European Championship

Breaking: Hungary eliminated from European Football Championship 2024

European Football Championship hungary switzerland

The European Football Championship ended for the Hungarian national team last night. As Georgia defeated Portugal 2-0 in Group F on Wednesday night, Hungary will not qualify for the last eight at the EURO 2024 in Germany.

Although football fans had been hoping for days that Hungary might make it to the last 16, it turned out to be a long shot as four third-placed teams beat Hungary to the final, Telex reports.

European Football Championship hungary switzerland
The Hungarian team after the 1-3 defeat against Switzerland on 15 June 2024. Photo: MTI/Illyés Tibor

Hungary’s match against Scotland

On Sunday night, the Hungarian team scored their first win of this year’s European Championship against Scotland. After a horror injury suffered by Barnabás Varga, the game was stopped for a long time and ten minutes of additional time were played. After a nice interplay, Kevin Csoboth scored in the 100th minute. With the three points, Hungary overtook Scotland to finish third in the group.

European Football Championship ends for Hungary

In addition to the top two finishers from each of the six groups, the four best third-placed groups will also progress to the last 16. As the Hungarian team was overtaken by four third-placed teams, last night meant the end for Hungary at this year’s European Football Championship.

The Hungarian national team will next face Germany in Düsseldorf on 7 September in the fourth season of the Nations League.

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Can Hungary win the European Championship? Here are the odds!

european championship hungary switzerland

The Hungarian national team played their first match of this year’s European Championship yesterday, losing 1-3 to Switzerland. How likely is it that Hungary can be the European Championship winner? Here are the odds!

european championship hungary switzerland
The Hungarian starting team during the Hungary vs Switzerland match in Group A of the European Football Championship at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne, Germany on June 15, 2024. Switzerland won 3-1. Photo:
MTI/Koszticsák Szilárd

As G7.hu writes, England is the most likely to win the European Championship. According to bookmakers’ odds, the English team has a nearly 20% chance of winning the final, compared to 1 in 6 for France and roughly 1 in 7 for Germany.

Could Hungary win the championship?

The Hungarian national team is given a 1% chance. Although this does not seem like much, according to G7.hu, it is an improvement on the 2021 European Championship, as it was only 0.19% then. This year, eight teams are behind us in the ranking.

In Hungary’s group (Group A), the bookmakers think that the Swiss, along with the German team, have a better chance of advancing than us. Meanwhile, the Hungarian team has a better chance than the Scottish team.

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New York Times: Orbán uses Hungarian football as a political weapon

orban hungarian football team

The New York Times’ The Athletic published an article apropos of the ongoing European Championship, criticising the Fidesz government’s politicisation of Hungarian football in recent years. “Politics and football are now inseparable” in the country, it writes, with “links back to Orban at every turn.”

The Athletic, part of The New York Times Company, begins a recent article with a quote from PM Viktor Orbán in which he declares that Hungary’s national football team has a “chance to win against anyone,” and will certainly try so, as “[w]e are men and we want to beat you.”

“The words were typical Orban; a nationalistic projection of defiance, a refusal to accept Hungary’s place in the established order of modern Europe.”

–  the site assesses the PM’s words.

Football, the NYT argues, has been thoroughly politicised in the country under Orbán’s leadership, because “the nation’s 61-year-old populist and autocratic figurehead, knows a good thing when he sees one and has been quick to latch onto the team’s rise.” In Hungary, “[p]olitics and football are now inseparable”, and “[t]here are links back to Orban at every turn.”

orban hungarian football team
Viktor Orbán poses with a Hungary scarf, with the image saying “The Hungarians are off!” The caption of Orbán’s Facebook post reads: Watch out, Germany!
Photo: Viktor Orbán / Facebook

Billions of USD spent on football to further political goals

After returning to power in 2010, the Fidesz government made it possible for wealthy individuals and businesses to get tax benefits “when investing a portion of their wealth into sport, [effectively bringing about] a redistribution of the public purse, with money siphoned away from central government to fund a structural rebuild of Hungarian football.”

With an estimated USD 2.8 billion of public funds spent on building new and renovating old stadiums and training facilities all over the country, football has become more than a mere sport in the country. Instead, as Simon Chadwick, professor of sport and geopolitical economy says, it is “a way of expressing an ideology.”

The success of Hungarian football, the argument goes, is a representation of the overall flourishing of the country under the Fidesz government, with the sport becoming a tool “to secure political gains domestically and legitimacy further afield.” As Professor Chadwick sees it, “Orban understands the power of football”.

Countries like Saudi Arabia, China or Russia offer a “21st-century despotic template, whereby sports, particularly football, are a means to assert power but also project a particular image of a country. […] Internationally, Orban does have a sharp sense of diplomacy. The word that ties it all together is ‘legitimacy’. And football gives countries a legitimacy that they otherwise might not have.”

