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England will have a knee before facing Hungary, whose coach Marco Rossi has vowed to stand by any action the players take if they are subjected to any racism in Budapest on Thursday.
The team discussed the issue in preparation for the match, and were made aware of the fact that the Republic of Ireland players were loudly booed in June when they injured their knee before a friendly match with Hungary at the nearby Szusza Ferenc Stadion.
Hungary has been ordered to play its next three UEFA matches behind closed doors – with one of those matches suspended for two years – after racist abuse from fans and anti-gay banners in the stands during group stage matches at Euro 2020 in Budapest.
An anti-gay banner was seen in the stands during Hungary’s defeat to Portugal in their opening match of the tournament, and monkey chants were heard during their draw with France.
But a full-capacity crowd of more than 60,000 will be present at Puskas Arena for Thursday’s match against England as the match is played under the authority of FIFA.
Hungary’s coach, Marco Rossi, said he would be “at the side” of England’s players if they were subjected to racist abuse in Thursday’s World Cup qualifier match.
Rossi said foreign journalists were asked to submit any written questions for the pre-match press conference in Hungary, and was asked by Sky Sports News what he would say to England players who might fear they face discriminatory abuse from fans. He will stand alongside Gareth Southgate.
Photo: Hungary coach Marco Rossi has vowed to defend England players if they are subjected to racist abuse
England players, including Tyrone Mings on his debut, were mistreated in Bulgaria in 2019 and Rossi insisted the Three Lions would be backed by their hosts if there were any racist insults from the stands at Puskas Arena.
“I hope we can’t face this kind of situation,” he said. “What we can say is always in the past that we showed deep respect to everyone.”
“I’m not afraid or concerned about the fact that someone could have this kind of behaviour, racist behaviour, in front of English players. I hope that doesn’t happen.
“Should that happen, we are definitely on the side of the English players, of course.”
Hungary scored 10 goals in their first three qualifying matches but failed to get out of the group at Euro 2020. They are two points behind Group A leaders England after winning twice and drawing in one of their first three matches as they look to qualify for the European Championship. World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
Rob Dorsett of Sky Sports News has the latest news from Budapest, as England prepare to face Hungary in the World Cup qualifiers on Thursday night.
About 60,000 people are due to take place at the Puskas Arena, with England fans not traveling to Budapest, but Rossi denied that partisan crowds at home would give the hosts the advantage.
He added: “I can’t know what the impact would be on English players, England players are used to playing in front of this kind of crowd. It will not be the deciding factor in the final result of the match.”
Southgate refuses to confirm whether England will pull out
In his pre-match press conference, Southgate refused to confirm whether his team would walk off the field if Hungary fans racially abused England players during the match.
England decided to play in Sofia in October 2019 after Bulgarian fans racially abused Southgate players in the Euro 2020 qualifiers.
Asked if the team would leave if they faced racial abuse on Thursday, Southgate said: “I don’t think we should talk hypothetically.
England manager Gareth Southgate and deputy captain Harry Maguire have discussed the possibility of racist abuse during the World Cup qualifier in Hungary.
“We know the experience we have had before [in Bulgaria] But we are going to Hungary to prepare for a match against an audience that will be behind their team.
“We are looking forward to the challenge of the match and everything else is really speculative.”
Asked if the players were prepared for racist abuse at Puskas Arena, Southgate said: “We always prepare the team for everything really.
“We did that this week, but we also know we have our own issues at home, so we’re not really focused on other countries, we’re focused on ourselves and making sure we get our own things right.”
Maguire focused on the Hungary challenge
Harry Maguire said the England players were fully focused on the challenges that awaited them on the pitch during the match.
Photo: Harry Maguire said the England players were fully focused on the match
However, regarding possible racial abuse, he said: “We are talking about different scenarios in every match, not just Hungary. Talking about something in the future and something you expect to happen is a bit unfair.
“As players we are totally focused on going to Hungary and playing in front of a full crowd and a great atmosphere.
“It’s a team that has shown that they are more than capable in the European Championship, so we expect a tough test and are more focused on the match to try to get the three points to qualify for Qatar.”
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