PRAGUE: Miroslav Pelta, president of the Czech football federation, has been arrested by police over allegations concerning the award of government grants writes KEIR RADNEDGE.

A spokesman said Pelta, a member of world federation FIFA’s beach soccer committee, was arrested in the presence of his lawyer at the federation offices at Strahov.

Police also raided the offices of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport and top division club FK Jablonec.

Federation spokesman Michal Jurman said: “We can confirm that federation chairman, Mr Pelta, has been detained.” He said officials cooperated with police but offered no further details about the investigation.

The public prosecutor’s office said that three individuals and one company were under investigation over possible irregularities in the awards of grants.

Pelta was elected president of the Czech federation in November 2011 in succession to Ivan Hasek. He was re-elected in 2013.

The 52-year-old is a former goalkeeper whose career was ended early by injury. Later he became a board member of the Jablonec club and was elected president at the age of 27. He also became a member of the city council.

Pelta was also general manager of top club Sparta Praha from 1999 until 2005 when he joined the executive and marketing committees of the Czech federation. He was a member of UEFA’s club competitions committee from 2000 to 2002 and oversaw the hosting of the European under-21 finals in 2015.

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