Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe will play in the Cupa României final against FCSB, hoping to win the first ever title in the club's history.
Sepsi is not one of Romania's biggest clubs, but it can grow with an investment from neighbouring Hungary.
Sepsi was founded in 2011 in the city of Sfântu Gheorghe. The city is located in the historical region of Transylvania, where 76% out of 56,000 people are Hungarians. They are part of the Hungarian-Romanian community named Székelys. Sepsi had a sequence of promotions until they finally made it to the top tier in 2017. Their huge success is a result of an ideology that came from Budapest and led by Viktor Orbán, the Prime Minister of Hungary.
Orbán is known for his nationalist and conservative ideology. He was elected for the role in 2010 by a landslide, which gave him the ability to lead vast reforms in the country. He passed a new constitution in 2011 that began a new era of limited freedom of speech and extensive authority for him and the government. His statements referred to his intention to make Hungary a non-liberal democracy based on nationalist ideas. Earlier his year, during the coronavirus crisis, the Hungarian Parliament passed a law which grants Orbán the ability to rule by decree and without the Parliament confirmation. Human rights organizations across the world now describe Hungary as a non-Democratic country.
During his time in office, Viktor Orbán used nostalgic feelings in his rhetoric, somewhere along the lines of “make Hungary great again”. It didn't skip football, one of Orbán's biggest passions. He had a dream to get back to the old days of the Aranycsapat, the Mighty Magyars from the '50s. Therefore, he decided to invest money in developing football. Except for funding teams and renovating stadiums, he led to the establishment of a new team, Puskás Akadémia. The club is playing in Felcsút, a small town where Orbán grew up. Pancho Arena, a new stadium with 4,000 seats was built in Felcsút - a town of only 1800 people.
Orbán’s idealogy not only focuses on Hungary, but also on Hungarians abroad. In 2011, as part of the new changes, Hungary approved a new citizenship rule that made people eligible for a Hungarian passport if they were proving their Hungarian descent and their ability to speak the language. There are approximately 5 million Hungarian living in Eastern and Central Europe. These communities are the result of border changes following wars, especially in Romania, Serbia, Ukraine and Slovakia.
To keep these people connected to Hungarian heritage, the government and the MLSZ, the Hungarian FA, are funding clubs in Hungarian communities. Sepsi is not the only club in Romania to be funded by Hungary, but also, FK Miercurea Ciuc from the second division is part of this project. In other countries, we can find DAC Dunajská Streda from Slovakia and TSC Bačka Topola from Serbia. According to the official report of the MLSZ, the funds are supposed to be invested in youth teams and infrastructure. Sepsi got €6m from the Hungarian government, especially for renovating the local stadium to make it eligible for the first division.
The businessman connecting Hungary and the teams is Lőrinc Mészáros, one of the country's wealthiest people. Mészáros is the owner of a gas company, hence his government connections, with an especially close one to Orbán. He is also the founder of Puskás Akadémia and the owner of the Croatian club Osijek. Sepsi enjoyed Mészáros’ services when he brought one of his former partners, Károly Varga, to become the club's owner. Viktor Orbán himself didn't try to hide the connection between Hungary and the club, and he even presented a Sepsi shirt during a press conference in 2017.
The investments from Hungary became a real issue in Romania after Sepsi has been promoted to the top tier. The Hungarian involvement in the club made people criticize Sepsi. "I have heard about it, and it is humiliating for Romania and the Romanian people," said the former Romanian international Ciprian Marica. "It's good that they are supporting their people abroad, but we know that sport is not the only reason." Gigi Becali, the legendary owner of FCSB, was less reserved. "If I would leave football, the Hungarians will take over the place," he said. "They are not the Americans. They are just midgets. Would I give a midget like Orbán to defeat me on Romanian soil? Never!"
On the other hand, no one in Sepsi saw any problem. "Hungary is investing only on developing the youth teams and the pitches," said László Diószegi, the club's chairman, "we get more money from our season ticket holders and the main sponsors." Diószegi also had an idea for the Romanian government. "The cooperation with Hungary is reasonable. Romania has to invest in Moldova because a country needs to help its people." For those who are afraid of Hungarian money, he said that "this funding is not dedicated only to Hungarian people, but for all the people of Sfântu Gheorghe."
It's not the first time a team representing the Hungarian minority in Romania is making a decent cup campaign. Last season, Miercurea Ciuc, back then in the third division, defeated Dinamo Bucharest and reached the quarter-finals. On their way to their first final, Sepsi defeated Astra Giurgiu, Petrolul Ploiești, and Politehnica Iași. Now they are ready for the final against FCSB.
Will it be their first title, or will Becali succeed in his mission to prevent the club from winning on Romanian soil?
Thumbnail photo by Sepsi OSK official Facebook page.
