As Superbowl beckoned it was time to plan another trip away, surely it couldn’t go any worse than last year in Morocco? Myself and Lee booked a meeting room at work and got Skyscanner, Sofascore and a big ol’ map of Europe up on the big screen.
Right there, smack bang in the middle was Budapest. Immediately ticking all the boxes. A love of sport, cheap flights and plenty of Footy teams to take a look at. The fixture Gods were shining upon us and threw up a Budapest Derby on the Saturday and an iconic stadium on the Sunday, perfect.
The Airport lounge was a pleasant way to start the day before arriving a few hours later in the Hungarian Capital, my third time in this wonderful city but the first time taking in a match making it country number 34 watching football for me.
We passed the Groupama Arena on route from the airport, hopefully the venue for tomorrow’s action, the ticket situation yet to be resolved but we had faith. Carrying a couple of Leeds fans in our contingent was ideal for the Friday night as we settled down to watch them blow Forest away in the aptly named ‘Score Bar’.
So near yet so far
Sadly, only one yellow card away from a winning accumulator which would have made a serious dent in the weekends cost, oh well. The walls were adorned with sufficient NFL paraphernalia there for us to book a table for Sunday’s main event. A nice box to tick.
Well oiled, we set off to check out the city’s most renowned Bar, Szimpla Kert, the most famous of all the cities Ruin Bars. After the deportation of 10,000’s of Jews, the Jewish Quarter was left to rack and ruin until the turn of the century.
At this point the creative locals saw an opportunity to bring these dilapidated buildings back to life and introduced the concept of the ‘Ruin Bar’ which brings tourists in from far and wide. A truly unique edge to the city.
But off the back of all the above, the Friday night queue was snaking 100m around the corner which wasn’t the order of the day…..next door’s Karaoke Bar though, let’s do this! A busy underground hive with a great atmosphere, Microphones being passed around the crowd with no stage in sight.
I hadn’t even reached the queue for the bar before the lady behind me, struggling with the lyrics, pushed the mic in my face. I’m not always one to step up but when ‘Angels’ comes on and you’re nicely sozzled then there’s only one result.
A cracking spot for the evening, full of tourists having a wonderful time. The night wasn’t over yet and it was time for a Ruin Club. Instant was the place to be with a variety of rooms. Some better than others, but given the room with Bon Jovi in was sparsely populated we ended up in the rather more intense main room dancing away to some rather questionable sounds.
Up bright and early
An unreasonably early start for the next day had us heading across the Danube to the Buda side of the city. The Fisherman’s Bastion was the destination in our Uber. Given it was a lads footy weekend I had visions of the Fishmarket in Hamburg where the drinking never stops but I was pleasantly surprised by some incredibly stunning buildings and the glorious views back over the River to Pest. A nice wholesome way to start the day. Tourism done. Time for some Goulash and a couple of Dreher. Yes please.
We watched United bag themselves a win over lunch but our waiter filled us with fear for the afternoons activity. “Tickets for the Derby?? No chance”.
With our expectations adjusted we jumped in the 20-minute taxi towards the Groupama Arena.
Opened in 2014 after a full rebuild on the site that has been home to Ferencváros since 1911. The 22,000-seater stadium rarely sells out, but if they ever do then it’s against today’s opponents and arch-rivals Újpest.
A rivalry dating back as far as 1905 which took on major significance and became known as ‘The Derbi’ since 1930.
Ferencváros are the Kings of Hungarian football. They won their first title 123 years ago and have totted up another 35 since, including the last 7. Looking to retain their title they were in close pursuit of Gyor for top spot in the strange sounding ‘Fizz Liga’.
Bitter Rivalries
Újpest have themselves won the premier prize on 20 occasions making them the 3rd most successful team in the country with city rivals MTK sandwiched between the two sides on 23. Without a title since 1998 and lay in 8th place before kick-off, ‘The Lilák’ seem out of the running for any glory this year. The season could still be considered a success if they could break the 31-game streak without a win in ‘The Derbi’ since December 2015.
