At the Nations League match between Hungary and England, next Saturday in Budapest, at least 30,000 spectators will be present. And that while the game has to be played behind closed doors because of a UEFA penalty after racist behavior by Hungarian fans.
The Hungarian Football Association has made use of Article 73 of UEFA’s rules, which states that children under 14, whether from schools or football academies, may always be invited to attend football matches, free of charge and accompanied by an adult, the BBC reports. .
For the duel with England, the association has already received 30,000 requests from children, so that there will still be some atmosphere in the Puskás Aréna Park, which accommodates more than 65,000 fans.
Racist statements
Hungary was handed a two-match penalty without an audience by UEFA last year for racist and homophobic statements by fans during the European Championship. During the group match against France in Budapest, for example, monkeys could be heard and during matches against Portugal and Germany there were banners with homophobic expressions.
In addition, Hungary also received a penalty of two matches without an audience from FIFA for racist comments during the World Cup qualifier against England in September. Raheem Sterling and Jude Bellingham were the victims.
Children at Ajax-AZ
It is certainly not the first time that a football match has been attended by mere children because of a punishment. A well-known example in the Netherlands is the replay of the cup match between Ajax and AZ in January 2012.
