Foreign footballNot so much the victories of the Red Devils and England, but especially the gruesome display of the Hungarian fans echoes. They showed their ugliest side on Thursday evening. The Hungarians jeered at the English as they knelt before kick-off, hurling racist noises at Sterling and Bellingham and also throwing fire arrows, drinking cups and other projectiles. The English players later condemned the behaviour, the FA called for an investigation and the English press soon followed suit. The media is talking about, among other things, “the evening of shame”. An overview.
BBC: “The tone was set before kick-off”
“Despite the fact that Hungary has to play three UEFA home games behind closed doors following the behavior of their fans during EURO 2020, only 67,000 were allowed to take place in the Puskas Arena. Because it was a FIFA match,” the BBC wrote. “The Hungarian players and national coach had called on their fans in advance to watch the English actions (kneeling before kick-off, ed.) respect, but that didn’t happen. The English were booed when they sat down on their knees just before kick-off. The tone was set. Sterling and Bellingham were said to have been racially treated, the English players were pelted and national coach Gareth Southgate was also thrown at him afterwards during an interview.”
The Sun: “Evening of Shame”
“The stars of Gareth Southgate were frequently insulted and mistreated during the match by the outrageous Hungarian supporters,” the tabloid newspaper ‘The Sun’ said. “In the program booklet distributed before the match, Sandor Csanyi, the Hungarian federation president, called on fans to refrain from racist, discriminatory and homophobic chants. So that didn’t work. Hungarian national coach Marco Rossi had also said in advance that his players would (the kneeling, ed.) of the English players. But they did NOT kneel themselves. It was an evening of shame for Hungary.”
The Guardian: “There was a very hostile atmosphere”
“The English Football Association, the FA, has asked FIFA to investigate the events at the Puskas Arena,” writes The Guardian. “And national coach Gareth Southgate also urged after the match to protect his players (better) and to take strict action against the behavior of the Hungarian fans. There was a very hostile atmosphere, in which the home fans showed their least attractive side. The television cameras captured at least one fan making racist gestures. Wait and see what the consequences will be.”
Daily Mail: ‘Match rightly on red list’
“During the game, the English players didn’t seem to hear the racist noises,” the Daily Mail wrote. “But people who were in the stadium could hear them clearly. The players, national team coach Gareth Southgate, the English fans, the TV analysts: all have strongly condemned the sad behavior of the Hungarian fans. Hungarian fans had already misbehaved during the European Championship earlier this year, which is why FIFA had already put this match on a ‘red list’. Rightly so, as it turns out.”
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