“The last time Slovan Bratislava and Sparta Prague met in a competitive environment Czechoslovakia was at the end of the mutual and peaceful divorce known as ‘The Velvet Revolution’. Then it was a cold February day in 1993 when the Czech Republic and Slovakia had just formally broken ties, this time it was a slightly chilly October evening in 2014. During the days of the CSSR both Czech and Slovak clubs competed against each other on a weekly basis. Despite Sparta Prague having their Czech rivals and Slovan Bratislava their Slovak adversaries, there was always a special place reserved for meetings between the two clubs. Their contests would be known as the ‘Federal Derby’; a game which pitted the biggest clubs of Prague and Bratislava against each other and a fixture which took on some nationalist significance. Despite the peaceful divorce between the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and the dissolution of the First Czechoslovak League into the Gambrinus and Corgon Ligas, the events at the Stadion Pasienky tonight were anything but friendly.” CZEFootball