler

Robbie Fowler

Robert Bernard Fowler is an English footballer who is currently player/manager for Thai Premier League club Muangthong United....

 for the Fury. He has been praised for bringing an impressive new style of football to the club.

Sydney then went on to win the A-League Minor Premiership after finishing narrowly ahead of Melbourne Victory

Melbourne Victory

Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....

 and Gold Coast United, also securing them an Asian Champions League spot.

Lavička was voted A-League coach of the year for the 2009-2010 season by players in the league as part of the Professional Footballers Australia awards

PFA Footballer of the Year Awards

The PFA Footballer of the Year Awards is an annual award ceremony created to formally recognise the most outstanding Australian footballers playing abroad or in the A-League, as well as foreign players playing in the A-League...

. His brilliant first season was rounded off as Sydney FC defeated Melbourne Victory in the A-League Grand Final after a penalty shootout victory at Etihad Stadium.

Lavička's second season started poorly, with the team not winning a game until round 11 against Perth Glory. Lavička who is afraid of heights

Acrophobia

Acrophobia is an extreme or irrational fear of heights. It belongs to a category of specific phobias, called space and motion discomfort that share both similar etiology and options for treatment.Most people experience a degree of natural fear when exposed to heights, especially if there is little...

, said that if his team wins he will climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sydney Harbour Bridge

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic...

, which he did.

Honours

With Sydney FC

Sydney FC

Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...

: A-League Premiership: 2009-2010 A-League Championship: 2009-2010

External links

• Sydney FC profile