Hungary welcomes France to Budapest on Saturday for the second day of Euro 2020, against the backdrop of strained relations between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and European Union leaders.
A symbolic match for a nation that wants to shine in the world of football.
Much more than a football match for Viktor Orban.
The Hungary-France meeting on Saturday (3 p.m.), for the second day of Euro 2020, takes on a symbolic character as relations are increasingly tense between the Hungarian Prime Minister and the leaders of the European Union.
Attacks on press freedom, laws deemed homophobic, discourse without nuance on immigration, rapprochement with Russia ... The points of friction are increasing.
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"Awakening the identity of the Hungarians"
Americo has been a tourist guide in Budapest for 20 years.
He does not necessarily support his prime minister, but he understands his policy: "The Hungarians have lost their identity, Orban is trying to wake them up. When you run the big business that is the EU, you don't want the small you resist. This is why Western Europe does not like Hungary to look east too. "
A member of the EU since 2004, Hungary remains fiercely attached to its independence.
Euro 2020 and the match against France are for her much more than a simple football match, Viktor Orban playing the national pride he claims.
For the past ten years, the Prime Minister, a big football fan, has invested heavily in the development of this sport in Hungary.
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Football, a way to extend its influence in Europe
This is evidenced by the construction of the Puskas Arena for Euro 2020. This modern stadium, which bears the name of Magyar football legend Ferenc Puskas, will host the match against France on Saturday and has 67,000 seats.
The majestic setting cost nearly 600 million euros, much more than what was initially expected.
Also, the national team training center located in the small village of Felcsut, where the prime minister's childhood home is located, has been equipped since 2014 with a 4,500-seat stadium with neat architecture.
Through these investments, Viktor Orban wants to extend his influence in Eastern Europe. To grow even more, he needs a good performance from the Hungarian national team at Euro 2020, and in particular on Saturday against France. But for that, Magyar players will need to be much better than they made their debut on Tuesday. Despite a raging audience, the Hungarians lost to Portugal by a net score of 3-0.