The Hungarian government has strongly defended the schoolchildren who whistled kneeling English players, insisting that they cannot be “accused of any kind of political speech.”
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Photo: Robert Szaniszlo/NurPhoto / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia
Children’s audience at the match Hungary – England.
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More than 30,000 under-14 fans watched as their team beat England 1-0 in a League of Nations match in Budapest. This was despite the fact that the hosts were to play behind closed doors as punishment for racist and homophobic chants on Eure 2020.
However, Hungary has exploited a loophole in UEFA regulations, which has allowed thousands of children to watch the match for free, accompanied by 3,000 adults.
State Secretary for International Communications and Relations Zoltán Kovács called those who now accuse children of racist expression “idiots”.
“Anyone who thinks that children attending a football match in Budapest can be accused of any political speech is a real idiot,” Kovács wrote on Twitter. “Congratulations to our national team, applause from the 35,000 children.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who said last year, does not like kneeling either:
“If you are a guest in the country, understand its culture and do not provoke it. Don’t provoke the host… We can perceive this system of gestures from our cultural point of view as incomprehensible, as provocation. ”
He added that he had no sympathy for “this kneeling. I don’t think this belongs on the field. Sport is about other things. “
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