The events at the Sepsi OSK–Dinamo Bucharest football match held in Sfântu Gheorghe on 9 October 2026 once again highlighted that anti-Hungarian hostility and xenophobia remain serious problems at sporting events in Romania.
Towards the end of the match, Dinamo supporters chanted deeply offensive anti-Hungarian slogans, prompting the referee to suspend the match for two minutes. While sport and fair play should take centre stage on the pitch, ethnic incitement and hatred once again found a voice in the stands.
Árpád Antal, the mayor of Sfântu Gheorghe, expressed his outrage over the incident and emphasised the responsibility of the Romanian Football Federation. He pointed out that the federation’s inadequate response encourages racist and xenophobic behaviour, and therefore called for firm action and sanctions against those responsible.
The Mikó Imre Legal Defence Service considers these anti-Hungarian manifestations unacceptable and strongly urges the competent authorities to take concrete measures against incitement to hatred. Our organisation will report the incident to both the Romanian Football Federation and FIFA, and will request appropriate sanctions against the club.
We believe that supporting a team cannot serve as an excuse for inciting hatred against Hungarians or humiliating national communities. It must not become normal for the Hungarian community to face repeated attacks of this kind while those responsible almost always escape meaningful consequences. Stadiums must not become arenas for anti-Hungarian hostility and hatred. Immediate and consistent action against such behaviour is essential, and this is what we will demand from football’s governing bodies.
Erika Benkő, head of the Mikó Imre Legal Defence Service, stated: “I fully agree with Árpád Antal that the Romanian Football Federation also bears considerable responsibility for the current situation, given that its response to such incidents is most often characterised by inaction, even though taking firm action against ethnic hatred should indeed be one of the federation’s responsibilities. We hope that a decisive response will not be delayed in this case, because anti-Hungarian hostility in stadiums has now become systemic.”
(Photo: monitorulexpres.ro)