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Hungária F.C. - Mitropa Cup 1927

Author: Isaque Argolo | Creation Date: 2022-02-25 15:38:06


Data providers: Isaque Argolo.
Nemzeti Bajnokság I. 1926/27 runners-up, Hungária F.C. classified to the final tournament which would send two Hungarian teams to fight for the Mitropa Cup. In this specific tournament, Hungária F.C. were first placed with all six points which they could have gotten. Hungára were another strong opponent who would fight for the glory of the Hungarian soil. Ferencváros F.C. did not classify, therefore they were considered the best team which Hungary sent to win the title. Hungária made some signings before Mitteleuropa, such as: Ferenc Hirzer and Kálmán Konrád. The plan was to build a strong side which would bring the glory days back. As a way of constructing this path, it was seen that a strong front line had to be built.
The Hungária team, as well as Újpest F.C., was not considered one of the main candidates for the title, no. The Czechs and Austrians, on the other hand, were seen as superior teams to the Hungarian teams, which lacked, due to other problems, Ferencváros F.C., the champion of Nemzeti Bajnokság I. 1926/27. However, Hungária's plan was notably to strengthen itself to, at least, rescue a title for the season. BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT
The team was good, but not constant. Its main players could not maintain a regularity in tournaments. Names like Orth, Braun and Molnár were constantly making their way onto the injured list. In addition, other names no longer had great performances as in the past.
György Orth, for example, that even though he was no longer the exceptional player he was in the first half of the 1920s, he was still seen, when he was in top form, as the main centre-forward of the continent. The same applies to József Braun, who has been battling a string of injuries over the seasons. On the other hand, already on the defensive line, Gyula Mándi was already seen as a defender with an almost impeccable tactical sense; comparing himself to strategists like Josef Blum and Virgínio Rosetta in this regard. The half-back line was good, but below other teams' lines. HIRZER & KONRÁD II.
The rumors had come true: Ferenc Hirzer would play for Hungária F.C. After many years on foreign soil, Hirzer would shine for a Hungarian team again. There was a time when the public didn't see that fast, agile player with a tremendous finish. Hirzer would arrive to strengthen the team. However, Hirzer would not be able to play the first two matches of the competition.
Being able to play both inside left and left winger, Hirzer, in addition to his exceptional effective qualities, was a very important tactical piece, due to his versatility on the left side.
Even before Hungária played its first match for the Mitropa Cup, negotiations with Konrád II. had already started. As much as Csámi played in New York, he still had a contract with F.K. Austria, so he would be stuck with them. Dr. Fodor and Konrád II. were in constant conversation to resolve the situation soon, thus for Konrád II. to become a player of Hungária again. Meanwhile, the leadership of F.K Austria believed that this was just a ploy by Kálmán Konrád to extort them. This, however, seemed to be contradicted by Konrád II. himself. As far as anyone had any idea, Konrád II. wanted not only to become a player, but to be a coach at the same time on Hungarian soil, too. MITROPA CUP
There were still huge mistakes in the team. Some discussions were being debated to solve these problems. Hungária did not have to give their best against B.S.K. Beograd, but they would have to against the strong Czech side of A.C. Sparta. Hungária goes through but with some changes.
Gyula Feldmann made some changes. Since György Oláh and Géza Balasits were not great options, Hungária would play Ferenc Kocsis. The right side would be completed with the tactical Gyula Mándi.
One of the best Austrians left half-backs, Schneider was signed to solve the problems with the left side of the half-back line. Schneider had recently played against a Hungarian club, Ferencvárosi F.C., in a match which ended up being 4-2 for the Budapest side. For Wiener A.C., Schneider played his two last matches against Yugoslavia Beograd. Schneider would join the team after the first match against A.C. Sparta, thus Feldmann decided to play the following half-back line:
Kléber – Kvazs – Rebró
The only change would be the two wing halves. Rebró, who could not fit very well in the left half-back, would switch with Kléber. Kvazs would stay as the centre half-back.
Ferenc Hirzer as a forward would change some things. György Sárvári — Skvarek — would play as the inside right and Hirzer would replace György Molnár. With Hirzer in the team, the supporters expected Hungária’s game to increase. They would need a great result against A.C. Sparta, because the second match would be tough.
Jeny – Hirzer – Orth – Skvarek – Opata
Kálmán Konrád started his training two days after the match against B.S.K. Beograd, on 30/08/1927, Wednesday, but would not be prepared for the first match against the team from Prague. However, even if it was the case, Konrád II., according to the opinion of the Committee, would not be able to play the match because the was still irregular. HUNGARY OR CZECHOSLOVAKIA?
