Újpest FC

This article is about the men's football club. For the sports club, see Újpesti TE. For other uses, see Újpesti TE (disambiguation).
Újpest
Full nameÚjpest Football Club
Nickname(s)Újpest, Lilák
Short nameUTE
Founded16 June 1885; 139 years ago (1885-06-16)
as Újpesti Torna Egylet
GroundSzusza Ferenc stadion,
Budapest
Capacity12,670
OwnerMOL
ChairmanBalázs Benczédi
ManagerBartosz Grzelak
LeagueNB I
2023–24NB I, 10th of 12
Websitehttp://www.ujpestfc.hu/
Current season
Active departments of UTE
Football
(men's)		Football B
(men's)		Futsal
Ice hockeyVolleyball
(women's)		Curling
AthleticsBoxingCanoeing
FencingFootgolfGymnastics
JudoKarateModern
pentathlon
ShootingSkatingSwimming
TaekwondoTriathlonWrestling
E-sports
Closed departments of UTE
Water polo
(men's)		Volleyball
(men's)		Handball
Chart showing Újpest's finishing positions since the first ever Hungarian league season of 1901

Újpest Football Club (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈuːjpɛʃt]) is a Hungarian professional football club based in Újpest, Budapest, that competes in Nemzeti Bajnokság I.

Formed in 1885, Újpest reached the first division of the Hungarian League in 1905 and has been relegated only once since then. The club has been a member of the first division for 108 consecutive years. Újpest have been Hungarian champions twenty times, in addition to winning the Magyar Kupa eleven times and the Szuperkupa three times. In international competitions, Újpest are two-times winners of the Mitropa Cup and winners of the 1930 Coupe des Nations. They also reached the semi-finals of the European Cup 1973–74 and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1961–62, and were runners-up in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1968–69.

Since 1922, their home ground has been the Szusza Ferenc Stadion in Újpest. Their biggest rivalry is with fellow Budapest-based club Ferencváros, with whom they contest a local derby.

Újpest is part of the Újpesti TE family. The club includes other sports sections that represent the club at ice hockey and waterpolo.

History

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Main article: History of Újpest FC

Újpest was founded in 1885.[1] At that time, Újpest did not belong to Budapest. Újpest played their first Nemzeti Bajnokság I match in the 1905 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season. In the 1910–11 season, they were relegated.[2] Újpest won their first Hungarian league title in the 1929–30 season.[3]

At international level, Újpest's most successful period was in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In the 1968–69 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, they were beaten in the final by Newcastle United. In the 1973–74 European Cup, they reached the semi-finals and were eliminated by Bayern München.[4]

Crest and colours

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On 3 July 2017, Újpest announced that they changed their crest.[5] After a years of protests by supporters, and legal actions by UTE, the parent club, the management has decided to restore the traditional crest on 4 July, 2022.[6]

Naming history

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  • 1885: Újpesti TE (Újpesti Torna Egylet)
  • 1926: Újpest FC (Újpest Football Club) (due to the introduction of professional football)
  • 1945: Újpesti TE
  • 1950: Bp. Dózsa SE (Budapesti Dózsa Sport Egyesület)
  • 1956: Újpesti TE (during the Hungarian revolution)
  • 1957: Ú. Dózsa SC (Újpesti Dózsa Sport Club)
  • 1991: Újpesti TE
  • 1998: Újpest FC

Manufacturers and shirt sponsors

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The following table shows in detail Újpest FC kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors by year:

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
adidas  –
Budapest Bank
Umbro ConCorde telecom
Havasi Kft.
2003–2006 Puma Walton
2006–2007  –
2007–2009 DHL
2009–2010 Radisson Blu
2010–2011 Birdland Golf & SPA Resort
2011–2012 GDF Suez
2012–2016  –
2016–2017 Joma  –
2017–2018 Gallica

Current sponsorships: Joma, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Acquaworld Budapest, Ramada Resort Budapest, Puebla ticket, Karzol Trans, Szókép Nyomdaipari Kft., Lamborghini

Stadium

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Main article: Szusza Ferenc Stadion
Szusza Ferenc Stadion panorama

