UEFA has ordered Hungary to play two matches behind closed doors following “discriminatory behaviour” by supporters at Euro 2020.
Incidents of homophobic chanting were alleged to have occurred during the three Group F games against Portugal, France and Germany, prompting the governing body to investigate.
The Hungarian FA has now been told it must play two UEFA fixtures in an empty stadium, with a third such match being suspended for a probationary period of two years. The decision does not apply to European qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, which take place under FIFA’s jurisdiction.
The Hungarian Football Federation has also been fined 100,000 euros and ordered to display a banner with the wording “#EqualGame” and the UEFA logo on it.
Hungary played two of their group games in the country’s capital city Budapest, before UEFA declined a request to illuminate Munich’s Allianz Arena in rainbow colours for the match against Germany on the grounds of the gesture having political context.
European football’s governing body said it received the request from the mayor of the German city, Dieter Reiter. UEFA said that the mayor’s reason for the request was a response to legislation passed in Hungary banning gay people from appearing in school educational materials or programmes for under-18s.
On that basis, UEFA said it could not grant the request and proposed alternative dates for the stadium to be lit up in rainbow colours. Reiter later called the ruling “shameful”.
