The Hungarian team starts its participation in the Nations League today against England with a very peculiar atmosphere. The reason? The sanction that was imposed by UEFA due to the racist incidents that occurred in the last European Championship at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest in the matches in which the Magyars faced Portugal and France. Said sanction supposed, in practice, two games behind closed doors and an economic fine of around 200,000 euros.
Nevertheless, the Hungarian Federation seems to have found the loophole to be able to receive Gareth Southgate’s pupils with the public. and he has found it within UEFA’s own regulations. Said regulation stipulates, in article 73, that children up to 14 years of age belonging to football schools or academies can be invited to the stadium in these cases.provided they are accompanied by an adult (at least one adult for every ten children). This standard was added in the 2019 update and allows the little ones to accompany their national team or their club, as long as the relevant federation allows it, in games behind closed doors. Like the one that will face Hungary and England.
As a result, and according to the German newspaper Bild and the british Sky Sports, More than 30,000 children have already requested their invitation. In this way, the Hungarian National Team will be able to avoid a “ghost match” while fulfilling a sanction that drags from the last European Championship. He did not fulfill it in the qualifying matches for the World Cup because they are the responsibility of FIFAbut the Nations League belongs completely to UEFA and it will be in this competition when he undertakes his “punishment”.
Precisely England, their rival today, was also punished by UEFA with two games behind closed doors for the altercations produced at Wembley in the final of the European Championship. And it could also benefit from this same “loophole” to welcome Italy next June 11. According to Bildthere is already some 2,000 children registered to obtain an invitation to attend, in situ, the match at the Mollineux Stadiumhome of the Wolves and venue for the game that will measure the Three Lions and the current European champion.
A precedent in Prague
This idea does not originate from the Magyar hobby, but already It was launched by the Sparta Prague fans last October. The Czech club was sanctioned to play a European match without an audience because, in the match in which they faced Monaco belonging to the Champions League qualifier, there were racist insults from the stands towards Aurélien Tchouaménithe star of the Monegasque team and top scorer that August afternoon.
Consequently, Sparta fulfilled the sanction against Rangers already in the Europa League… but with 10,000 children in the stands of the Generali Arena. And not even with those managed to completely alleviate the problem. During that meeting, also boos were heard towards Glen KamaraFinnish soccer player of the Scottish club of black race.