Hungary will have to play their next World Cup qualifying game without an audience in punishment for the racist incidents carried out by their fans during the clash with England in Budapest on 2 September.
This was ordered by FIFA, which also fined the Hungarians 200,000 Swiss francs (about $ 217,000), one of the harshest financial punishments ever ordered by the governing body of football.
In this way, the Hungarians will play without public when they host Albania on October 9 for the World Cup qualifiers.
Hungary already has a two-game spectator ban pending to be fulfilled in June next year, in the Nations League, also due to racist attitudes of its fans.
The FIFA disciplinary committee found that there were “racist attitudes on the part of numerous fans” during the game against England, directed at Raheeem Sterling and Jude Bellingham, who are black.
The punishment from FIFA is actually for two games, but it put the second on hold. It will be enforced if Hungarian fans engage in racist gestures again in the next two years. (AP)