Slavia Praha fans are honoring former players, such as the club’s all-time leading goal-scorer Josef ‘Pepi’ Bican, with the project aimed at maintaining his and other gravesites around Prague.

Fans of Slavia have adopted Bican’s gravestone in Vyšehrad Cemetery, where the graves of famous Czech names are obscured by overgrown weeds.

Although he played in the early 20th century, Slavia fans today have high regards for Bican. “I didn’t experience watching him, but I know that my grandfather played against him,” young fan Mirek said. “I also know he scored many goals during his career.”

The group also adopted the grave of John William Madden, a former Slavia Praha manager who was buried in the Olšany Cemetery.

Slavia Praha is one of the most successful football teams in Prague, winning the Czech First League last season.

They were bought in late 2023 by billionaire investor and lifelong fan, Pavel Tykač.

There are many tributes to Bican at Slavia Praha’s home ground, Fortuna Arena, including a memorial tile beneath the club’s wall-of-fame and ‘legend’ t-shirts available to buy in the club shop.

Bican’s gravestone attracts many visitors. “We stopped by because we were intrigued by the football on the grave,” a German man told us at the cemetery, before he started to Google who Bican is.

Hopefully, this project will kick-off more attention to Slavia Praha’s club legends.

Story written by Grace Laidler, Ani Hovhannisyan, Magdalena Stajkovic and Veronika Kotmanová.