Israel-France: Viktor Orban football fan, proximity to Netanyahu… Why did the Hebrew state choose Hungary to play its home matches?

It is a match classified as “high risk” by the Hungarian authorities. This Thursday, the French team faces Israel in the League of Nations, almost a year to the day after the terrorist attack launched by Hamas on the Hebrew state, on October 7, 2023. The game will be played in Budapest, Hungary , a new popular destination for relocated matches.

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Since 2020, the country has hosted more than 40 international matches according to information from Eurosport. And for good reason, based in central Europe, Hungary has brand new facilities such as the Puskas Arena, which will host the 2026 Champions League final, or the very modern Bozsik Arena, which the Blues will discover on Thursday.

Viktor Orban passionate about football

This Hungarian hospitality results above all from the will of one man, Viktor Orban. Before becoming the head of the Hungarian government, the man devoted himself to his main passion, football. He even played at a semi-professional level before entering politics. This flame never left him, even when he took the reins of power.

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Over the course of his mandates, Viktor Orban quickly understood that this sport could serve his political interests. Thus, public money finances many players in Hungarian football, to the point that in 2021, “eleven of the twelve first division clubs were dependent on members of Fidesz (far-right party chaired by Viktor Orban) or close of the regime” according to Franceinfo.

Modern stadiums

Thanks to billions of euros invested by the government, ultra-modern speakers have emerged almost everywhere in Hungary in recent years. The leading figure of these infrastructures is the Puskas Arena, a 67,000-seat stadium inaugurated in 2019. Seduced, UEFA began to entrust Hungary with the organization of these matches on neutral ground, which no one really wanted.

As a good politician, Viktor Orban uses the hosting of these meetings to disseminate his ideas, praise the policies of his country and criticize those of other members of the EU. When, fearing tensions, the Belgian authorities refused to organize the match against Israel on their soil, Hungary presented itself as the only alternative. Football, this beautiful tool of soft power.

Israeli-Hungarian proximity

Since October 7, 2023, UEFA has made the decision to no longer organize meetings on Israeli soil. So who did the Israeli football federation turn to to organize its home matches? Hungary of course. On November 15, 2023, Israel “hosted” Switzerland at the Pancho Arena, a stadium built in 2014 in Felcsut, the native village of Viktor Orban. A small town of less than 2000 souls.

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For several years, the Hungarian Prime Minister has become closer to Benjamin Netanyahu. Viktor Orban has often praised his measures to combat anti-Semitism. To the point that Peter Szijjarto, its Minister of Foreign Affairs, did not hesitate to declare during a meeting with his Israeli counterpart: “Thanks to a responsible immigration policy, Hungary presents itself today as the most safe for Jews in Europe.”

Feeling shared by Yacos Hadas-Handelsman, Israeli ambassador to Budapest. “Nothing can replace our home,” he told AP. “But, given the circumstances, as long as we cannot play at home, Hungary will be a good alternative.”