UEFA fined Hungary for inappropriate fan behavior during EURO 2020. However, the ban on entering the stadium did not apply to children under the age of 14, who can take part in so-called closed-door matches for free. Every ten children must be accompanied by one adult.
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At first, the national anthems were played at the stadium, which the young fans respected. However, just before the excavation, when the English decided to kneel, a loud whistling sound was heard from more than 30,000 supporters. “They probably inherited it from their parents,” guest coach Gareth Southgate commented in disgust at the behavior of the children’s supporters.
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“Of course, as a coach, I need my charges to play with the fans, both indoors and outdoors. But that’s not the point,” he continued. “It’s weird because when we arrived in Budapest, there was a very nice atmosphere. The children met in front of the stadium and everything was friendly.”
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The game between Hungary and England is being played “behind closed doors” tonight, 30,000 fans under the age of 14 were allowed in, and they all booed the England fans taking the knee before kick off… pic.twitter.com/Og4WsD04Gy
— Football Away Days (@FBAwayDays) June 4, 2022
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“When we ran to warm up, they waved at us and no one whistled. Then we knelt and everything was different. We do it to teach future generations to respect and fight racism.”
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“But they’re just kids who don’t know why they’re roaring, they just know their parents are doing it too, so they’ll get it right. As long as people whistle at us, we’ll keep doing it. It proves that racism still hasn’t disappeared, Southgate added.
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In the end, the Hungarians won the match after a converted penalty by Dominik Szoboszlai and moved to the top of the table. The revenge in England will take place on June 14 at 8:45 p.m.
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