On 03/09/1927, Sparta arrived in Budapest at half past nine. The team was really welcomed by Dr. Henrik Fodor and one of Sparta’s leaders, Náthán, who was already waiting in Hungary. The team, of course, was fully recovered and had their starts in great conditions. All over Central Europe, debates were constantly made. People would question which nation played the highest level of football. In some way, the semi-finals of the first Mitteleuropa Pokal gave a little spark on these debates.
— Is Czech football superior to ours? – Hungarians questioned.
— Yes, their National Team matches would confirm; SK Slavia and AC Sparta being on semi-finals would as well – some would think.
Two of Europe’s strongest sides, Czechoslovakia and Hungary, battle for the dominance in Continental’s professional football. Moreover, it is true that many balanced more the the Czech side. S.K Slavia & A.C. Sparta were, at that time, considered the two best teams in Central Europe.
The first leg showed a tough opponent. Sparta’s confirmed their fame of having a solid defense and also extremely technically gifted, fast and precise forwards. Even though they tied the first match, the Budapest team would have a hard mission of beating AC Sparta in Prague.
After four weeks of contract signed, Josef Schneider was finally legitimated to participate. Schneider already had played three matches of Nemzeti Bajnokság I. but, for the first time, would join Hungária against Sparta.
On 14/09/1927, wednesday, Hungary played Lipótváros in a training match. Orth played both halves and performed well. On thursday, Orth claimed that he was uncomfortable but was something to not take that seriously. On friday, things changed as Orth’s leg injury took him out of the match against Sabaria, on sunday, and the match which Hungary would face Austria.
Gyuri started his recovery but Hungaria’s leaders though he would not be able to be in form until the second match against A.C. Sparta. With Orth unable to play and Skvarek with stomach problems, Hungária would have to play the in the following forward formation: Jeny – Hirzer – Konrád II. – Molnár – Braun. However, due to the whole team’s weak performance against Sabaria, Gyula Feldmann decide to change the forward line. Molnár would be replaced and Jeny would not start the match. Then, Hungária traveled to Prague with the following forward line:
Hirzer – Skvarek – Opata – Konrád II. – Braun
This formation was expected to have balls played to both wingers. Kálmán Konrád would drop deep behind the four other forwards. Braun and Hirzer were a dangerous duo of wingers, both were precise, fast and had great dribbling. Braun was still not in a good condition, he played his first match against Sabaria and would face Sparta. Skvarek was recovered from his problems and was able to play. A LATE WARNING FROM VIENNA
Even before the second match against A.C. Sparta, the delegation of Hungária F.C. I was aware that playing Kálmán Konrád would cause certain inconveniences. One of the rules regarding player transfers was that the player had to, at least, have been hired 30 days before being scheduled to play in the tournament. There was a delay in making Kálmán Konrád's contract official, therefore Hungária F.C. was in doubt about the line-up for Letná's departure. However, many speculated that Konrád II. could not be selectioned to play against the red team. On the other hand, on the Czech side specifically, they believed that the purpose of Kálmán Konrád's squad was that Hungária were afraid of defeat.
As far as the Konrád case is concerned, we will convene the Cup Committee and I hope we will be right. But otherwise, the match cannot be written in Sparta's favor, but must be destroyed and replayed. Dr. Henrik Fodor.
According to several members of the tournament Committee and experts, the rules of the tournament were not very well defined. The word acquisition was not explained very well along the lines of the tournament rules, and the Committee was aware of other cases of player irregularity — Karl Reiner, for example, when he was about to play for S.K. Rapid. A long time before 09/09/1927, Hungária F.C. had already agreed with Konrád II. and he had already signed the contract. However, the Austrian Federation only carried out his extradition on 09/09/1927, thus, according to the tournament rules, Kálmán Konrád would only be regularized to play on 09/10/1927.
On 30/09/1927, Friday, Hungária received a telegram from Vienna. Hugo Meisl, on behalf of the Central European Cup Committee, informed the MLSz that Kálmán Konrád's participation in the cup matches would only be possible on 09/10/1927, since the members of the Committee believed that Konrád II. was not able to play yet.
