Question asked by Jean-Luc, May 30
Hello,
A photo of Nicolas Sarkozy and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán side by side in the stands, taken by Agence France presse (AFP) during the Champions League final on Saturday May 28, questions some Internet users about the relationship maintained by the two men and the reason for their proximity in the stands. Today, the Hungarian is also responsible, among other things, for Europe’s slowness in setting up an embargo on Russian hydrocarbons.
The former French president backed the Hungarian prime minister in March 2019 when his controversial Fidesz party, ruling Budapest, was suspended from the European People’s Party (EPP), which brings together right-wing and center-right parties in the European Parliament. The reason: his political positions deemed anti-European and detrimental to public freedoms. « Hungary is profoundly European in its history, its culture and its values. And Hungary is a great democratic country.had defended the former resident of the Elysée during a conference on migration, in which Viktor Orbán also participated, but also other speakers, such as Eric Zemmour.
« You did what I couldn’t do »
The two men then appeared very close. Nicolas Sarkozy described the Hungarian Prime Minister, whom he rubbed shoulders with when he was in office, as “someone who is able to win the elections three times in a row, in such an unstable and difficult time”adding: “For me, it commands respect.” He even spoke of it as a « friend », reported AFP, in possession of a recording of the speech: “You did what I was unable to do. Maybe that’s what you’re being blamed for, for winning. But I like having friends who win. I don’t want to have only friends who lose!
Did the two heads of state, « friends », meet at the Stade de France to attend the match between Liverpool and Real Madrid? “Nicolas Sarkozy was between the Rwandan President and the Hungarian Prime Minister”specifies a relative of the former president contacted by CheckNews. Insisting that this placement was “a matter of protocol”. Asked, the cabinet of Viktor Orbán did not, however, respond.
For its part, the European Union of Football Associations (UEFA), organizer of the Champions League, specifies with CheckNews that the Hungarian Prime Minister approached them in advance, in order to obtain an invitation for the match. A demand « which made sense », because Hungary will host the UEFA Europa League final in 2023. On the other hand, there was no “no specific request from Mr. Orbán or Mr. Sarkozy” to sit next to each other, adds the organizer.
As for the protocol invoked by Nicolas Sarkozy’s entourage, it can be summed up as follows: when current or former Heads of State or Government attend the same match, UEFA tries « when possible », to group them in the same sector. A placement which applies in the same way for former players or for representatives of football confederations, specifies the organizer of the final. « Wherever possible, we try to group guests by ‘category’, » but “specific requests from certain guests” can « sometimes » be taken into account. According to UEFA, this was not the case on Saturday.
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