After all that, we hadn’t even secured tickets yet… The place was buzzing as we arrived about 45 minutes before kick-off. Earlier enquiries back home meant we knew we needed to arrive as early as possible and sign up for membership on the day. So we joined the back of the queue…..a very static, non-moving queue. VIP was £120 and didn’t require membership, too expensive for us but we asked about in the hope there was somewhere in between.
YES!! One last chance, a weird VIP section with zero benefits and a normal seat but who cares, only 15,000 HUF (£36) and the job was done. Just as hope was fading, we were sorted and entered the stadium with everyone on cloud 9. Buzzin’.
We grabbed a couple of beers and hot dogs and headed to our seats, front row, 20 yards from the away ultras. As a travelling fan it’s hard to think of a better spot, particularly when in this kind of game there is potentially more entertainment off the field than on.
I later saw online an option for £72 which had a buffet and drinks included for a couple of hours before and an hour after, an alternative well worth considering if you’re popping by.
The home side were managed by Ireland legend Robbie Keane, for this reason I considered wearing my Irish jersey but thankfully, just in time, I remembered their recent heart-breaking victory to knock Hungary out of the World Cup so not sure it would have been welcome by any fans that day.
Cracking atmosphere
Least not the rather lively away ultras, led by the Viola Fidelity. Given our spot it would have been ideal for the away side to get an early goal as they were shooting that way but not to be, alas, the home side took the lead and never looked back. The atmosphere was brilliant throughout with both sets of fans making a great noise with plenty of banners, flags and Pyro.
Easy access to the bar was a Godsend and a few more mini hot dogs were devoured. The proximity of the away fans meant that there were a few glares and any making of eye contact was swiftly followed by the usual hand signals, we wouldn’t want it any other way…well, as long as that line of stewards was separating us. They looked more than a handy bunch.
A third goal for ‘Fradi’ in first half stoppage time meant the game was over as a contest. There was still plenty to enjoy with both fans not stopping for the full 90, and with the beers flowing it was a cracking experience from start to finish.
Post-match we picked up some souvenirs from the club shop, not something I always do but this occasion deserved a fridge magnet. There we bumped into Calvin, a young American soldier stationed in Seoul, he was on vacation and had professed to have had his first beer that day. The only reasonable next step was to take him under our wing for the evening.
Did someone say ‘all you can drink?’
The busy day continued apace with a bloody lovely ‘all you can drink’ boat cruise. I’d done one before but that was a more tranquil ‘pay for your drinks’ option. This boat was much larger with a slightly more inebriated clientele, suited us just fine. The Champagne (or cheaper alternative) flowed and a great time was had by all, almost forgetting to take the time to enjoy the stunning surroundings. The parliament building gives off strong vibes to that of our own over the Thames and truly is a wonderful spectacle when lit up at night drifting along the Danube. Well worth a £20 quid of anyone’s money.
Finally, the night ended up in the much famed Szimpla, my memory was pretty hazy by this point but I certainly recall having a top time, you may notice a running theme with this city.
A nice lie in was just what the Doctor ordered but one of our party had other plans, overhearing a potential idea for an activity while on the plane, we allowed him to book it as a surprise and the time was now.
9:30 in the bloody morning though…we tried to guess the destination as we made our way past Bowling Alleys and Massage parlours….no such luck. On arrival, we were asked to remove our shoes and given rubber flip flops in their place….A Pig Café,
Dan was right, it was something very different for sure. We were still half cut and there was plenty of giggling as the pigs scuttled around nibbling away at our toes. A great opportunity for the dads of the group to ring home to share the most wholesome part of the trip with their kids.
Familiar territory
Order was swiftly restored as we found a lovely little spot in the sun to enjoy a couple of pints of Caffrey’s. All weekend had fresh cold conditions, proper big coat weather and thankfully no rain. Today’s sunshine was actually enough to warm the cockles and that set us up nicely for the afternoon’s entertainment.
A 45-minute taxi out of the city seemed quite extreme but there was good reason this fixture was chosen. A unique stadium in terms of design, you won’t find anything similar anywhere in the world and it’s instantly recognisable. The Pancho Arena is home to Puskás Akadémia who would line up today against Zalaegerszege.
