Recently, a huge firestorm broke out over age frauds regarding members of African youth national teams, which we covered in detail in our previous article. This time, we tried to find the Hungarian side: we were interested in the opinion of two former football players, Kálmán Kovács and Péter Kabát, as well as the currently active player, Krisztián Németh, who participated in the FIFA World Championships as members. For the Hungarian national youth team in the past three decades. One Bright Nation of the Black Continent also played on these…
1985, Soviet Union
Kalman Kovacs He was the captain of the Hungarian national team at the time, which traveled to the Youth World Cup with high hopes, as the reigning European champions. However, the team, featuring Fischer, Josef Keller, Zulte Petri and Attila Pentire, among others, returned disappointed: with one win and two draws, because after the draw, they were already eliminated after the group stage.
The tournament is a painful memory to this day, especially the way we were knocked out undefeated
– Kálmán Kovács, who has been selected 56 times, has been called up to the Index. “We were not at the top and in general we only have ourselves to blame because we gave up a 2-0 lead against the Colombians in the first leg and drew with them. We beat Tunisia, we also played the Bulgarians, and in the end we stood three teams with four points, and we are like South America in All statistical indicators.So the lot decided on the next step, since there were, except for the leaders and me, the Colombian vice president.There were two boxes on the table, one with two boxes and the other with a note written on it.
Although it appeared in the Hungarian press that I drew wrongly, I was not the first to choose, and when the man opened his own drawing, which he had drawn, he already began to jump and be happy, so I knew we could pack up and go home.”
In the end, Brazil won that tournament ahead of Spain and Nigeria – back to our original topic, we were wondering if there were really shady players in the African team.
“It was a completely different world, the Internet almost didn’t exist yet, and the media was in its infancy compared to now. We also found out the lineups of the opponents in the group on match day, so almost no information reached us about the others. Incidentally, in that era, no shedding light on matters of African players, but when I got to France they told me they had tried to embellish one or two passports in different countries, usually with success.But I also had a lot of my colored teammates, whose age I had no idea If I had to guess.”
We once asked a man from Ivory Coast when he was born, and he said in the rainy season… This proved to me that even if there were frauds, most of them were not aware, simply because life in Africa was not documented on the basis of calendars or dates .
Kálmán Kovács also revealed that if we consider the proven scams in the present, it is clearly not an act of chance, but it is a shame to be clever in the past. “It is not necessary to change the final result of a youth tournament after nearly 20-30-40 years, even if it is proven. There is also a statute of limitations in civil law, and I think this applies more to sports. With a slight exaggeration, my age group has lived A life since the tournament, and a better medal or ranking after that will not mean redemption.
Those who were talented had a successful football career anyway, and those who weren’t, for some reason, couldn’t get past it. However, efforts must be made in the future to ensure that no suspicious case occurs, thanks to the opportunity and investigations already available. for purification in African football management We need classics like Samuel Eto’o, who is now fighting injustice as president of the Cameroon Football Federation. Who should people and leaders follow in such a situation, if not one of the best football players on the continent ?! “
What about the nineties?
Peter Kabat He is the current sports coordinator for Úpest, a former striker who is a fan favorite, but perhaps not many people know about him as he was a key member of the national team that also went to the 1997 World Youth Championship. This World Cup may deserve a separate article because of the future world stars who participated, but we asked the national team striker 16 times more about the World Cup, which was held in Malaysia and Ghana, which took fourth place.
“We didn’t see or follow the other groups at the World Cup, and our group included Canada, Australia and Argentina alongside us.
The squad of the latter consisted of later world stars such as Juan Roman Riquelme, Walter Samuel, Pablo Aimar, Esteban Cambiasso or Lionel Scaloni, who led South America to the World Cup title in Qatar.
They also won this tournament and, unfortunately, also confidently beat us, 3-0 in the set.
I did not deal with African teams and the age of the players either. I don’t recall this being a specific topic in any other case, rather they have begun to be examined more rigorously in recent years. Which, by the way, is a good thing, and I agree with it, because it is not fair compared to other countries, if adults or even adults play with young people who mostly come from the youth ranks. Regardless, I don’t see the benefit of subsequent penalties and penalties, efforts should be made to prevent future infractions. However, the fact that they have already spoken out against fraud in Africa is certainly a sign of progress.”
In the end, Peter Kabat also revealed that although he has discussed and worked with quite a few players of color as a sporting director, he has never faced deception regarding birthdates.
If football and Hungarian youth are in the 21st century, then 2009, Egypt!
The youth national team managed by Sándor Egervári achieved the greatest Hungarian football success of that era at the U-20 World Championship, from which they came back with a bronze medal. Together with Koeman Vladimir, who won the Silver Boot with five goals, he is currently promoting MTK Krisztian Nemeth He was also the driving force of the team, reminiscent of the tournament’s Blue and White striker. Ghana won the gold medal after the semi-finals Hit him 3-2 Hungary.
“We were impressed by how mature some African national teams play football, perhaps too much, but they raised questions in us that, on the one hand, we should not have had to deal with, and on the other hand, it would have been almost impossible to prove anything. In general, Ghana did a great job at the World Cup and deserved to win.”
When asked what the 34-year-old striker would say if, in 14 years, he decided Hungary won the silver instead of the bronze on the green table, he replied:
“Sportingly, we would not achieve anything with such a decision, I don’t think it would be a pleasure for anyone after so many years to have our medals exchanged.
And I don’t suppose either of us will have a different career if we reach the final.
Obviously, it would have been a different feeling for the fans and we played in the final, but even with the third place, the World Championship will remain unforgettable for us forever.
FIFA and UEFA have been campaigning for fair play for decades, so it is important from the point of view of the future that this topic is at the forefront, and that they fight this phenomenon by all means, not only in Africa, but all over the world. the world.”
(Cover Photo: Hungarian Andras Simon, Mate Kess, Odam Sekkeres, and Adam Preisinger celebrate after Hungary beat the Czech Republic 4-3 on penalties in the Round of 16 of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Alexandria on October 6, 2009. picture: MTI/EPA/Mohamed Meszara)