Even so, trying to apply a diplomatic move, according to Lázslo Loos himself, Dr. Henrik Fodor wanted Hungária to line up Kálmán Konrád for the second match against Sparta. Many said that Dr. Fodor was to void the match, so it would be played on a date when Kálmán Konrád would be available to play. THE DOWNFALL
As much as the Hungarian team had made high-caliber signings, the favorites to win the tournament were still S.K. Slavia & A.C. Sparta. Few people believed that Hungária could eliminate Sparta, but the second match, even being played in Letná, could have classified Hungária. Sparta was not up to the task at their own ground.
Not only Dr. Henrik Fodor, but many others wanted the match to be anulled and another one to be held, in the name of noble sporting acts. However, the Cup Committee decided to disqualify Hungária. This caused a lot of divided opinions and disagreements from Hungarians. Diplomacy between the tournament's four nations — Hungary, Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Austria — was increasingly getting into a complicated state, even more so after this elimination of the Hungarian team. Dr. Henrik Fodor himself had mentioned that he would create another tournament with other nations and that Hungária F.C. would no longer be part of the Cup Committee.
In conclusion: the tournament was far from being advantageous for Hungária F.C. and ended through disagreements between the club's board and the Cup Committee. Furthermore, not only Hungary, but it caused diplomatic problems between MLSZ and the other federations. The reports
Quarter-final, 1st match: 14/08/1927, Sunday, 17:00. B.S.K. Beograd – Hungária F.C. 2:4 (0:2) Place: Stadion BSK, Beograd — Referee: Emil Göbel (Austria). Attendance: about 5.000. B.S.K. Beograd Coach: Adolf Engel. XI: Gligorijević — Popović, Mitrović — Arsenijević, Marinković(c), Đorđević — B. Marjanović, Bek, Sotirović, N. Marjanović, Najdanović. Hungária F.C. Coach: Gyula Feldmann. XI: Biri — Mandl, Balasits — Kléber, Kvasz, Rebró — Senkey, Molnár, Opata(c), Skvarek, Jeny. Goals: Kvasz(15min), Skvarek(35min), Jeny(58min) and Opata(72min) — Sotirovic(50min[penalty]) and Popovic(86min).
Upon arriving at the B.S.K Beograd field, the entire Hungária team notices a completely precarious turf and without anything consistent with their style, as this same turf could disrupt their short passing game and on the ground. The repertoire of the stands is also not of a high level, as just over 4.500 people could attend the match.
Hungária F.C., even without its main player, György Orth, and without Nádler, excelled with the expectations imposed on the team. Right when the first goal was scored, through Jeny, the team never stopped attacking the opponent. With a series of frequent, combinations and fading attacks, the team could have gone with a much bigger lead into the break.
Of all the ranks in Hungária, the best was, in fact, the half-back line. Not because of the performances of Kléber and Rebró — both completely moderate in the match —, but because of the complete game played by Kvaz. Kvaz disarmed opponents' advances, connected very well with the insiders and with the two winfers and he made advances himself — which even scored the first goal of the match. THE HOME TEAM
The downfall of B.S.K Beograd was already expected, due to the fact that their football was mostly one of the lowest in the entire competition. Their game was somewhat primitive in some ways; in addition to being reflected precisely by its crudest defender: Popovic. If there was a good side in the team, it was the performance of both wingers — mainly Blagoje Marjanović, who had good chances to score goals. Quarter-final, 2nd match: 28/08/1927, Sunday, 17:00. Hungária F.C. – B.S.K. Beograd 4:0 (2:0) Place: Hungária út, Budapest — Referee: Alfréd Pressler (Austria). Attendance: about 18.000. Hungária F.C. Coach: Gyula Feldmann. XI: Biri — Mandl, Balasits — Kléber, Kvasz, Rebró — Opata, Molnár, Orth(c), Skvarek, Jeny. B.S.K. Beograd Coach: Adolf Engel. XI: Gligorijević — Popović, Mitrović — Arsenijević, Marinković(c), Đorđević — B. Marjanović, Bek, Sotirović, Dragićević, Najdanović. Goals: Orth(2, 37min; 81min), Molnár(1, 44min), Balasits(1, 90min[penalty]).
Even though Hungária were not still on a high level of performance, they still managed to play a superior football than BSK Beograd. The blue-white shirts were not fully prepared in terms of condition. Particularly on the forward line, the players lacked tactical positioning and precise shots. NOT HIGH QUALITY, BUT STILL SUPERIOR
Hungary’s level of football were superior to Yugoslavia’s. This was also reflected in this match. Even though Hungária FC were not on a high level of performance which they were used to, the team from Budapest team managed to show a far superior football than BSK Beograd.
