Tomáš Řepka
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Tomáš Řepka | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Sparta Prague | ||
| Number | 2 | ||
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of november 20, 2006 | |||
Tomáš Řepka (b. 1974-01-02 in Slavičín) is a professional Czech football player. Řepka plays mostly as a right-sided defender, and is currently signed to Sparta Prague.
Career
Řepka started his career at Banik Ostrava, where he played from 1990 to 1995. He then joined Sparta Prague, where he spent almost three years, before moving to Fiorentina in Italy. He joined English Premiership club West Ham United early in Glenn Roeder's tenure as manager, for a club record fee of £5,500,000, in September 2001.[1]
He was sent off on his debut for West Ham for two bookable offences,[2] missed a match through suspension, and was sent off again in the third game he played for the club.[3] He went on to form a central defensive partnership with Christian Dailly before the club's relegation to the Football League Championship, although he gained a reputation for his disciplinary record, and received 10 yellow cards that first season. After relegation at the end of the 2002-03 season, the appointment of Alan Pardew as manager saw Řepka move to right back. In the summer of 2005, after the club had regained their Premiership status, he was re-signed by Pardew on a two-year contract, albeit on reduced terms, but left the club on 23 January 2006 to return to the Czech Republic to be with his family. He played his final game for them on the previous night against Fulham in what was an emotional swansong for the Czech hardman. To chants of Super-tom from the West Ham faithful, he left the field in tears.
After making his international debut for Czechoslovakia in June 1993 against the Faroe Islands, Řepka has played 45 times for the Czech Republic between 1994 and 2001. He missed Euro 1996 because of two match penalty for a red card. However, he played for his country at Euro 2000.
Disciplinary problems
Řepka is notorious for his lack of self-control and disciplinary problems[4]. During his professional career, he has received sixteen[5] red cards (see table below), more than any other professional football player[citation needed]. One of his scandals include attacking game officials and TV cameraman in September 2007[6][7].
| Team | Red cards |
|---|---|
| Baník Ostrava | 1 |
| Sparta Prague | 3 |
| AC Fiorentina | 5 |
| West Ham United | 4 |
| Czech Republic national football team | 2 |
| Czech Republic national football team U-21 | 1 |
References
- ^ "Repka set for Hammers debut". BBC Sport. 2001-09-14. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Boro make Hammers pay". BBC Sport. 2001-09-15. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Blackburn thrash West Ham". BBC Sport. 2001-10-14. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Roundup". The Prague Post. 2006-03-01. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Řepka: Rekordman v počtu červených (Řepka: red card record holder)". fotbal.sport.cz (in Czech). 2008-05-06. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Bad boys". The Prague Post. 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Raging Czech football star attacks a cameraman". aktuálně.cz. 2007-09-17. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)
External links
- Tomáš Repka at Soccerbase
- Tomáš Repka at FootballDatabase
- Tomáš Repka at official Sparta Prague website
