Romanian Football Federation Warns FK Csíkszereda Over Use of Szekler Symbols

The Disciplinary Committee of the Romanian Football Federation (FRF) issued a warning on Wednesday to FK Csíkszereda (FK Miercurea Ciuc) due to the use of Szekler symbols, said the Professional Football League (LPF), which organizes the Romanian first division championship, on its website.

Against the Szekler team that was promoted to the Romanian first division this year, Radu Vișan, the FRF Secretary General, filed a complaint with the disciplinary committee, objecting that before the August 17 match against Universitatea Craiova held in Miercurea Ciuc (Csíkszereda), the children accompanying the home team entered the pitch wearing shirts displaying the word “Székelyföld” (Szeklerland) and the colors and symbols of the Szekler flag.

After the match, that ended with a 2-1 victory for the visiting team, the Romanian sports press described FK Csíkszereda’s regular promotion of “Székelyföld” at its matches as provocation and tension-raising. Radu Vișan requested the sanctioning of the Szekler club based on Article 54, which punishes racism, xenophobia, discrimination, and insults experienced at football matches. Under this paragraph of the FRF disciplinary regulations, the committee can impose a fine of up to 70,000 lei (13,800 euros), ban the offending fans for two years, order home matches to be played behind closed doors for up to ten rounds, or even exclude the team from the championship.

The FRF disciplinary committee cited three mitigating circumstances listed in the regulations as justification for the mildest sanction (warning). According to the sports portal golazo.ro, which reported on the decision, FK Csíkszereda’s fans regularly sing the Szekler anthem and wave Hungarian and Szekler flags at matches, whereas “promoting Szeklerland is contrary to the official position of the Romanian state.” The news portal quoted a statement issued by the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2023, which says, “Romania has no administrative unit named Szeklerland; therefore, there is no legal basis for the use of any special official symbols.”

Zoltán Szondy, the Szekler club’s president, personally attended the disciplinary committee meeting. He described his experience there as surreal and anti-Hungarian to Székely Sport.

They explained to me that the laws do not matter, but rather the sensitivities of the fans. The Hungarian flag, the Szekler flag, and even the ‘Csíki Sör’ (beer brand brewed in Transylvania – editor’s note) inscription offend this sensitivity,”

said the club president, who found it shocking to encounter such a level of anti-Hungarian sentiment and hostility within the federation’s highest body. He experienced a shockingly anti-Hungarian atmosphere in the body, whose members did not even shake his hand, lecturing him that “they did not come to make friends.”

Regarding the legal arguments he presented, asserting that FK Csíkszereda violated no law or regulation, he was told that the rules are not decisive, but rather that the inscription “Székelyföld”, the “Csíki Sör”, and the Hungarian flag all offend the sensitivities of Romanian fans. According to him, the committee members accused him of abusing the tolerance of Romanians, even though “they give us every right.”

The FK Csíkszereda president said

he is willing to remove the Széklerland shirts from the children so that “ten-year-olds do not become targets.” However, regarding the flags and anthems, he stood by the position that if the fans express their identity through them, he will not prohibit it and will even support them in doing so.

At the same time, he indicated that if the committee issues such a ban in writing, referring to any applicable law, the club will respect it, Székely Sport detailed.

Via golazo.ro, Székely Sport, Featured image: Facebook/FK Csíkszereda

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