Due to Hungária’s great defensive system, János Biri did not show much. The veteran Gyula Mándi was still one of the top defenders. Mándi was calm, precise and was tactically far superior than Géza Balasits who committed many errors and seemed slow.
The half-back line had Gábor Kléber as its best player. His great technique helped him in the most difficult times. Kvasz was not on the same level as Kléber, but showed a regular game. Béla Rebró did not seem to fit in the left half-back position. His agility was something to be appreciated, but it was also taking a lot of his energy.
György Orth, the commander of the forward line, even though he scored twice, did not show everything which he could, but opportunism. On the other hand, Orth’s precise passes and unexpected ones were on point. His first half impressions were, in some way, annulled by the harsh game which Beograd’s defenders were playing. As Hungária were increasing their intensity, Orth’s game also did. Milorad Mitrovic’s injury was also a key point.
Zoltán Opata was precise, technical, well positioned and quick with his plays. Opata was unlucky with his shots, but still served the team very well. He assisted Molnár and was also part of the play which gave Hungária a penalty kick.
Both insiders, György Molnár and György Sárvári-Skvarek, were a disappointment. Molnár could only show a few sparks of his technique, but failed to scored. Skvarek was completely out of form and also failed with his shots.
Rudolf Jeny was part of some great actions which led to goals, but made some mistakes. Clearly was still trying to reach his best form, but was still far from making it happen. YUGOSLAVIAN SIDE
The Beogradski SK team was praised.
Gligorlevic stood out for his cat-like skill, but the two full-backs also stood out for their incredible work rate and skilful interventions.
In the half-back line, Marinkovic dropped back at times, unable to cope with the eroding combinations of the blue and white forward line, and the wing half-backs were causing enough problems for the two Hungária wingers. Before the break, they were better, but after that they were completely limited to defence.
The forward line had Sotirovic and Dragicovic as the two main names. If they had been better shooters, they would not have left the field without a goal, because they created more than one nice situation before the break. In the second half they only got to the Hungária area a few times.
Dr. Henrik Fodor: Our victory was not in doubt for a minute, although our team is obviously not yet fully together. I regret Mitrovic's injury, fortunately it did not prove to be serious. He left the dressing room on his own two feet after the match.
Dr. Andrejevic: My team was good in the first half, after the break we were heavily depleted in numbers due to Mitrovic's injury and Sotirovic's sending off. Of course, with nine men the game didn't go so well. The result is otherwise realistic. I'm sorry that Hungária adopted such a sharp style of play, which made our team do the same. The referee was moderate. Semi-final, 1st match: 04/09/1927, Sunday, 17:00. Hungária F.C. – A.C. Sparta 2:2 (1:1) Place: Hungária út, Budapest — Referee: Eugen Braun(Austria). Assistant Referees: Attendance: about 15.000. Hungária F.C. Coach: Gyula Feldmann. XI: Biri — Mandl, Kocsis — Kléber, Kvasz, Rebró — Opata, Molnár, Orth(c), Hirzer, Jeny. A.C. Sparta Coach: Josef Sedlacek. XI: Hochmann — Perner, Steiner — Kolenatý, Káďa(c), Hajný — Maloun, Patek, Silný, Vesely, Horejs. Goals: Opata(30min), Jeny(69min) — Patek(34min), Silný(64min).
A match that would reflect some of the top performances of teams from ten years ago. It was a spectacle long awaited by fans and fans of good football. As much as it had rained early in the morning, the field was in excellent condition and mostly dry.
From the beginning of the game, the A.C. Sparta reflected his style clearly. His game was fast, even; always aiming at infiltrations and advances by the pointers. On the other hand, Hungária's game was more varied, a little slower, but with some memorable plays for the audience. HIRZER MAKES HIS DEBUT
The Hungarian team's offensive line had a novelty: Ferenc Hirzer. Hirzer had been away from the Hungarian pitch and public for a long time, but it showed that he was still an extraordinary player. Of course, it was still not sufficiently adapted, but its speed and agility were still notorious.
Skvarek was sick so he wouldn't play this game. Due to this, Molnár, who was not in his best form, was chosen to play the right side with Opata. A GREAT RESULT FOR A.C. SPARTA
The match was a real battle, but that battle was dominated by the world famous A.C. half-back line. Sparta, who had Kolenatý as their main player and best of the match. Kolenatý performed in his typical artistic style, vigorously and largely dominant. He kept the Jeny-Hirzer left side thoroughly checked. Káďa, in turn, did not show a game far below Kolenatý. Káďa controlled the work of his forward line with his usual movements, so that in the next moment, if necessary, he could help his defense. Hajný was not at the level of his other teammates. Even so, he was much better than Hungária's half-backs, who, by the way, didn't play badly, but were far from presenting the same qualitative level of the Czechoslovakian team.
