Michal Váňa Explained

Michal Váňa
Birth Date:1963 5, df=yes
Birth Place:Czechoslovakia
Position:Forward

Michal Váňa (born 13 May 1963)[1] is a former football player from Czechoslovakia, who played professionally in Europe and Asia.

Early career

Váňa played for numerous clubs in his native country of Czechoslovakia, including Dukla Prague, Slavia Prague and Benešov.[2]

Career in Asia

Váňa was part of the Singapore M-League, which won the 1994 Malaysia Cup. He disappeared in mid-season, and remains a fugitive.The ex-Malaysia Cup star was arrested and charged with six counts of match-fixing.[3] He escaped from the country before he could be tried in court, leaving on a different passport after his original one had been confiscated.[4] [5] According to a Singapore newspaper, Váňa's Bayshore Park condominium was almost completely emptied.[6] He was given a lifetime ban from football by FIFA, which was later annulled.[2] He was last seen in Singapore on 28 September 1994, two days before his trial was to begin. In 2011, an Australian production company named Touchwood Productions claimed to have found Váňa, and they interviewed him for a documentary[7] on the life of Abbas Saad, who was also linked to Váňa. Saad was charged and given a lifetime ban from football.

The Documentary featuring Michal Vana, titled "The Abbas Saad Story" was released and aired in Malaysia in March 2015 on ASTRO TV.[8]

Notes and References

  1. Footballdatabase EU. Football Database http://www.footballdatabase.eu/football.joueurs.michal.vana.194027.en.html, Retrieved on 7 December 2014.
  2. Web site: Hledá ho Singapur, Váňa je v Berouně. Czech. Mladá fronta DNES. Filip. Saiver. 18 April 2007. 9 December 2014.
  3. Web site: Abbas: Vana offered to pay for goals. New Straits Times. Iris. Maniam. 2 June 1995. 9 December 2014.
  4. Web site: Fixing football from Singapore: A timeline. Neil. Humphreys. BBC News. 28 October 2013. 7 December 2014.
  5. Book: Lim. Peter. Chronicle of Singapore, 1959-2009: Fifty Years of Headline News. 2009. 257. 9789814217750. 7 December 2014.
  6. Web site: His bloody-minded will to kill & survive at all costs. Santokh Singh. asiaone.com. 10 May 2009. 7 December 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141225003458/http://news.asiaone.com/News/The+New+Paper/Story/A1Story20090510-140466.html. 25 December 2014. live.
  7. Web site: Fugitive meets former teammate after 17 years. Lim Say Heng. asiaone.com. 5 March 2012. 7 December 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141225202026/http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest+News/Sports/Story/A1Story20120303-331411.html. 25 December 2014. live.
  8. Web site: Turning Point: A Saad, Saad story. NICHOLAS ANDREW JOHN. fourthofficial.com. 23 October 2014. 6 April 2015.