BUDAPEST (AP) – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has given a nod to Hungarian football fans who exploited the Irish team kneeling before the European Championship Test match in Budapest.

“If you are a guest in a country, do not provoke the natives,” the right-wing politician told a news conference in Budapest on Thursday. The Irish gesture was a “harsh provocation.”

Germany’s group rival Hungary seceded 0-0 from Ireland in a friendly. Irish players kneel before kicking off to protest against racism. They then exploited the home fans.

Orban, who decides for himself a football fan and all the important questions in Hungary, said: “I have no sympathy for this knee-jerk egg. It’s not about sports.” The Hungarian kneels before the good Lord and before the birthplace and asks for the hand of the beloved. “In any other case it would be alien to the culture.”

Budapest is the venue for three preliminary round matches and 16 rounds of the European Football Championship. At the Puskas-Arena, teams from Hungary, Portugal and France will play in front of full stands in the preliminary round.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210610-99-937734 / 2