Indeed, after hosting European Championship and Europa League matches, the Puskás Arena in Budapest will now be home to the 2025-2026 Champions League final. Moreover, Dominik Szoboszlai has made headlines by signing on with Liverpool. Thus,

“Orban’s supporters argue [spending on football stadiums and practice venues] been money well spent after decades of decline.”

As sports journalist János Kele highlights, many people are excited about football. According to the UEFA, Hungary is among the top five nations to have requested Euro 2024 tickets from outside tournament hosts.

At the same time, many in the opposition see the lavish public investment in football as “a political tool”. They are quick to point out that in actuality, the domestic league is ranked quite low internationally, and that many of the most excellent players of today have trained elsewhere, and, therefore, owe their development to other countries.

Some of the national team, Kele says, “came from the Hungarian grassroots, like Szoboszlai, Sallai, and Peter Gulacsi, and some of them are completely the product of another country’s system, like Loic Nego (born in France), Willi Orban (Germany), Callum Styles (England), Marton Dardai (Germany).”

puskas arena champions league 2026 russia match
The Puskás Arena lit up in red, white, and green.
Source: Facebook/Puskás Aréna

There are other threads connecting Orbán to Hungarian football

Besides the monetary connections – and the fact that Orbán himself is a football fan – there are other links between him and the upper echelons of the sport, the NY Times writes. “Ferencvaros, Hungary’s most decorated club, have Gabor Kubatov, a senior figure in Fidesz, as president; it’s the same story with Andras Tallai, the secretary of state for parliamentary affairs and taxation, at Mezokovesd Zsory” football club.

“Sandor Csanyi, Hungary’s richest man and a long-standing ally of the prime minister, has been the president of the national football association since 2010, […] while Lorinc Meszaros, another of Hungary’s wealthiest individuals, is the leading backer of Puskas Akademia, a tiny club only founded in 2005 and based in Orban’s home village of Felscut [sic] .”

Ultras as weaponised tools of politics

Lastly, the NY Times goes on to describe a subset of fans of the sport, the ultras, who stand as another thread that connects Orbán and Hungarian football together.

“Marching under the banner of the Carpathian Brigade, a nationalist ultras group formed in 2009, they have earned notoriety for violence, racism and an anti-LGBTQI+ stance across the past decade. To many, these fans are Orban’s unofficial footsoldiers.”

Hungarian football fans
Photo: facebook.com/carpathianbrigade

In recent years, the site writes, the ultras have gained a reputation for hooliganism, racism and homophobia: in 2016, they fought in the stands at the Euro 2016, and in 2021 they clashed with police and stewards during a match. The same year, Hungary was fined for the racist abuse against Raheem Sterling and Jude Bellingham during a match with England at the Puskás Arena.

Also in 2021, and at the same arena, homophobic banners were on display during a match against Portugal, and a similar banner was also seen while the Hungarian football team played Germany, the New York Times lists, going on to highlight that:

“Tellingly, though, there is never any government condemnation of Hungary’s supporters. The opposite, in fact.”

Péter Szijjártó, for example, called the UEFA a “pitiful and cowardly body” after Hungary received fines because of the behaviour of the ultras. According to Professor Chadwick, the government has “weaponized” these fans.  According to Kele, the ultras are

“the minority in the fanbase. But they are the loudest […] They show up in their black T-shirts and it’s a bit frightening. Orban has very good political connections with this far-right fanbase, who are strongly and deeply supportive of his views. And he will never condemn those fans.”

The nationalist, anti-immigration stance of the Carpathian Brigade fits too well with Orbán’s political rhetoric, the NYT concludes.

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Hungary–Switzerland match 1-3

european championship hungarian team

Hungary–Switzerland: Hungary starts the 2024 European Football Championship against Switzerland at 3 PM today. Follow the match with us!

HUNGARY-SWITZERLAND: 1-3

Thank you for following the game with us!

Switzerland scores: 1-3

The Swiss team scored its 3rd goal.

Added time: 5 mins

5 minutes extra.

Hungarian indicators improved

The Hungarian team improved in several indicators compared to the first half. Although the Swiss still have more shots (11-6) according to Whoscored.com, ball possession is leveling off (52.8-47.2 percent) and passing efficiency is nearly the same (85-83 percent).

Hungarian team finds itself

The Hungarian team is starting to recover, as Varga’s goal proves.

Barnabás Varga scores! 1-2

The long-awaited goal is here!

Second half starts

The Swiss started the second half. The Hungarian team has a big task ahead of them: they have to come back from a two-goal deficit.

Hungary is not doing too well

Hungarian attackers have so far gone almost unnoticed. The defence is also more vulnerable than usual, and the second goal was scored from an easy position.

Switzerland scores again

switzerland goal
Photo: MTI/Illyés Tibor

Switzerland (Michel Aebischer) scored its 2nd goal in the 45th minute.

The Swiss team is better in most indicators

According to Whoscored.com stats, the Swiss had much more possession (38.7 vs. 61.2 percent), better passing (86 vs. 76 percent), won more headers (8-6), and shot more (4-2) in the first half.

