Story Summary
Sparta Prague forward Jiří Sekáč has been suspended for one match following his foul on České Budějovice forward Michal Bulíř in Thursday’s postponed seventh-round Extraliga fixture.
Sekáč will therefore be unavailable for Sparta’s Sunday game away to reigning champions Pardubice. The disciplinary commission imposed the ban after the incident late in the second period.
Referees Jan Jaroš and Matěj Sýkora reviewed the play on video before giving Sekáč a five-minute major and game misconduct for contact to the head and neck area.
Key Facts
- Jiří Sekáč received a one-match suspension for his foul on Michal Bulíř of České Budějovice.
- The incident occurred late in the second period of Sparta Prague’s postponed seventh-round Extraliga game against České Budějovice.
- After a video review, referees Jan Jaroš and Matěj Sýkora assessed Sekáč a five-minute major and game misconduct for contact to the head and neck area.
- Sekáč will miss Sparta’s Sunday away fixture against reigning champions Pardubice.
- Disciplinary commission chairman Radim Bičánek said Bulíř had already played the puck and could have been challenged legally because of the minimal delay, but ruled that Sekáč raised his body position late and struck the opponent’s head and neck area primarily with his right shoulder.
IHM Discussion
The decision turns on the finishing position of Sekáč’s check rather than on whether Bulíř had released the puck. Radim Bičánek’s explanation makes clear that the disciplinary commission accepted there was a brief window for a legal challenge, but found that Sekáč elevated into the contact and made the head and neck area the primary point of impact.
The one-game sanction follows an in-game major penalty and game misconduct, leaving Sparta without the forward for a demanding road fixture against Pardubice.
Why It Matters
The ban has an immediate effect on Sparta’s available forward group for Sunday’s visit to Pardubice. It also underlines the disciplinary commission’s assessment that a player may still be accountable for how a check is completed even when an opponent has only just moved the puck.