A former Czech World Cup football star has been given a two-year prison sentence suspended for two years.
Tomáš Skuhravý, who was top scorer for Czechoslovakia in their surprise progress to the quarterfinals of the competition in Italy, losing against the eventual winners Germany, was found guilty of fraudulently claiming that a luxury car had been stolen. The footballer had, the Prague 4 district court heard, passed on the car to an accomplice who tried to sell it on.
Skuhravý’s lawyer said his client admitted he had committed the crime, describing it as the mistake of his lifetime, adding that the luxury car had been returned to the company owning it. The former international striker had cooperated with police and helped them in identifying other participants, lawyer Bronislav Šerák added.
Earlier reports, citing police sources, had suggested that Skuhravý, who played his last game for his country in 1995, had been involved in a car theft ring which specialized in taking luxury cars, such as BMWs, Audis, and Porches, in Germany and the Czech Republic, and covering up the tracks so no trace of their origin could be found.
On the back of his World Cup appearance, Skuhravý landed a transfer to Italian club Genoa, where he is still remembered as one of the best foreign players to have been at the club. He is still believed to spend most of his time in the north Italian port city, where he is reported to sometimes work as a football pundit on TV.
