Soccer is for everyone. It cannot be said enough, a match is not only about twenty-two running people, but also about patriotism, honest struggle, self-confidence, and community.
It includes those who were able to visit the match and those who cheer at home in front of the TV or can shout together in some public place when the boys start towards the goal.
This is felt by everyone who was lucky enough to see the Hungarian match against the Portuguese and especially the French.
The packed Puskás Aréna is a shocking and soul-lifting sight, and the enthusiasm of the Hungarian fans promises sure success even for those who only measure performance in euros. UEFA is like that. The European Championship is a show program that must be organized perfectly, and the long-term result will be that it disrupts the football market, the current stars of the tournament are bought by the clubs for huge sums, the fans spend huge sums to the delight of the catering establishments, the jersey - and scarf manufacturers lay the groundwork for the future years in advance, and the football-loving public of the world marvels from faraway lands at how good this Budapest facility looks, well, let's go there on vacation, to Hungary.
The Hungarian organizers performed their task perfectly. The facility in Budapest is spectacular and palpably close to people, the surroundings are also indescribable, since we have a fan zone, the streets are safe, and we have been able to suppress the virus over the past six months. On the other hand, there is the Western European arrangement, which is of course of a high standard, since it has been done a thousand times, but in the Munich stadium you can clearly read the Munich sign emerging from the seats, because so few spectators are allowed inside. And Wembley is London's jewel box, history itself, where semi-finals and the final will take place. However, for complete happiness, there should also be a "Hungarian" type of organization, the crowd should be able to flow into the arena with 90,000 people, there should be places with projectors on the street corners, and the weekdays should become a holiday.
But the virus is stubborn, especially in the administration, so even though the eternal opponent Scotland was the rival of the English yesterday, the mayor of London indicated that the northerners would do better not to visit the capital, because there is no fan zone where they can watch the game, it can be sold and tickets have already been sold.
Journalists, football players, and members of the press point to the Puskás Arena as one, where they were able to solve this problem. If Budapest is able to organize a European group stage and also get a round of 16, then what if we didn't play the already disorganized final at Wembley and the half-hearted London, but at Puskás?
Of course, the situation is much more complicated than this, but the suggestion has message value: Hungary can be a challenger to Great Britain in this matter. Not only is it suitable, it not only hits the level, but it is also quite realistically a better host than the others. Which is a crazy success, whether we look at tourism, diplomacy, or personal summer experiences.
The reconstruction of the national stadium was worth every forint, Budapest has definitely left its mark on the sports map of the continent. And UEFA monitors and weighs, that is, divides and multiplies. Having learned certain lessons, is it a good idea to disorganize the Euro for the whole continent or is it a one-time and unrepeatable construction that will be retired like the golden goal. Because not all countries were able to meet the promised standard, the western half of the old continent, which still lives half within limits, is not burning with fever, and Europe is not a country, but a continent.
On the cover photo: decorations announce the 2020 European Football Championship at the Puskás Arena on June 8, 2021.
Source: Hungarian Nation
Photo: MTI