No spectacular change in the game since the goal

The Swiss didn’t give the initiative to the Hungarians after their goal, they continue to attack more and look more confident. The Hungarian team can’t even finish counterattacks, Telex writes.

Hungary–Switzerland: 0-1

hungary switzerland goal
Switzerland (Kwadwo Duah) scores against Hungary. Photo: MTI/Koszticsák Szilárd

Switzerland scores in the 12th minute. (Scorer: Kwadwo Duah)

Szoboszlai youngest ever captain in EC history

Dominik Szoboszlai just wrote history: he is the youngest-ever captain in European Championship history, Telex reports.

european championship hungarian team
The starting lineup of the Hungarian team at their first match against Switzerland on 15 June, 2024. Photo: MTI/Illyés Tibor

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VIDEO: Thousands of Hungarian fans march to the stadium of the Hungary-Switzerland match in Cologne

The European Championship started yesterday. The Hungarian national team will start their part of the tournament against Switzerland in Cologne at 3 PM, and thousands of Hungarian fans are already on the spot.

This year as well, Hungarian fans are marching through the host city of the first Hungarian match.

Hungarian fans started to gather in the morning to walk to the RheinEnergie Stadion, two kilometres away. According to Telex, the march must have numbered in the thousands. The march was escorted by police, who pointed out at the beginning that the use of pyrotechnics was prohibited.

As we reported earlier, the Wizz Air flight that was supposed to take Hungarian supporters to Germany was delayed by two hours: it now emerged that the plane landed 1,5 hours after it was supposed to, and the airline also sent buses to pick up fans and take them to Cologne.

Photos taken by our editor-in-chief in Cologne:

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Huge delay at Budapest Airport: Many could miss the Hungary-Switzerland match

Wizz Air passengers Budapest Airport jet fuel

Today is the second day of the European Championship, and Hungary and Switzerland are playing this afternoon. For the time being, it looks like a huge delay at Budapest Airport may cause many people to miss the game.

Huge delay at Budapest Airport

Wizz Air flight W62291 Budapest-Dortmund is expected to depart from Budapest on Saturday with a two-hour delay, Index reports. Several Hungarian fans have also booked tickets for the flight. They are on their way to Cologne, about 100 kilometres from the landing point, for the Hungary-Switzerland match which starts at 3 PM.

Máté Szabó of Sport TV reported about this on his X-site (formerly Twitter), Nemzeti Sport noticed. Szabó later learned that a flight arriving from London to Budapest was going on to Dortmund.

“Organising a “fan flight” to a Hungarian match like this is a bad decision, to say the least,” he added.

He wrote “This morning’s Dortmund-Budapest Wizz Air flight full of Hungarian fans was delayed by 2 hours… I know what I would do in such a situation for excellent PR if I were the company: I would send buses to the airport to take people with tickets to the match to Cologne…”

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European Championship: Cheer on your favourite team in Buda Castle!

várkert bazaar football European Championship

From June 14, football enthusiasts can take over the Öntőház courtyard of the Várkert Bazaar, which was renovated 10 years ago. All European Championship matches can be followed for free on a giant screen.

On the specially designed fan terrace, not only a unique atmosphere but also a wonderful view of the Danube awaits all interested, the National Hauszmann Programme writes. Fans can also buy refreshing drinks on-site. At the foot of the prestigious walls of the Buda Castle, football will take centre stage, and among the diverse program offerings characteristic of the Várkert Bazaar, the cheer “Go, Hungarians!” can resound again.

Watch European Championship matches in Buda Castle

várkert bazaar football European Championship
Fans watching a football match in the Várkert Bazaar on 23 June 2021. Photo: Nemzeti Sport

For the first time during the 2021 European Championship, one of Budapest’s most beautiful cultural spaces became a fan venue. Due to its great success, this year, in cooperation with the Nemzeti Sport and the National Széchényi Library, we are awaiting visitors interested in football with special programs.

The set-up giant screen and the accompanying fan terrace will meet the needs of every supporter who wants to follow the decisive matches of the Hungarian national team in a unique environment. At the venue, which can accommodate hundreds of people, our event series will be accompanied by programs related to the world of football, discussions, film screenings, quizzes, and a special exhibition.

Football will take centre stage at several locations in the Buda Castle District. From June 14, visitors are welcomed with a unique exhibition, which will partly be outdoors and partly in the inner spaces of the National Széchényi Library. The exhibition titled “Football of All Times” aims to present the relationship between sport and culture through Hungarian football successes.

On the ramp leading to the fan terrace, the Gloriette, visitors can see one part of the exhibition, which recalls the early period of Hungarian football and one of the heydays of poster art. At the level of the Buda Castle, visitors will be welcomed with football memorabilia, including, among other things, the toto (football pool) inseparable from the world of football, while at the National Széchényi Library, visitors can view Hungarian football’s moving image moments and browse period newspaper reports.

várkert bazaar football european championship
Photo: Nemzeti Sport

Before and after the matches, it is worth taking a pleasant walk in the revitalised city district. Our developments in the Buda Castle District, reborn under the National Hauszmann Program, have already been admired by many prominent figures in Hungarian sports. The stunningly beautiful St. Stephen’s Hall, restored to its original form and opened in 2021, has already been visited by more than a quarter of a million people, including the Hungarian national team’s head coach, Marco Rossi, who found the room impressive.

