Everyone watching the footage was discussing the manager’s self-control. Photo credit: Komsan Loonprom/Shutterstock
One football manager appears to have mastered the art of keeping his eyes on anything except the woman standing in front of him. And after explaining why, he has won himself an army of online admirers who reckon he knows exactly what he is doing. David Oulehla, manager of Czech second-division side FK Viagem Ústí nad Labem, went viral after a post-match interview with club reporter Sabina Jáksová.
His team had just lost 3–2 to Opava, but the result was quickly forgotten as viewers noticed his apparent determination not to look directly at the woman asking him questions. The reason became the talking point of the internet. Oulehla later explained that his wife was waiting for him at home, and he had no intention of taking any unnecessary risks. “My wife is waiting for me at home,” and, judging by the footage, he was taking that very seriously.
‘Poor man is fighting for his life’
The interview attracted attention partly because Jáksová was wearing an extremely revealing a top with much of her breasts visible, viewers were quick to notice that Oulehla seemed to be directing his gaze everywhere except towards the reporter. Online, plenty of men appeared to admire his determination to avoid trouble at home. One commenter joked, “man’s wife was watching he wasn’t going to take any risks”, while another suggested, “I don’t think it was the eye contact he was avoiding”. one man even suggested ” He worked harder in this interview than the whole team during the game” with a third summing up the situation with the comment, “poor man is fighting for his life”.
The reactions played on the idea that Oulehla was less concerned about the interview itself than about what might happen when he got home if his wife saw him looking in the wrong direction. Another popular interpretation was that it was not eye contact he was trying to avoid at all. The jokes continued, with viewers imagining the consequences if he had allowed his eyes to wander for even a second. In the court of social media, Oulehla had apparently been handed a test of marital loyalty, and the safest strategy was to keep looking at the nearest available wall. His football team might not have got the result it wanted, but his post-match interview was proving a much bigger success online.
Reporter’s outfit sparks a separate debate
While many viewers were amused by Oulehla’s apparent self-control, others focused on Jáksová’s clothing. Some critics argued that her top was inappropriate for a professional football interview, with comments suggesting she looked as though she had “forgotten to put a blouse on” or was dressed as though she were wearing her underwear.
The criticism centred on how much of her breasts were visible, with some viewers apparently struggling to understand why she had chosen the outfit for a professional interview. Others questioned why so much attention was being paid to her appearance when she was simply carrying out her job. The debate added another layer to the viral clip, which had already prompted jokes about the manager’s apparent determination to keep his eyes firmly elsewhere.
‘I was concentrating on what he was saying’
Jáksová has defended her approach to dressing, explaining that she does not consider herself to be dressing provocatively. She has also said that looking smart, wearing attractive clothes and putting on heels are normal choices for women in the Czech Republic. The reporter also said she had not even noticed that Oulehla was avoiding her gaze during the interview because she was concentrating on what he was saying.
The moment that thousands of viewers turned into an internet spectacle was not necessarily as awkward for the two people involved as it appeared from the outside. Oulehla was trying to discuss football whilst being presented with distractions. Jáksová was trying to conduct an interview. The internet, meanwhile, had other ideas. And his explanation about his wife gave the clip a punchline that practically wrote itself. After all, losing a match is one thing. Having to explain to your wife why you were staring at the reporter afterwards might be an entirely different kind of defeat.