The result was excellent for the Prague team, as the other match would be played at home and the match itself gave a sign that A.C. Sparta could have won on the occasion of goals. Furthermore, in the 60th minute of the match, the Viennese referee Eugen Braun gave a penalty against Hungaria, in a direct foul on Horejs. He, however, reversed his decision and continued the match after protests from the Hungarian players. This was a point of widespread complaint from A.C. players. Sparta.
The fast front line of the A.C. Sparta worked as expected. Adolf Patek stood out for his technical quality, but there was not as much tactical perception as his teammates. Visibly, Patek made poor choices and tended not to put his teammates in a better position to score. Patek was a ball artist, but he was far from having the strategic knowledge of the others on the offensive line. Silný, on the other hand, had a superior tactical perception to his inside left, but he wasn't good enough to supply the pointers. He still stood out more than Vesély, who showed a much more moderate game.
The right side Maloun-Patek, even with very little space, managed to get past his opponents, therefore eventually finding scoring opportunities. On the left side, Horejs proved to be one of the most dangerous strikers. So much so that he produced, through two assists, the goals of A.C. Sparta.
Dr. Henrik Fodor: The team had the opportunity to win because we had more scoring chances than the opponents. Sparta's half-back line is much better than ours and this caused the certain superiority that was felt in the match.
Nathan: We will definitely win the game in Prague. Sparta are a class above Hungária and that superiority will have its repercussions at home. Hungaria's half-back line is poor, their defence is shaky and their forward line is slow. Semi-final, 2nd match: 02/10/1927, Sunday, 17:00. A.C. Sparta – Hungária F.C. 0:0 (0:0) Place: Stadion Letná, Prague — Referee: Eugen Braun (Austria). Assistant Referees: Attendance: about 20.000. A.C. Sparta Coach: Josef Sedlacek. XI: Hochmann — Perner, Steiner — Kolenatý, Káďa(c), Hajný — Maloun, Patek, Silný, Vesely, Horejs. Hungária F.C. Coach: Gyula Feldmann. XI: Biri — Mandl, Kocsis — Rebró, Kléber, Schneider — Braun, Konrád II.(c), Opata, Skvarek, Hirzer. Goals: -
This game was completely different from the other one. The supporters A.C. Sparta expected a quiet and considerable victory, but it didn't happen. Their supporters were disappointed with the weak game and with the mentality of the home team. In fact, the team was well below the performance it reproduced in Budapest. Even the result of the match could be favorable by just one goal for Hungária F.C., who had a new offensive line and a new member in the half-back line.
The match was widely contested, but a little skewed towards Hungária F.C. According to the players of A.C. Sparta, the Hungarian team was superior, they just failed to reflect their superiority in goals. UNRECOGNIZABLE A.C. SPARTA
Of all the team lines, only the defensive line stood out. Steiner and Perner played their usual game and managed to stop some of the Hungarian advances. Hochmann played well.
Of the half-back line, only Kolenatý performed normally; he, however, sometimes losing the ball, reflected the despondency that was the A.C. Sparta in this match. Káďa was way below his level, just like in the entire tournament. He couldn't direct the team's attacks and didn't play an efficient defensive game. Kléber played better match. Hajný was weaker than in his previous performances. HUNGÁRIA'S NEW FORWARD LINE
Without Orth, who was once again injured, but with a wide repertoire of offensive qualities in the other players, Hungária F.C. set up a refining line. Braun had returned, but without much precision with the ball, as he had been out of rhythm for a long time. On the inside right position, Kálmán Konrád played his first game after a long time without playing for MTK — Hungária. He, moreover, was the outstanding player of the offensive line through his cerebral and technical play. Opata played an outstanding game for his team.
Hungaria F.C.'s offensive line he was very pleasant and, in a way, efficient as their actions. However, they fought a defensive line in which A.C. Sparta demonstrated their usual game. In addition, Hochmann was one of the main names of the team.
Due to the irregular lineup of Kálmán Konrád, at least considered by the tournament committee, a few hours later it was announced that Hungária F.C. would be disqualified from the tournament.