Just like Hungarian football, the worthy renewal of the Buda Castle District, a symbolic place of the nation and its historical heritage, is a matter for all of us. Let’s cheer together for success.

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Breaking: Hungary qualifies for European Championship! – PHOTOS

hungary bulgarian Euro 2024 Qualifier

The Hungarian national football team secured their place in the 2024 European Championship with a draw against Bulgaria tonight, on 16 November, in Sofia, Bulgaria.

With the success against Bulgaria, the Hungarian national team has already secured its participation in the European Championship. However, the qualification series is not over yet: on Sunday at 15:00, the national team will host Montenegro in the Puskás Arena, m4sport.hu reports.

According to Index, the Hungarian team played much better for most of the meeting. Still, they were losing 2-1 at the end of the 90 minutes. Then came the 97th minute and an own goal on the Bulgarian side. This own goal means a third European Championship in a row for Hungary.

European Championship qualification
Round 9
Group G

Bulgaria-Hungary 2-2 (1-1)
Sofia, Vasil Levski National Stadium, behind closed gates. Led by Stefanski (Poland)

BULGARIA: Naumov – V. Popov, A. Petkov, Antov, Nedyalkov – F. Krastev, Chochev (Atanasov, 43.), Gruev – Despodov (Rusev, 83.), Minchev (Kolev, 72.), Delev (S. Ivanov, 83.). Head coach: Ilian Iliev

HUNGARY: Dibusz – Botka (Kalmár, 81.), Lang, Szalai A. – Nego (Gazdag, 81.), Nagy Á., Styles, Kerkez – Szoboszlai D., Csoboth K. (Nagy Zs., 59.) – Ádám M. (Németh A., 74.). Head coach: Marco Rossi

Sent off: Antov (36.), Kerkez (57.)

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Israeli national football team relocates matches to Hungary

Israeli football team

In a display of international sportsmanship, the Israeli national football team will be relocating its home matches to the Pancho Arena in Felcsút, Hungary, during the November matchdays of the European Championship qualifying series. This decision has been necessitated by the ongoing armed conflict between Palestine and Israel, which has made it impossible for the team to play in their native land. 

Israeli national team matches in Hungary

MLSZ reported that the Israeli national team will play two crucial matches in Hungary. On 15 November, they will face Switzerland, followed by a match against Romania on 18 November. Both of these encounters will take place at the Pancho Arena in Felcsút. These matches hold significant importance in the European Championship qualifying series. Thus, Hungary has offered its facilities as a neutral venue to ensure that the competition proceeds as planned.

Collaboration between associations

This act of solidarity is a result of collaborative efforts between the Israeli Football Association (IFA) and the Hungarian Football Association (MLSZ). The IFA will oversee the organisation of the matches and ticket sales for spectators. Additionally, the MLSZ will provide vital professional support to ensure the smooth preparation and execution of the games.

Global support

Furthermore, this gesture from the MLSZ aligns with expectations that UEFA and the Israeli Federation, along with their respective opponents, would come together to ensure the Israeli national team’s ability to compete. It exemplifies the international football community’s commitment to the spirit of fair play and solidarity.

In conclusion, the decision to host the Israeli national team matches in Hungary ensures that these important matches can proceed despite challenging circumstances.

PHOTOS, VIDEO: The Hungarian national team could not secure a place at the EC in Lithuania

Hungary football

The Hungarian football team, coming from a two-goal deficit, managed to secure a 2-2 draw with Lithuania in a European Championship qualifying match in Kaunas. Although they maintained their position at the top of their group, they failed to secure their spot in the tournament.

Fedor Cernych and Pijus Sirvys gave the home side a two-goal advantage against the Hungarian team that performed poorly in comparison. However, after the break, the situation reversed as Marco Rossi’s team took control. Dominik Szoboszlai scored in the 11th minute and later equalised in the 82nd minute with Barnabás Varga’s 20th goal of the season, as reported by Nemzeti Sport.
Hungary‘s lead over Serbia, who have one additional game to play, narrowed to just one point, but they still maintained a six-point lead over Montenegro, which currently occupies the third position.
Hungary only needs one point to secure their place in the remaining two matches. The national team is set to face winless Bulgaria on 16th November.

HERE IS THE HIGHLIGHT VIDEO OF THE GAME

PHOTOS, VIDEO: Hungary beats Serbia, Hungarians almost surely on the European Championships

Hungary defeated Serbia football

First-half goals from Barnabás Varga and Roland Sallai handed Hungary another inspirational victory under head coach Marco Rossi as they defeated Serbia 2-1 in the Puskás Aréna in Budapest.

