Václav Jemelka

Václav Jemelka (born 23 June 1995) is a Czech professional footballer who plays as a defender for Viktoria Plzeň and the Czech Republic national football team. Jemelka started his professional career with Sigma Olomouc, spending six years with the club including a season where he played on loan in Belgium for OH Leuven.

Career
Jemelka was one of five players promoted from Sigma Olomouc's B-team to the senior team ahead of the 2016–17 season, which the club played in the second-tier Czech National Football League having been relegated the previous season. He made his Czech First League debut on 30 July 2017 in a match against Mladá Boleslav. His first goal came in a controversial manner in Sigma's 1–1 draw at Slavia Prague on 10 September 2017, scoring the goal with his hand. After playing the first six games of the 2020–21 season, Jemelka joined Belgian Pro League side OH Leuven on loan for the rest of the season in October 2020.

Jemelka joined Viktoria Plzeň in August 2022, signing a three-year contract with the club. His first competitive goal for Plzeň came against Mladá Boleslav; Jemelka scored the second goal in a 2–0 Czech First League win in October 2022.

International career
On 11 November 2020, Jemelka debuted for the Czech senior squad in a friendly match against Germany. In March 2021, he was called up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification to replace the injured Tomáš Kalas, but felt ill and had to stay at home for the match against Estonia national football team. Jemelka also was not included in the Czech Republic's UEFA Euro 2020 squad due to another health issue.