Budapest – Critical assessments of Hungarian football’s performance are appearing even within state-controlled media, despite massive public investment. Nemzeti sport, the nationalized sports daily, has published articles questioning why significant financial resources – hundreds of billions of forints over the past decade – haven’t translated into improved results for Hungarian teams.
Recent articles highlight disappointing performances by youth national teams. The U19 team suffered a 4-0 loss to Greece in Kispest, while the U17 team was defeated 7-1 by the Czech Republic.
Columnist Zsolt Somogyi, writing on November 16, 2025, noted the abundance of resources - quality facilities, coaching education, and ample funding – yet lamented the lack of a “quality product.” He suggested the influx of money may have led to complacency within the Hungarian football system. He observed that the Croatian U21 team was impressed by Hungarian facilities and spending during a recent match at the Hidegkuti stadium.
Gábor Thury, another Nemzeti Sport contributor, echoed these concerns, stating that football has become a “strategic task” under the second Orbán goverment, with an apparent assumption that infrastructure spending would automatically resolve professional shortcomings. He argued that while national team coach Marco rossi’s decisions can be scrutinized following the recent 3-2 defeat,he is limited by a lack of high-quality Hungarian players. Thury emphasized the need to understand the reasons for low player utilization before further criticism.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is scheduled to discuss the state of Hungarian football live on his Facebook page at 8:00 PM on Thursday, November 20, 2025, with sports commentator István Hajdú B. and another guest.