Rossi had opted to replace injured central defender Willi Orbán with experienced right-footed defender Attila Fiola in his starting line-up, Ádám Lang and Attila Szalai making up the three-man defensive line in front of goalkeeper Dénes Dibusz. A four-man midfield of Milos Kerkez, Ádám Nagy, Callum Styles and Loic Nego sat behind a dynamic front three of Roland Sallai and captain Dominik Szoboszlai just behind lone central striker Barnabás Varga.

Hungary were well organised, combative and ruthlessly efficient on the counter-attack from the outset. Although Serbia dominated possession throughout, their only goal came via Pavlovic’s flicked header from Zivkovic’s right-wing corner, one which levelled the scores after Varga’s smart, low finish from Loic Nego’s 20th-minute cutback, but which was rendered immaterial just two minutes later when Sallai turned cleverly and lashed a spectacular 36th-minute volleyed winner high into the left side of the visitors’ goal from 20 metres, mlsz.hu wrote.

Read also:

Not even a red card could stop us

An action-packed second half saw Serbia put the ball in the Hungary net twice within the first eight minutes, only for both to be ruled out for offside, as well as hit the right post twice from close range within a few seconds midway through the half as pressure mounted on the hosts. Hungary gave as good as they got though and managed to create numerous opportunities, one for substitute Bendegúz Bolla who shot wide when clean through on goal and several for the dangerous Varga, but the closest the prolific Ferencváros frontman came to extending Hungary’s lead came was when his looping header bounced off the crossbar in the 68th minute.

Although Serbia pushed hard in the remaining time, they couldn’t penetrate Hungary’s stoic defence and on the rare occasions they did, they came up against Dibusz in outstanding form, not least in the 93rd minute when he somehow diverted Milinkovic-Savic’s close-range header over the crossbar, an action which effectively secured victory for Marco Rossi’s team. Not even Zsolt Kalmár’s red card for a second bookable offence after the final whistle could dampen sky-high Hungarian spirits!

This hard-earned three points means Hungary now top their European Championship qualifying group on 13 points, three ahead of Serbia in second spot and five ahead of Montenegro on eight, meaning one more win from their next three fixtures will ensure qualification for EURO 2024 in Germany next summer.

Here is a video of the highlights:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg-Mpd6MeVM

HUNGARY 2-1 SERBIA (HT: 2-1)

Referee: Francois Letexier

HUNGARY (surnames first): Dibusz Dénes – Fiola Attila (Botka Endre, 74), Lang Ádám, Szalai Attila – Nego Loic (Bolla Bendegúz, 63), Nagy Ádám, Styles Callum (Kalmár Zsolt, 63), Kerkez Milos – Sallai Roland (Kata Mihály, 74), Varga Barnabás (Ádám Martin, 84.), Szoboszlai Dominik

SERBIA: V. Milinkovic-Savic – Pavlovic, Milenkovic, Erakovic (Tadic, 46.) – Terzic (Kostic, 46.), Sz. Milinkovic-Savic, Gudelj, Zivkovic (Radonjic, 75.) – Gacinovic (Djuricic, 67.), Mitrovic, Lukic (Ratkov, 84.).

Goalscorers: HUN: Varga Barnabás (21.), Sallai Roland (34.) SRB: Pavlovic (33)

Hungarian U17 national team defeats Wales with three-goal victory!

u17 hungary wales

Two second-half goals sealed a comprehensive victory for Attila Belvon’s team over Wales in their first group match of the UEFA men’s U17 European Championship tournament on Wednesday.

This was the team’s first competitive match under national coach Attila Belvon, since as hosts, playing European Championship qualifiers hadn’t been necessary. Opponents Wales, on the other hand, progressed from their qualifying groups both in autumn and spring, defeating both Croatia and Sweden on their way to this latest edition of UEFA U17 European Championship.

Although there wasn’t a full house at the Nándor Hidegkuti Stadium in Budapest, the fans created a great atmosphere in the arena from the outset. Hungary started the match a little nervously and several errors were evident as Wales dominated possession for the first half an hour or so, the visitors creating two opportunities in that time.

u17 hungary wales
Szilárd Szabó’s goal is celebrated by the players during the Hungary-Wales match. The host Hungarian team defeated Wales 3-0. Source: MTI/Szilárd Koszticsák

Firstly, in the 19th minute, Hatch headed narrowly wide, then in the 31st minute Morgan hit the post. The hosts threatened from corners and free kicks at this stage of the game and it wasn’t until the 41st minute that their first really big chance was created, when Attila Girsik’s superb pass sent Benedek Simon in on goal, but instead of shooting, he tried to go around goalkeeper Margetson and from an acute angle he could only shoot wide.

The Honvéd forward made amends just two minutes later though, latching on to Ádám Bagi’s pass, turning away from his defender and dispatching the ball into Wales’s net.

