The high-ranking manager of Czech Railways, Jan Staněk, sits simultaneously on several chairs. In addition to his work in a state-owned company, where he has taken over the powers of a deputy since the new year, he is also pursuing a secondary contract in the first league football club Baník Ostrava. He also recently co-founded a law firm.
At the same time, he claims that his main employer does not suffer from this. “I do it in my spare time,” he said when Seznam Správy asked him about work outside the Czech Railways.
He cannot estimate how much time he devotes to the Ostrava club, where he has been a post development manager for football and legal activities since last July. “I can’t say that, it’s a hobby. People who do philately probably won’t tell you how long they do it in the evenings either,” responded the educated lawyer, who in the past also worked as a football official in Dukla Praha and FC Vysočina Jihlava.
He is said to be working on development projects in Baník. “From his position, he will engage and participate in the area of the club’s sports development, transfers and contractual matters, solving legal issues related to registrations, transfers, licenses or ensuring compliance with the regulations of the FAČR, UEFA and other organizations,” reads the club’s official report.
Stanek finally admitted that this pastime is profitable. He stated that he has a cooperation agreement with the club with a monthly salary “in the lower tens of thousands of crowns gross”.
The list In the past few days, the News has found out that Staněk went to meet the Ostrava footballers at their winter training camp in the Turkish resort of Belek. Club spokesman Marek Lorenc confirmed his presence from the spot.
Even in this case, Staněk sees no problem. “I’m taking a proper vacation,” he wrote briefly from Turkey regarding his several-day trip abroad.
Advisory role in a law firm
All this is happening in a situation where Staňka’s work and responsibility have significantly increased in České Drahy. For three years he was the director of the legal department in the state railway company. In the new year, however, he is also entrusted with the management of the entire human resources section, under which several departments and departments fall.
In fact, she thus performs the deputy’s job, which until recently was held by Blanka Havelková, a member of the board of directors who was dismissed in December. In addition, he is also a member of the supervisory board of the subsidiary ČD travel.
In recent months, Staněk has been simultaneously developing other private activities. It’s not just about football. From 2024, he is a half-owner of the Hradec Králové company NHK Stav, whose business is the implementation of buildings, their changes and removal. Last August, together with two friends, he founded the Fairzone law firm, which wants to focus on sports law. Even in this case, he claims that he will only attend to the office marginally outside of normal working hours at Czech Railways.
“Although my role will only be advisory for now and I will basically contribute a little in my free time, I really wanted to be at the birth of this project and I am looking forward to how it will develop,” said Staněk after establishing an office on the professional social network LinkedIn.
ČD management: Activities do not limit performance
List The reports asked the CEO of Czech Railways, Michal Krapinec, about the work of Jan Staňek. Is it humanly possible to coordinate all these activities so that the state company does not come up short. Krapinec read the sent question, but did not respond to it.
However, the company’s spokesperson, Petr Šťáhlavský, said that he does not see any conflict of interest in the senior manager of Drah. “Mr. Staněk engages in his private activities exclusively in his free time and in accordance with the internal rules of the Czech Railways. These activities do not in any way limit the performance of his duties or the fulfillment of his responsibilities towards the company,” he said and confirmed that Staněk took a vacation for the current football trip to Turkey.
Whether Jan Staněk, given the breadth of his activities, will be able to properly perform the entrusted functions, railway trade unionists who have already discussed with Staněk in his new position do not yet dare to judge.
“So far, he has been there (at the head of the human resources department) for too short a time for me to be able to evaluate his work. I know nothing about his secondary activities. Each person must decide for himself how much he is capable of handling,” said Štěpán Lev, who is vice-chairman of the Railway Workers’ Union, chairman of the works committee and also a member of the supervisory board of Czech Railways, about Staňka.
Corporate passion for football
Jan Staněk is not the only manager from Czech Railways who is close to football. Since 2023, Jakub Otava has been the director of communications and marketing in the state-controlled joint-stock company. In the past, he worked as a personnel director at AC Sparta Prague and was also a member of the board of directors there.
In the summer of 2024, Krapinac’s entire management faced the suspicion that they prioritized football over the proper performance of their assigned functions.
Seznam The News described at the time how 21 people from management – all board members and selected professional directors – took a trip to the European football championship in Germany during a normal working week. The state company then paid almost 500 euros (around 12 thousand crowns) for the accommodation of one person in Hamburg.
Despite the reservations of the then Minister of Transport Kupka and the protests of some members of the supervisory board, who requested that the participants of the tour pay for it themselves, this event ultimately had no consequences for the management. The top boss of the Krapinec company defended the three-day trip to Germany on the basis of long-term cooperation with the Football Association of the Czech Republic, from which they said they had free tickets.
Contractual cooperation with Czech football continues. Last year, České dráhy concluded a new strategic partnership with the League Football Association and thus became the official carrier of league football.
