Orban Takes Pandemic Risk With Bayern-Seville Super Cup Loophole

(Bloomberg) -- With the coronavirus’s next wave in full swing in Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban is gambling that allowing tens of thousands of spectators to attend a high-profile soccer game later this month won’t turbo-charge the pandemic.

UEFA, Europe’s soccer federation, sent out an invitation to fans on Monday to apply for tickets for the Super Cup match featuring Champions League winner Bayern Munich and Europa Cup winner Seville on Sept. 24 in Budapest. More than 20,000 fans, or 30% of capacity at the recently refurbished Puskas Arena, are scheduled to attend, including 3,000 fans each from Bayern and Seville.

Orban can’t afford for things to go wrong. The economy contracted a record 13.6% annually in the second quarter and an explosion in virus cases may force the government’s hand toward another partial lockdown. The economic headwinds could also complicate his chances of winning a fourth consecutive term in 2022.

For UEFA, the game is a “pilot” on whether games can be held safely during a pandemic. International competitions in Europe have been held in empty stadiums since the virus’s outbreak earlier this year, though some domestic leagues, including the usually sparsely attended Hungarian matches, did allow spectators.

Stadium Binge

Orban, an avowed soccer fanatic who’s led a stadium-building binge in Hungary since his return to power in 2010, created a legal loophole for the Super Cup last week, just days after barring entry to foreigners in order to stem a resurgence of the virus. Exemptions also apply for those coming to Hungary on business.

Fans from abroad can only enter with a negative test, must be willing to submit to health-checks and have to leave Hungary within 72 hours. At the game, fans will have their temperatures checked, must keep a distance of 1.5 meters from each other and must wear masks at all times, according to UEFA guidelines.

Hungary registered 341 new virus cases on Tuesday, down from a daily record of 576 a day earlier. Active cases rose to 4,706, though experts have warned that a relatively low rate of testing in Hungary may mean that the actual case count could be 20 times that number.

On Tuesday, Hungary’s government introduced a lockdown for nursing homes and other institutions for those in need of special care, in a bid to shield the most vulnerable. The pandemic also hasn’t spared Hungarian soccer, where several teams have been forced to postpone games because of infections.

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