The last games in Fortuna Liga, the top division in professional soccer in Slovakia, wrapped up last weekend. FC DAC 1904 Dunajská Streda, the team of the 70-per-cent Hungarian majority town of Dunaszerdahely, finished second in the league. Not a bad showing, especially given the fact that only Slovan Bratislava, the winner of the last five championships, were able to finish above them.
However, these results were not without controversy, and DAC 1904 owner, himself an ethnic Hungarian, Oszkár Világi did not shy away from voicing his discontent.
‘The title can only be stolen from DAC once’, he told the Hungarian state TV network M1.
He was talking in reference to a controversial call by the referee during their game against Slovan, when what appeared to be a clear handball inside the penalty box was not given as a penalty for DAC. At the time, DAC was two points behind their Bratislavan opposition, so had they won, they would have gone one point ahead with two games left to play. However, that match ended with a 3–2 victory for Slovan—ironically, with a winner scored from a penalty kick in extra time that was given for a handball for Slovan…
‘Work will always yield results, they may not come soon, but they will come!’, Világi went on to state confidently.
His statements seem to be implying that there is a bias against his team in the Slovak Football Association, for being heavily associated with ethnic Hungarians living in the country. Opposition fans certainly like to show their detest for the Hungarian-speaking fandom of DAC. It’s usually done through chants; however, it has also gone further than that: in March 2023, the ultras of MFK Dukla Banská Bystrica throw eggs at the visiting DAC’s team bus.
Who Is Oszkár Világi?
Oszkár Világi is the 61-year-old CEO of the Slovakian oil refining company Slovnaft. In 2017, Forbes estimated his net worth to be €130–150 million. He was born and raised in Dunaszerdahely. He bought the majority shares of the local football team in 2014. In 2023, he also became the majority owner of another football club, ETO FC Győr, currently playing in Hungary’s second division.
Sepsi OSK Wins Romanian Cup
However, over in Romania, Sepsi OSK showed that is possible for a team supported by ethnic Hungarians to achieve great success in a hostile environment. They won the Romanian Cup, after tying FC Universitatea Cluj 0–0 in regular and extra time, then beating them 5–4 in a penalty shootout.
The hero of the night was goalkeeper Roland Niczuly, who kept a clean sheet for 120 minutes, then saved three penalties in the shootout. The next day, he proclaimed in an interview with the Hungarian sports daily Nemzeti Sport that he would gladly come play for the Hungarian national team, despite being eligible for the Romanian side as well.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, an avid football fan and former player, took to Facebook to congratulate Sepsi.
