Hungarian football federation president Sándor Csányi indicated on Friday that the legacy of the “Golden Team” and Ferenc Puskás may be overshadowing the need for new heroes and successes. “We’ve talked a lot about the Golden Team and Puskás and company. Perhaps too much,” Csányi stated at the federation’s annual general assembly. “Not in relation to their achievements, but from the perspective that we need new heroes and new successes.”
Dedicated Psychologist Added to National Team Support Staff
Csányi noted that it’s a positive sign that several Hungarian players were involved in a Champions League match on Wednesday evening. He also affirmed his belief that the national team is the country’s most important football team, a sentiment he expects would be confirmed by a public survey. Regarding the national team’s performance, Csányi acknowledged past successes and stated he doesn’t always agree with current head coach Marco Rossi, but remains confident in his leadership. A less publicized consequence of the recent defeat against Ireland will be the addition of a dedicated sport psychologist to the team’s support staff, with the hope of improving late-game performance.
Addressing the World Cup qualifying campaign, Csányi avoided diplomatic language, stating that failure to secure second place in the group wasn’t due to a lack of playing strength. “It was our own mistakes that prevented us from qualifying for the World Cup play-offs,” he said.
“Our own mistakes prevented us from qualifying for the World Cup play-offs.”
He pointed to specific incidents, including a red card for Roland Sallai in Ireland and a short passing sequence between Dominik Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkez that led to a goal for Portugal, as well as poor decision-making in the home match against Ireland.
Csányi expressed optimism about future results and hopes that the biggest challenge with ticket sales for national team matches will continue to be the limited capacity of the Puskás Arena.
“As a banker, I’m used to being criticized, I’ve even been called a murderer. Compared to that, the ‘stupid MLSZ’ is almost gentlemanly criticism. I hope the agreement reached with the fans will be more than just a flash in the pan. They were right about many things where we were unduly strict. However, we cannot compromise on racism. Accordingly, we have amended our statutes to comply with FIFA rules. We must enforce this, or we risk being excluded from international competitions,” he said, referencing recent discussions with representatives of the Hungarian national team’s ultras groups. He highlighted that over the past 12 years, 41 disciplinary proceedings, including seven stadium closures, have been initiated from 133 matches – something he hopes to avoid in the future.
No Desire to Debate with Gábor Kubatov
During his speech and report on the results of the 2025 calendar year, Csányi emphasized that the average operating budget for an NB I club is currently 5.4 billion forints per season.
“Currently, the average operating budget for an NB I club is 5.4 billion forints per season.”
“Which isn’t very encouraging, even though their capital situation is considered stable, they close the seasons with a zero or negative balance. Matchday revenue remains low. It’s important that all clubs can operate under the same conditions, I’m not primarily referring to sponsors here, but that support is equally accessible. In my opinion, there is still some imbalance here.”
“I could have a very good debate with Gábor Kubatov (the president of Ferencváros – ed.) right now, but I don’t wish to. I don’t think he deserves it. Ferencváros has done a lot for Hungarian football, and their results have been a major factor in the league being ranked 22nd in the world. With that said, there are points on which we disagree.”
One of those points is the distribution of revenue generated by NB I clubs. Csányi emphasized that whereas it’s natural for top-flight teams to want to distribute television rights revenue entirely among themselves, this would be professionally unacceptable. The broader base must also be considered, and support for youth development must be maintained, otherwise the pipeline of talent will dry up, and it’s questionable who would play for NB I clubs in a few years. “We cannot make a decision on the proposal of the NB I committee that is beneficial to the top-flight clubs but harmful to Hungarian football as a whole.” His comments hinted at criticism of the new Hungarian Football League planned with the participation of NB I clubs, announced by Kubatov last fall.
“It doesn’t work to unanimously approve a decision at the meeting and then complain about it in the newspapers. There was a specific example at the committee level. The club’s authorized CEO appeared, a compromise was reached, and then the club’s owner complained about how such a stupid decision could be made.”
– he said, addressing contentious issues from recent periods. He stressed that the current revenue structure cannot remain in place. “I don’t understand why it’s a matter of debate that the primary interest of clubs is to field as many young players as possible. Ticket revenue needs to grow, and player sales revenue needs to grow. I think the system we operate, where anyone who has nurtured a professional player can earn income from the age of 16 to 25, is fair. It represents the interests of both professional and nurturing clubs. There is a nurturing association that can earn 180 million forints annually in this way.”
Ádám Szalai to Become Board Member – and Vice President?
In Telki, delegates decided to appoint Ádám Szalai – currently an assistant coach for the Hungarian national team and deputy director of methodology at the National Sport Development and Methodology Institute – to the MLSZ board. The former national team captain, with 86 caps, was unanimously elected, allowing him to work “from within” to better coordinate the activities of the two organizations. Several club leaders had previously sharply criticized the federation for the announced “domestic rule” and the perceived contradictions and imbalances of the NSMI’s “five-Hungarian” recommendation following the conclude of the current transitional season.
Szalai is likely to play a prominent role in the expansion of the program launched in 2024, aimed at ensuring the quality of professional work with the pre-academy age group (children between the ages of seven and fourteen), as part of the professional and financial plan adopted for 2026. In a December interview with Index, the former Real Madrid, Schalke, and FC Basel player emphasized the importance of the youth category and the need to establish unified training bases similar to those at the academies. Csányi Sándor also confirmed this, indicating that he would recommend to the board that Szalai join the committee as a dedicated vice president responsible for youth development.
“My goal is to supply many more young people the opportunity to showcase themselves in NB I, abroad, and in the national team. In the past two years, I’ve realized that I can’t easily give up on my goals, and that will be the case this time as well. I am open to all opinions and trust in working together, as my only goal is for Hungarian football to be even more successful,” said the former national team captain after his election.
Hat, Nucleus Jacket
The approved professional plan also addressed the difficulties in the hinterland. According to the information provided, maintaining the number of teams participating in the territorial-level championships is becoming increasingly challenging due to “unfavorable demographic trends.” To counteract this, he presented the so-called Hat program, which stands for “Alternative Football Program for Small Communities.” The essence of this is
expanding the non-competitive base by providing organized sporting opportunities for small communities and groups of friends.
It is emphasized that players without a competition license can participate in matches organized by the program, and establishing an association or obtaining a license is not required. Participation is promised to be free of charge, and the MLSZ will provide referees and the necessary field for the sport without an entry fee.
According to the federation’s financial report, it expects roughly the same level of funding support in 2026 as in previous years. A significant portion of this is the unchanged 45.7 billion forints allocated to spectator sports support since 2019. A further 9 billion forints of support is planned to be transferred under various titles to participants in the youth development program, such as the Talent Centers and District Centers; and this framework will also finance the payment of performance-based productivity support.
An exciting aspect of the approved professional program appears to be the Nucleus project. The goal is to organize the raw data available to the federation – event and tracking data, as well as GPS-based descriptive and measured data – from NB I matches, youth matches, and national team matches into a database, thereby providing the MLSZ with additional analytical opportunities for football stakeholders.
At the general assembly, Sándor Berzi, who stepped down from regular membership last year, and Tibor Nyilasi, a club legend of Ferencváros and the federation’s former sporting director, who resigned as a board member on March 19, were elected as honorary board members.
(Cover image: Ádám Szalai as a member of the Hungarian national team’s coaching staff. Photo: NurPhoto / Getty Images)
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