The youth women’s football team of KSE (Kézdivásárhelyi SE) played an away match on Sunday, September 28, 2025, against Interstar Sibiu in the 3rd League. Around the 70th minute, with the score at 1–1, a serious discriminatory incident occurred, which affected not only the match but also the very spirit of sport.
The referee forced a KSE player to speak only Romanian on the field, threatening to expel her and send her to the locker room if she spoke otherwise. This outraged the team, as it was clearly an act of ethnic discrimination, which is unacceptable and contradicts the fundamental values represented in sport.
The Mikó Imre Legal Aid Service fully condemns such discriminatory behavior, which is not only unlawful but also deeply violates the right to equality and the spirit of sport. The incident seriously diminished the sporting value of the match and had a lasting impact on the team members, who left the field demoralized.
The situation is made worse by the fact that the KSE team consists of girls around 15 years old, who are shaping not only their technical skills but also their human values on the sports field. At this age, young people are especially sensitive to social injustice, and such experiences of discrimination can have long-term effects on their self-confidence and community relationships.
The Mikó Imre Legal Aid Service has filed a complaint with the appropriate authorities and expects strict measures to ensure that such incidents do not occur again, either to KSE or to any other sports club. Such manifestations have no place on the sports field, where all athletes must be treated equally, regardless of their nationality or linguistic background.
Erika Benkő, head of the Service, stated: “More and more often, Hungarians are being told in various situations not to use their language. I want to stress once again, firmly, that this is not only unacceptable but also against the law. The only way we can act against this phenomenon is to report and oppose it every single time. We expect the Anti-Discrimination Council to proceed with exemplary severity against the referee, since we have immediately reported this case to them.”
(Photo: Pinti Attila)