The Hungarian striker will spend his days cycling and doing other light exercises in the gym.Continue reading
Besides Brussels, other Belgian cities are also refusing to host Israel’s football team for security concerns. For this reason, the Belgium-Israel Nations League match on September 6 will be played in Hungary, reports BBC.
“Given that in Belgium, no local authority considered it possible to organize the home match of the Red Devils against Israel, the RBFA had to look for a solution abroad,” the Belgian Football Federation (RBFA) said.
The Israeli-Gaza conflict has sparked demonstrations all over the world, including in Belgium. As Hungary Today reported previously, these rallies in many cities in Europe ended in violence. It is feared that this could endanger public order, public safety and the physical safety of people in Hungary, the Budapest Police Headquarters said in October, justifying the ban on demonstrations related to the armed conflict between the Hamas terrorist organization and Israel.
The Israeli national team previously relocated its home matches for the European Championship qualifiers to Hungary last autumn after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas armed conflict. The Israeli team played Switzerland on November 15 and Romania on November 18 at the Pancho Arena in Felcsút (central Hungary).
At the match against Switzerland, the Hungarian Prime Minister was also present, writing on X,
over 10 years ago, we introduced a policy of zero-tolerance towards antisemitism. Today, Hungary is the safest country in Europe for the Jewish community.”
The upcoming match will be played in Debrecen (eastern Hungary), in the Nagyerdei Stadium, behind closed doors.
The Israeli national team last visited Hungary in June, when they played a friendly match against the Hungarian team, also in the Debrecen stadium, which Hungary won 3-0. For the Hungarian national team, this was the last preparation match before the start of the European Championship.
Balázs Orbán, the political director of the Prime Minister, also reacted to the news of the upcoming match in Hungary. In a post on X, he wrote,
Hungary provides a safe space for Israeli teams. Another sign of Western leaders struggling to manage social tensions from illegal migration and uphold the Jewish-Christian foundations of European culture.”
#Belgium can’t host a ⚽️ match against #Israel due to security concerns. While, #Hungary provides a safe space for teams. Another sign of Western leaders struggling to manage social tensions from illegal migration and uphold the ✡️-✝️ foundations of #European culture. pic.twitter.com/VjMgpE28PQ
— Balázs Orbán (@BalazsOrban_HU) July 20, 2024
Via BBC, Featured image: Facebook/Nagyerdei Stadion