Wales started the second half in busier fashion, but the first clear sight of goal fell to Benedek Simon again, when he reached Varga’s pass and stroked the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper, only to miss the target by a few centrimetres.

u17 hungary wales
The Hungarian national team before the start of the Hungary-Wales match in the 1st round of the group stage of the U17 European Football Championship at the New Hidegkuti Nándor Stadium on 17 May 2023.
Source: MTI/Szilárd Koszticsák

In the 69th minute, Belvon made two substitutions, Csaba Molnár and Szilárd Szabó entered the field of play and they both made an almost immediate impact, Molnár shooting at goal from the left channel and Szabó converting the ball which had rebounded off the goalkeeper into the net from close range.

Hungary continued to threaten Wales’s backline and the match was finally decided in the 81st minute when a corner from the left found Ádám Umathum and he slid the ball into the net for Hungary’s third unanswered goal of the game.

There were no further goals, so Hungary can be very satisfied with their well-deserved opening victory, thanks largely to an excellent second-half display.

Hungary-Wales 3-0 (HT: 1-0)

Hungary: Áron Yaakobishvili – Attila Girsik, Ádám Umathum, Dominik Kaczvinszki, Csaba Hornyák – Zétény Varga (Csaba Molnár, 69), Noah Fenyő (Manuel Burghart, 90), Martin Kern (Bence Somfalvi, 80), Hunor Németh – Benedek Simon (Mátyás Vidnyánszki, 80), Ádám Bagi (Szilárd Szabó, 69). Head coach: Attila Belvon

Wales: Margetson – Thomas, Clarke, Lawlor, Beecher – Perret, Crew, Andrews – Biancheri, Morgan, Hatch. Head coach: Craig Knight

Goalscorers: Simon (43), Szabó (74), Á. Umathum. (81).

Hungary to host a renowned sport’s European Championship!

Hungary has been awarded the right to host the 2024 European Rowing Championships after the withdrawal of Sabaudia in Italy, the Hungarian Rowing Federation said on Tuesday.

The event will be held in Szeged, in southern Hungary, between 25 and 28 April, the statement said. Some 1,200 participants are expected to arrive from 38-40 countries for the event. The last time Hungary hosted the European rowing championships for adults was 53 years ago, the statement said.

Szeged will also be a host to the International Olympiad in Informatics in summer

Secondary school students from around a hundred countries will participate in the 35th International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) to be held in Szeged, in southern Hungary, from 28 August, an official of the ministry of economic development said on Tuesday. Szabolcs Szolnoki, the deputy state secretary for technology, told a press conference that Hungary won the right to host the event for the second time. It first hosted the event in 1996.

Every country will be represented by four contestants. Hungary, as the organiser, will have eight students competing, he said. Around 1,000 people, including accompanying staff, will attend the event, he added. Competitions will be held on 28 August and 4 September, and the event has been timed to coincide with the 120th birth anniversary of mathematician John von Neumann.

Russians visa Hungary
Read alsoNew developments to improve passenger comfort at Budapest Airport

Russians represent Hungary at the European Figure Skating Championships

European Figure Skating Championships 2023

The Hungarian National Skating Federation (Magyar Országos Korcsolyázó Szövetség, MOKSZ) has chosen mainly Russian competitors to participate in the European Figure Skating Championships. There is only one Hungarian-born among the six competitors. The other five competitors include one Ukrainian-born and four born in Russia.

The championships are held 25-29 January in Espoo, Finland. For almost a year now, it has become common for Russia to be banned from participating in international competitions because of the war.

How can Russian competitors still participate?

24.hu had several questions about the predominant number of foreign athletes, and contacted MOKSZ. So far, the news portal has not received any reply. Among other matters, the portal wanted to know whether they plan to keep the remaining Hungarian skaters, as more and more of them are leaving the country. The portal’s journalists were also wondering why the federation sent Russian competitors if they were aware that Russian competitors were banned from competing.

How this can happen despite the bans can be easily explained by the regulations of the International Skating Union (ISU). According to the regulations, it is not necessary to be a national of a country to compete representing it at European or world championships organised by the federation.

The Hungarian delegation

In figure skating, Julia Láng (the only Hungarian) and Aleksandr Vlasenko are competing. The Russian Vlasenko has been a member of the Hungarian team since 2020. Mariia Ignateva, also Russian-born, is competing in ice dance and has been part of the Hungarian team since 2021. The other ice dancer is Danijil Szemko, who was born in Ukraine. As 24.hu reports, he has been living in Hungary since 2016, has Hungarian citizenship and speaks Hungarian. In pair skating, the Russian-born Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko are participating. Both have been competing in Hungarian colours since the 2021-22 season. Apart from Vlasenko, the Russian competitors all live in Russia, are Russian citizens and train under Russian coaches.

Hungarian figure skaters are leaving their teams

According to 24.hu, more and more Hungarian figure skaters are leaving their teams. The portal highlights that it was valaszonline.hu that has brought attention to the fact that more and more Russian-born figure skaters are competing in Hungarian colours in international competitions. As valaszonline.hu writes, Vivien Papp, who is considered a highly talented athlete, decided to switch countries because of the Russian majority in the Hungarian teams. She has been training in Italy since last year.

