Karol Dobiaš

Karol Dobiaš
	Dobiaš in 1970
Personal information
Full name	Karol Dobiaš
Date of birth	18 December 1947 (age 77)
Place of birth	Handlová, Czechoslovakia
Position(s)	Right back / Midfielder
Youth career
1956–1965	Baník Handlová
Senior career*
Years	Team
1965–1977	Spartak Trnava
1977–1980	Bohemians Prague
1980–1984	Lokeren
1984	Racing Gand
Total
National team
1967–1980	Czechoslovakia
Teams managed
1984–1988	Bohemians Prague (youth)
1988	SK Hradec Králové
1990–1993	Zbrojovka Brno
1993–1994	Sparta Prague
1995	SK Sparta Krč
2003–2004	Bohemians Prague (assistant)
Honours
Representing Czechoslovakia
UEFA European Championship
	* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Karol Dobiaš (born 18 December 1947) is a former Slovak football player and coach. He played as a defender or a midfielder. During his career, he was a versatile player, mostly playing as a mdfielder. He was renowned as a strong, quick, tenacious footballer and a team player who stood out for his outstanding defensive class and playmaking abilities in defence and in midfield, he was praised for his speed and his tackling, and he is considered as one of the best defenders and midfielders ever in football history. He was chosen as Czechoslovak Footballer of the Year in 1970 and 1971.

Club career

Karol Dobiaš in 1969

Karol Dobiaš played for Baník Handlová in his youth. In 1965 he moved to Spartak Trnava, with whom he won the Czechoslovak championship five times and the Czechoslovak Cup three times. From 1970 to 1971, he was recognized as the best footballer in Czechoslovakia. In 1977 he moved to Bohemians Prague. In the Czechoslovak League, Dobiaš played 344 games, scoring 20 goals. In 1980 he was allowed to move abroad and went to the Belgian club KSC Lokeren. He finished his career in 1984 with FC Heirnis Gent.

International career

Karol Dobiáš made his debut for Czechoslovakia on 3 May 1967 in Basel, in a friendly match against Switzerland, playing 64 minutes before being replaced by Vladimír Táborský. Dobias participated in the 1970 FIFA World Cup, playing all 3 matches without being substituted. As a member of the Czechoslovakian national team, Karol Dobiáš became the 1976 European champion, in the final match in the 25th minute, after a mistake by Franz Beckenbauer, Dobiáš scored the second goal against West Germany from distance. At the 1980 UEFA European Championship, Dobiáš was part of the squad but did not play in the tournament. Dobiáš played his last match for the national team on 26 March 1980, as in his first match against Switzerland, again in Basel. In total, Karol Dobiáš played 67 matches for the Czechoslovakia national team, scoring 6 goals.

Managerial career

As a coach, Karol Dobiáš worked with the youth team of Bohemians for 4 years, and in 1988 he took charge of Hradec Králové, but was soon fired. In September 1990, Dobiáš became the head coach of Zbrojovka, the first season under Dobiáš ended in failure for the club from Brno: the team took the last place in the standings, leaving the First League. Dobiáš continued to work with the club and in one season brought it back to the First League (at that time the club was called Bobi Brno). In the 1993/94 season, Karol Dobiáš coached Sparta Prague, with whom he won the first Czech championship. Later, he headed the club Sparta Krč, worked as a scout at Sparta, and in the 2003/04 season he was an assistant coach of Bohemians. During the 2008 European Championships, he was a pundit on the Czech version of the Eurosport channel.