The country became the first in Europe to admit spectators back to the stands, but with the size of the crowd dramatically reduced and the social exclusion measures put in place.
According to the regulations imposed by the Hungarian National Football Federation (MLSZ), the fans had to be distributed so as not to occupy more than one seat in four and each second row was completely empty.
“Clubs that organize matches must ensure that social distance is maintained in the stands to ensure conditions for epidemiological control,” MLSZ said in a statement.
The first game with the fans took place on Friday, hosted by the lower side Kaposvar against fellow ZTE fighters, with a post on the social media of the MLSZ that illustrates the new measures taking place in a stadium that usually hosts up to 7000 spectators.
The home fans who participated may have hoped they weren’t worried, with Kaposvar losing a 6-0 defeat to remain firmly rooted at the bottom of the standings.
In action on Saturday, Mezokovesd in third place visited the DVTK, slipping into a 1-0 defeat in a sparsely attended game, although it seems that the pockets of the fans have gathered to create more atmosphere and cheer up their team.
A more in-depth test to see if fans adhere to the new restrictions will come on Sunday with the visit of league leader Ferencvaros to Puskas FC, the Felcsut club, which is the hometown of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban who supports football.
Thirty-three times Hungarian champions Ferencvaros regularly attract large crowds in his matches in a league where the average is only 3,000 per game.
Drive-in football fans
In the meantime, fans from the Czech Republic, where the league has resumed behind closed doors, have received a new way of getting together to show support for their team and watch the matches live.
When Sparta Prague entertained the second Viktoria Plzen square on Wednesday, the fans were able to watch the game on the big screens from inside their cars in the drive-in cinemas of Plzen and Prague.
The experiment proved to be a success, but vocal fans left their cars at key moments, with Plzen fans ending happier as their team scored a 2-1 away win.
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