Hailed by stadiumdb.com as one of the three most beautiful stadiums in the world “The wood-lined curved interior to the stand gives spectators the feeling that they are attending a Sunday church service, not a football match.”
With a capacity under 4,000, it’s situated in the town of Felcsút, the hometown of President Viktor Orban which has a population of less than 2,000. You do the Maths. The club is widely disliked by pretty much everyone in Hungary as it is seen as a political tool for Orban.
Given that, the country will have been pleased to see Péter Szappanos turn into his own net on the 50th minute, a goal that would seal victory for the away side. This coincided with my turn in the beer queue. Weirdly the sound of the loud cheer indicated it was the away team that scored. The home ultras genuinely consisted of two young lads with a drum that from a distance appeared under 10 years old.
Missed opportunity
Sadly, my trip to the queue wasn’t as fruitful as hoped, we had seen steam rising from people’s beers but were disappointed to see that the ‘warm’ beers had run out. Something I would have been very intrigued to try, maybe a more sensible option for the winter months? Not something I could see catching on back home though. Intrigued to see if you’ve seen it anywhere else?
A 4pm finish and half of our crew jumped in a Uber…..the only Uber. It didn’t take long to feel the sparseness of this small countryside town. With no more taxi’s around it was a bus and delayed train that got us back into the main station well over an hour later. Not to worry, we bumped into a father and son from Edinburgh who share the same passion as ourselves in ticking off Football stadium wherever and whenever they can, always great to meet likeminded folk.
Before long, we were showered, refreshed and ready to rock and roll. Time for the big one, Superbowl. Seattle Seahawks ran out comfortable winners in the end and we managed to watch the majority of the game, something we haven’t been able to say on too many occasions. The lack of jeopardy towards the end of the game created a wonderful sight of 3 blokes nodding off in the pub after a very, very long weekend of revelry.
An afternoon flight meant one final treat, the Széchenyi baths. A staple of the tourist trip and a must visit when in town. I could have happily stayed another few hours there, the perfect hangover cure followed by a nap before starting over, sadly for us it was home time but a genuinely belting footy trip that I’d highly recommend to anyone.
Is Budapest worth a visit for a footy trip?’
That just leaves one question, how does Ferencváros and Budapest compare to our other Footy Trips.
Team Ability – Won the last 7 titles in the 22nd best league in Europe and considered the 50th best team on the continent – 7/10
Atmosphere – Pulsating from start to finish, full house. Home and away fans sung throughout with great passion and intensity, a heavy police presence also highlighted the emotion involved in this derby – 9/10
Stadium Quality – A brilliant stadium, great size for the team, modern and perfect for football – 8/10
Beer/Food at stadium – Cheap beers, hot dogs that filled a hole and all without a queue – 8/10
Tourism – A genuinely stunning city, beauty and history around every corner, plenty of random activities to entertain groups and couples alike, hard to beat for a weekend break in Europe – 9/10
Accessibility – Flights for under £100 return with a bit of planning ahead and pretty cheap on arrival – 9/10
People – I didn’t have the fondest memories from previous visits but this time I encountered nothing but pleasantries alongside large swathes of happy tourists –7/10
Stadium Surroundings –A couple of pubs nearby that we didn’t quite get to check out but a 20-minute journey back into town – 5/10
History – Founded over 120 years ago, the most successful team in Hungary and perennial participants in continental competition – 7/10
Ease/Cost of ticket purchase – Non derby games would be much simpler but it was possible on the day for only £36, half the price if not needing the VIP solution – 7/10
Total – 76/100
So, is Ferencváros the perfect footy trip I’ve been searching for? I tell you what, it’s hard to argue with that. The only score I’ve ever given higher is Anderlecht by a mere one point. A destination that I’d more than happily recommend to anyone for a Footy Trip.
Accomplishments
For me in terms of personal accomplishments on this trip
Hungary is the 34th country in which I have watched football and 19 out of the UEFA 55.
An absolute pleasure as always to travel around the world enjoying the delights on offer, thanks again for joining me and until the next footy trip, take it easy