Former Czech FA chairman sentenced to 10 years

Posted Tuesday, June 28, 2011 by YAHOO Sport

Frantisek Chvalovsky, the former chairman of the Czech Republic’s football association, has been convicted of credit fraud and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Prague’s Municipal court issued the verdict on Tuesday, court spokeswoman Martina Lhotakova said.

Chvalovsky and four other men gave false information to the Komercni Banka in 1998 and 1999 to receive a total of 1.5 billion koruna ($88 million) to finance their business activities. But they used the money to pay back some of their debts and for personal use.

Chvalovsky and the others have to compensate the bank for its damages, the court ruled.

Chvalovsky, who denied any wrongdoing, appealed. He didn’t comment on the verdict on Tuesday.

He was the association chairman for eight years until 2001. As part of the police investigation, he was arrested Feb. 27, 2001 at Prague’s Ruzyne International Airport when he was traveling with the national team to Macedonia for a friendly match, and spent 10 months in a detention cell.

In June 2001, the association fired him from his post.

From 1996 till 2002, Chvalovsky was a member of UEFA’s executive committee.