Football
England team to resume kneeling before matches after young Hungarian fans boo them
England lost their match against Hungary after a sleepy 0:1 performance. UEFA punished Hungary for racist abuse at previous matches. More than 30,000 children under the age of 14 were allowed by UEFA to watch the match behind closed doors. Hungarian children booed them as they took a knee.
England lost their match against Hungary after a sleepy 0:1 performance. UEFA punished Hungary for racist abuse at previous matches. UEFA let more than 30,000 children under the age of 14 attend the match behind closed doors. Hungarian children booed them as they took a knee.
The match was to be played behind closed doors as punishment for the racism of Hungarian fans in previous matches.
However, the Hungarian Football Association took advantage of a loophole in UEFA regulations that allows children into the stadium, with one adult allowed for every ten children. This is similar to the case of Sparta’s Europa League duel with Rangers. So over 30,000 children turned up for Saturday’s Nations League match at Budapest’s Puskas Arena.
The fans respected the anthems, but when the English footballers took a knee just before kick-off, loud boos could be heard. The rest of the match was accompanied by the legendary vuvuzelas that were handed out before the game.
Wolves defender Coady told talkSPORT: ” We heard it. I hope people understand why we’re doing it. That won’t stop us from doing it in the future.”
England coach Gareth Southgate also commented on the situation. It’s strange because when we were warming up they were waving at us and nobody was whistling. Then we took a knee and everything was different. We do it to teach the next generation respect and to fight racism.”
“But it’s just kids who don’t know why they boo, they just know their parents do it too, so it feels right to them. But we’re not going to stop it. It shows that racism has not disappeared,” Southgate said.
England footballers lost 0-1 to Hungary in the opening match of the elite group A3 of the Nations League. Dominik Szoboszlai scored the unexpected winner in the 66th minute from a penalty.
The Hungarians beat Albion for the first time since 1962. In the other match of the group, Italy drew 1-1 at home against Germany after goals from Pellegrini and Kimmich.
Source: Twitter, DailyMail