Several other figure skaters made the same decision because of the Russian dominance. Mózes Berei, for example, gave his coach, Júlia Sebestyén, the same reason for the change of team:

This inscription, HUN, means my country and my heart to me, to a Russian, it is just letters, and you chose him instead of me.

His teammate, Balázs Berei has continued in the US. In addition, Léna Ekker and Katinka Zsemberi have also left their team as a result of the Russian dominance.

Hungary cancels hosting the European Handball Championship?

handball stadium hungary

The Hungarian government has decided to support grassroots sports for young people rather than going on with plans to host the European handball championship in 2024, Máté Kocsis, the head of the Hungarian Handball Association, said in an interview published by sports portal nemzetisport.hu on Thursday.

“It would not be correct for Hungary to spend billions on the European event, with costs already incurred, while many thousands of children and young athletes are deprived of training opportunities for months due to high energy prices,” Kocsis said, adding that “the two things will not go together”.

Kocsis said Hungary could not co-organise the championship with Austria and Switzerland as originally planned, adding that negotiations on “the best solution” were under way with the two countries. Hungary’s withdrawal “in part or full” from hosting the event “is an existing scenario”, Kocsis said. He added that when Hungary launched its bid to host the event “there was no war, no sanctions or an energy crisis and there were no financial difficulties arising from them”.

The handball association has made a deal with the government that it would use a part of the money saved on the championship to support small sports clubs, Kocsis said.

Kocsis, who is ruling Fidesz’s parliamentary group leader, also announced that he would not run for re-election as head of the association at the organisation’s upcoming general assembly in the spring.

Hungary tops the medal table at the Canoe Sprint European Championships Munich 2022

European Kayak Canoe Championships hungary gold medal

After four days of the competition in Munich the Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe European Championships Munich 2022 has come to an end. The best nations of the last season were excelling also on the Olympic Regatta Course in Munich. Hungary concluded the European Championships on the first place in medal standings, with a total of 17 medals. Germany was second with 16 and Spain third with a total of 15 medals, European Canoe Association said.

On the last day of the European Championships Munich 2022 fifteen canoe sprint finals were on the programme. Hungary, Poland and Spain were among those who were the most satisfied after the last competition day.

Hungary started the canoe sprint finals with gold medal of Noemi Pupp who was the winner of women’s K1 1000 metres final. In the final Justyna Iskrzycka from Poland was second and Isabel Contreras from Spain third. The Hungarian national anthem was played after women’s K2 200 metres final, where their crew finished the race ahead of Poland and Germany.

Bálint Kopasz and Bence Nádas were crowned European Champions in men’s K2 500 metres final. Germany won silver medal and Lithuania bronze. In women’s C2 200 metres final Giada Bragato and Bianka Nagy won the European Champion title for Hungary. Spain was second and Germany third.

There was a tie in women’s K1 500 meters final, where two bronze medals were awarded to Slovenian Anja Osterman and Emma Jorgensen from Denmark. The European Champion title went to Anna Pulawska from Poland, while Eszter Rendessy from Hungary finished second.

Anna Pulawska was also a member of golden Polish K4 crew that celebrated the European Champion title over 500 meters. Denmark was second and Hungary third.

The European Championships Munich 2022 concluded with 5000 metres events that were postponed from Saturday because of thunderstorm. Fernando Pimenta (POR), Walter Bouzan (ESP) and Rafal Rosolski (POL) were the best in men’s kayak. Hungarian Emese Kohalmi was the fastest in women’s kayak, winning the title and gold medal. Susanna Cicali from Italy was second and Eva Barrios from Spain third. In women’s canoe Spain’s Maria Corbera recorded a comfortable win ahead of Annika Loske from Germany and Liudmyla Babak from Ukraine.

“We cannot sit back, the field is obviously very strong.”

The Hungarian kayak canoeing team won 14 medals, 7 gold, 4 silver and 3 bronze at the European Kayak Canoeing Championships, which ended on Sunday in Munich, five of the podium places – in a 2-2-1 distribution – were in Olympic events.

In his assessment, the federation captain Csaba Hüttner said that they could be fully satisfied, because the events they had won at the World Championships in Canada two weeks earlier had been won again.

“We have won three more and we have also made progress in the Olympic numbers in terms of medals and points. In this year’s world championships, five of our six Olympic champions from last year did not compete, but this young team was able to win the points race at both the World Championships and the European Championships, finishing at the top of the medal table at the European Championships, which is a very big thing,” he said.

He pointed out that the women’s kayak division has also made progress in the Olympic numbers, but of course they are waiting for the return of the experienced competitors who missed this season for various reasons.

“If we can bring back the experienced racers and still teach the youngsters, we will be able to achieve great results,”

he added.

