After the fiasco against the Irish, Marco Rossi wants to leave: leaked news on the likely decision – updated

One and a half weeks ago, on a Sunday, it was finally confirmed: it will be at least 44 years before the Hungarian national football team appears at a World Cup again. Many blamed Marco Rossi, the national team coach, for the embarrassing home defeat to Ireland, though even then, there were MLSZ members who spoke more cautiously about the painful loss. Rossi’s fate will be decided at today’s board meeting, after media reports suggested he had submitted his resignation. However, according to Blikk’s sources, the decision has already been made.

They couldn’t even speak after the defeat

Two weeks earlier, the Hungarian team played Ireland in a match that, following the miracle win over Portugal, might have allowed direct qualification for the 2026 World Cup in North America. The reality was a playoff, but no one expected that after taking the lead, the Irish would not only equalise but score a winner in the 96th minute, dashing Hungary’s World Cup hopes definitively.

• Hungary misses out on 2026 World Cup after heartbreaking 3–2 defeat to Ireland

Although fans applauded the national team’s effort on the pitch, Szoboszlai was barely able to speak to the media, and Sándor Csányi, OTP CEO and MLSZ president, spoke tearfully in front of the cameras. Gábor Török, MLSZ board member and political analyst, defended the coach at the time. He said what Rossi has achieved is immense and that this season, the national team performed far above the overall level of the Hungarian league. This was also confirmed in a detailed analysis by G7.

Orbán says criticism is justified

Török said, “The Rossi team, despite all its faults, was not the norm but the exception.” He also hinted that Hungary’s football is nowhere near where it should be in nurturing and managing talent, despite huge amounts of public money and intense political attention. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán referred to this too in an interview, saying it is not good that the sports media are not as critical as they should be.

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