On Friday, the group matches were held, the sides played 2×25-minute meetings, and on Saturday, the divisional games took place, here the matches were already 2×35 minutes long on the BVSC pitch in Budapest. This year, the Parliament's team won the second edition of the National Cohesion Football Tournament.
On the first day, in group A, Transcarpathia, Transylvania, Csángóföld, in group B, the Hungarian parliamentary team, Southern Region, and Highlands. On the final day, in the final, the host team, the Parliament team, won 4-2 on penalties after a 3-3 draw against Transcarpathia, even though they were still 3-1 behind at halftime. In the bronze match, Délvidék beat Transylvania 3-1, and for the fifth place, Felvidék won 3-1 on penalties after a 3-3 draw against Csángóföld.
At the end of the program, the participants of the final and the members of the other teams in the audience sang the Hungarian national anthem together.
This was the second such event, the first took place last October in Csíkszentdomokos, Transylvania.
According to the announcement, the members of the participating teams were basically amateur players, "civilian football players of public decency". However, in order to popularize the tournament, it was possible for each team - from the "old boys" age group, over 44 years old - to have a guest game by a famous football player and a famous public figure, and a guest football player from the over 44 age group was also allowed to play as a goalkeeper. Krisztián Kenesei, József Szeiler and Pali Balázs appeared as guests in the Hungarian parliamentary team.
The tournament was announced in the spirit of national unity at the initiative of Speaker László Kövér, who himself played a role in his team's two group matches and in the final as well - national team captain and tournament director Zoltán Magyar informed MTI.
Délvidék undertook the organization of the third National Association Football Tournament.
Source and full article: vasarnap.hu/MTI
Featured image: MTI/Anikó Kovács