Hüttner said Hungary was back on the map in men’s kayaking in the quadruple sculls – the team finished fourth this time after finishing 11th at the World Championships – and that this was very important for qualification for next year’s Olympics. The captain once again highlighted

Bálint Kopasz, who won the K-1 1000m and K-2 500m with Bence Nádas, and who also doubled in the two pentathlon events at the European Championships.

“This is a historic feat in sport. It is very rare to meet such a professional athlete,” he said.

According to Csaba Hüttner, the canoe pair Giada Bragato and Bianka Nagy, who brought home a total of four medals from the two world championships, have improved a lot this year, are making progress year on year and hope to be in contention for victory in the future.

The national captain has repeatedly said that he sees this year as a trial year ahead of the 2023 World Championship qualifiers.

“We cannot sit back, the field is obviously very strong. We have to make a plan to get the maximum number of quotas next year, even at the expense of results. We have a lot of athletes who can be successful in the five-peat and depending on the way the Games are run, we will need a lot of fresh people in Paris,”

said Csaba Hüttner.

New multifunctional arena is almost finished in Budapest – PHOTOS!

handball stadium hungary

Construction work of Budapest Multifunctional Sports and Event Hall built in Budapest’s Népliget area is very close to finishing after its start in 2019. The impressive building will be able to host 22,000 visitors and will be finished by the end of this year.

Market Építő Zrt is making a remarkable arena as the main entrepreneur in the project. The complex is Europe’s biggest handball arena, and the location is relatively easily accessible as well, since the building is behind the bus station, in between Gyáli street and Üllői street. – writes Magyarepitok.

49 VIP boxes, 14 lifts, 8 escalators got a place in the stadium, which also has an impressive height: the highest point of the arena is at 40,5 meters.

On their Facebook page, Market Építő Zrt. posted that a display in the arena has arrived, and its weight is massive. Along with the cube, it is a total of 12 tons and has more than 14 million pixels.

 

Besides handball, hockey matches can also be played in this building. Thanks to the parameters, the structure can even host basketball, volleyball, and badminton matches, tennis, skating, martial arts, weightlifting, fencing, gymnastics, but even horse and motorcycle competitions can occur in the arena.

Futuristic Hungexpo will bring a new type of tourism to Hungary – PHOTOS

The hall will be inaugurated at the 2022 Men’s European Handball Championship, co-organized by Hungary and Slovakia.

Budapest’s newest park inaugurated and now open to the public – PHOTOS

The works started in 2019, and meeting the deadline was a priority, because the EHF will test the hall during the test matches before the European Men’s Handball Championship, which will take place from 13 to 30 January 2022. – wrote magyarepitok in a former article.

Stadiums in Hungary make a large part of investments. According to a 2020 article by Blikk, 32 stadiums were built in Hungary in ten years.

To check out the Budapest Multifunctional Sports and Event Hall in the last construction phase, take a look at the photos below.

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A Hungarian football fan got one year in prison+1000-euro fine in Germany

football

The Hungarian football fan detained for the longest time in Munich has received his sentence: one year in prison and a 1000-euro fine.

In June, after the EURO2020 group stage game between Germany and Hungary, 18 Hungarian football fans were detained by the German Police. Some were accused of insulting the Police inside the stadium during the game, others of the use of symbols of anti-constitutional organisations (Nazi symbols).

The Police released sixteen of them during the next 48 hours, one of them a bit later, while

one football fan remained in custody until not long ago.


Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced his release last Friday in a video.

444.hu asked the German Prosecutor’s Office about the reasons for his long detention period. According to the official answer, the Hungarian football fan remained detained for so long because they accuse him of the most severe crimes committed by the group of Hungarians.

He is being charged with rowdyism and violence committed against the official authorities.

He was the one who threw a bottle at a policeman in the Allianz Arena, which further worsened his already problematic situation of being in possession of marihuana.

The Prosecutor’s letter sent to 444.hu contains the following penalties and fines: he is

sentenced to one year in prison with the option to a 3-year-long suspended sentence, he is banned from the German stadium for the same length of time, and he is obliged to pay a 1000-euro fine to a non-profit organisation.

Seizing his marihuana and the bottle he threw at the policeman is of minor importance compared to these decisions.

Now he has a week to freely decide whether he accepts his sentence and punishment or wants to appeal against it. If he chooses to do the latter, his future court date will be decided upon by the Regional Court of Munich.

The German Police were not the only ones who considered the Hungarian football fans’ actions inappropriate. Two days after the match,

EUFA also announced the launch of an investigation into “potential discriminatory incidents”.

The Union of European Football Associations did not specify what incidents were being investigated during the game, but they made it clear that “incidents and behaviour in the stands” were in the spotlight.

Does UEFA have double standards? – Hungary on watchlist

Tensions started rising before the game when the city of Munich wanted to light the Allianz Arena in rainbow colours to show their solidarity with Hungary’s LGBTQ communities after the government has passed a new bill. In the end, UEFA did not allow the city to protest against the Hungarian “homophobic law”. 

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