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Thirteen suspects, including Karviná midfielder Samuel Šigut, have admitted involvement in a football corruption scandal in Czechia, according to police documents cited by Czech Radio. The case involves alleged match-fixing, bribery and betting manipulation, mainly in Moravia-Silesia. Police charged 32 people in March. Investigators say some players accepted bribes to influence matches, while others were motivated by financial hardship or hopes of better contracts. Police believe the wider network included intermediaries recruiting players and overseas bettors, with possible links to the Balkans.

Czech banks and building savings institutions issued mortgage loans worth CZK 61.5 billion in April, up 11 percent from March and 90 percent higher than a year earlier, according to the Czech Banking Association’s Hypomonitor. New mortgages, excluding refinancing, rose to CZK 44.2 billion, while the number of newly issued loans climbed to just over 9,000. The average mortgage rate edged up to 4.52 percent from 4.43 percent in March. Analysts say demand was partly boosted by borrowers rushing to secure financing before tighter conditions for investment mortgages and further rate increases. The average newly issued mortgage reached CZK 4.89 million, about 20 percent higher than a year ago, reflecting continued pressure from high property prices.

The Czech national team’s second match at the Ice Hockey World Championship against Slovenia brought them only one point out of a possible three. Despite turning the game around in the second period to lead 2–1 after conceding first, regulation time ended in a 2–2 draw. Slovenia then decided the Group B match in Fribourg in overtime with a goal for 3–2.

The Czechs did not build on their opening win against Denmark (4–1). It was also the first time in history that they lost to Slovenia at a World Championship.

An interesting detail of the match was that the Slovenian goalkeeper was Lukáš Horák, a native of Most. The Czech team has a rest day on Sunday and will face Sweden on Monday at 20:20.

Although harmful emissions from road transport in the Czech Republic are above the European average, the number of inspections targeting visibly smoking vehicles has declined. The Road Transport Inspection Authority carried out 165 emissions measurements between last July and this March, compared with more than 500 in the previous year.

“The inspection authority cannot replace the role of emissions testing stations, which provide broad and regular vehicle checks. Our task is to strengthen safety and fair conditions in road transport,” said the head of the inspection division, Pavel Bergman.

He emphasized that inspectors still check vehicles that draw attention, for example due to visible smoke emissions. “However, this is not a substitute for regular technical inspections,” he added.

Out of the 165 measurements conducted, the inspection authority found violations in 38 vehicles — nearly one quarter of the total.