Why is football so important in Hungary?

In the last few years, stadiums are sprouting up everywhere, including the infamous one in the tiny village Felcsút (which just happens to be the birthplace of the PM...http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/04/business/international/the-village-stadium-a-symbol-of-power-for-hungarys-premier.html?_r=0).
In 2014, Ferencvárosi TC, Debreceni VSC, and Pukás Académia FC. There are more on the way.

Why is football SO important in Hungary? The football is of poor quality (though the national team FINALLY got into the European championships after decades of nothing) and no one goes to watch them play.
Billions of forints are spent on stadiums...

http://hungarianspectrum.org/2012/06/14/new-hungarian-football-stadiums-they-are-of-strategic-importance/

...Billions are diverted from other programs such as feeding the poor...

http://budapestbeacon.com/public-policy/if-only-hungarys-hungry-could-eat-stadiums/30403

What can be SOOOO important?

Let's have a look at Ferencvárosi TC football team, they have a new stadium, AND they can donate FIVE HUGE SECURITY GUARDS to BLOCK DEMOCRACY.

(see my earlier post - remember to come back, I'm not finished yet...http://danijcaile.blogspot.hu/2016/02/the-referendum-run-please-share.html)

Using the information from here, the Hungarian Wiki, it can't be wrong, LOL...

https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015%E2%80%932016-os_magyar_labdar%C3%BAg%C3%B3-bajnoks%C3%A1g_%28els%C5%91_oszt%C3%A1ly%29

This season, they've had 11 matches, with a total of 88,578 attendance (average 8053 per match). The problem is, they have a 23,698 capacity stadium, meaning on average, it is 66% empty (yes, I'm a glass half empty kinda guy :-)).

Mmm, let's look at the other 2014 new stadium...Debreceni VSC football team...11 matches, 33,056 attendance (3005 average) with a 20,340 capacity stadium...85% empty. WTF?! Something's not right here.

Vasas, the new team which won the 2nd division and moved up this year, announced they will receive 7.5 billion forints between 2015 and 2020.

http://www.blikk.hu/sport/magyar-foci/egyre-kevesebb-nezo-egyre-tobb-uj-stadion/yelq6we

At the moment, they have a small stadium, but their figures are a little better...but still, a TON of money for a sport. Average attendance per match: 2117 with a capacity of 4500 (53% empty).

It's all getting to look a little DODGY, this Government money, sorry, TAX PAYERS' money, going to one sport...a sport, and not some facility or service more in need, like hospitals, education, infrastructure, pensions (they already stole the private pensions), etc.
And why is FOOTBALL so important, in terms of sports? Other Hungarian sports have almost as large attendances, and in some instances, more!

http://hungaryultras.blogspot.hu/2016/02/egyeb-merkozesek-20160201-0215.html

Women's Handball  - Champions League

2016.02.05. Nagybánya - FERENCVÁROS 32-24 - 2.300 – néző

2016.02.13. FERENCVÁROS -  Rostov 29-29 - 4.000 - néző

Basketball  - NB I.

2016.02.13. ZALAEGERSZEG - Falco Szombathely 84-49 - 2.400 – néző

2016.02.10. -SOPRON - Körmend 61-80 -2.000 – néző

Women's Basketball  - EuroCup

2016.02.04. DIÓSGYŐR - Nymburk 77-50 - 1.800 – néző

Women's Volleyball -  Hungarian Cup [Final]

2016.02.12. Békéscsaba - Vasas Budapest 3-0 - 1.800 - néző (Érden)

 

Something is SOOOOO DODGY.

Can you smell that? That's the smell of CORRUPTION on a VERY LARGE scale. 

And what's being done about? Nothing. Because you can't. Democracy has been suspended here.

The Referendum Run - PLEASE SHARE

Okay, it's got so silly in this country that I have to write up the latest happening. This is so stupid and transparent. Why can't anyone see this?
Last year, the Government closed all shops larger than 200/250m2 (can't remember the specifics) on Sundays. Their reason? They don't need a reason, do they? Something about people needing to go to church...like religion and politics should mix, huh, and closing shops would make people go...anyway...

The Opposition Party wanted a Public Referendum for a question similar to "Should all shops have the right to be open on a Sunday?" They registered at the correct office one week in advance (as that's the law) and 40 odd seconds before they could hand in their question, an old woman who owns a small shop that is allowed to be open on a Sunday miraculously handed in a question about the same topic. The Opposition Party was not allowed to hand in their question because the law states that only one question on the same topic is allowed per year. The old woman's question was later rejected (who knows why) but because she'd handed in that one question, the Opposition Party had to wait a year.

Back story: for years, the Government have been putting BILLIONS into football in this country, including building stadiums which aren't up to holding first or second class matches, or stadiums which will never be filled. Watch a match on TV and you'll see an almost empty stadium.

Now the time comes for the Opposition Party to try the Public Referendum again. They register one week ahead. They go to the correct office to hand in the question...BUT...five huge muscular guys physically get in their way, and while they try to get past them, a little old woman (yes, the same one) sneaks by and hands in her question.
It's the stuff of novels, really. This is so dumb.
The Opposition Party find out that these five muscular guys are security men who work for the most aggressive football team in the country, the director of which is connected to the Government.

Transparent, eh? What do you think? This is so wrong. And yet nothing is done. Demonstrations are not shown on TV (because of censorship) and no one can speak against the Government. Almost every day, something like this happens...and nothing is done...other than people getting into trouble for speaking out.

UPDATE: The 'little old woman' is in fact the WIFE of a Pro-Government village ex-Mayor. This transparency has got to STOP!

Comments are SOOOOO welcome and please SHARE this around. People need to know.