Újpest's home stadium is Szusza Ferenc Stadion, which has been their home since the opening on 17 September 1922. It was known as Megyeri úti stadium until it was named after the club's legendary player, Ferenc Szusza in October 2003. After the renovations, which took place in 2000 and 2001, the ground can hold 13,501 spectators.[7]

Ownership

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On 3 December 2008, it was revealed by BBC Sport that the Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers were considering an alliance with Újpest. Jez Moxey, the Chief executive officer of the club said: "We have had some initial discussions in Budapest with the officials of Ujpest. We touched on the issues of loaning players, academies and sharing of best practice on and off the field."[8]

Újpest approached Roland Duchâtelet to become the owner of the club. Although Duchâtelet refused the club's offer, he suggested his son to be the proprietor of Újpest.[9] Roland Duchâtelet is the owner of the Carl Zeiss Jena and former owner of the Standard Liège,[10] AD Alcorcón[11] and Charlton Athletic[12]

On 19 October 2011, Roderick Duchâtelet, former director of Germinal Beerschot, bought 95% of the shares of the City Budapest Zrt.[13]

Roderick Duchâtelet said that he intends to bring back the glory of the 1970s.[14]

On 27 October 2011, Csaba Bartha, managing director of Újpest, confirmed that the club received 150 million Hungarian forint from Roderick Duchâtelet.[15]

In January 2022, Duchatelet was about to sell Újpest and found possible buyers. An agreement was also signed in January 2022 in which it was stated that the buyers should pay the remaining sum by the end of June. However, due the financial unpredictability caused by the Russo-Ukrainian War, the buyers could not transfer the remaining sum. Therefore, Újpest is still owned by the Belgian entrepreneur.[16]

On 27 April 2023, it was announced on Nemzeti Sport that Interactive Brokers Group, owned by Thomas Peterffy, is interested in purchasing the club.[17]

On 3 February 2024, it was revealed that Duchatelet would like to sell the club to Hungarian investors.[18][19][20][21] On 6 February 2024, Roderick Duchâtelet sold the club to MOL.[22][23][24]

On 21 March 2024, the club was officially purchased by the MOL Group.[25][26] Balázs Benczédi was elected as the managing director of the club. The price of the acquisition was around 15 million euros.[27][28][29]

Supporters

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Újpest supporters in the Ferenc Puskás Stadium on 25 May 2014

Supporters of Újpest are mainly from the fourth district of Budapest, the eponymous Újpest. Due to the success in the 1970s, the club gained supporters from all over Budapest and the country.

Famous supporters

Rivalries

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Main article: Budapest derby
Ferencváros-Újpest derby at the Albert Stadion on 1 April 2011

Újpest are in rivalry with several teams from Budapest including Ferencváros, MTK Budapest, Budapest Honvéd and several provincial clubs such as Debrecen and Diósgyőr. Since Újpest have been the third most successful club of the Hungarian Football history by winning 20 Hungarian League titles and nine Hungarian Cup titles, and the most successful Hungarian club in the European football competitions in the 1970s, every club in the Hungarian League wants to defeat them.

Main article: Ferencvárosi TC–Újpest FC rivalry

The rivalry with Ferencváros dates back to the 1930s when Újpest won their first Hungarian League title. Since then the fixture between the two teams attracts the most spectators in the domestic league.[35] The matches between the two team often ends in violence which causes big trouble for the Hungarian football. The proposal of personal registration was refused by both clubs.

Honours

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Domestic

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International

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Friendly

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Players

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Current squad

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As of 15 August 2024[36]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Hungary HUN Gellért Genzler
3 DF Hungary HUN Csanád Fehér
4 DF Hungary HUN Levente Babós
5 DF Georgia (country) GEO Davit Kobouri
7 MF Hungary HUN Krisztián Simon
8 MF Hungary HUN Márk Dékei
9 FW Croatia CRO Fran Brodić
10 MF Hungary HUN Mátyás Tajti
11 MF Hungary HUN Krisztofer Horváth
17 FW Romania ROU George Ganea
18 MF France FRA Tom Lacoux
21 MF Hungary HUN Pál Helmich
22 DF Hungary HUN Krisztián Tamás
23 GK Hungary HUN Dávid Banai
No. Pos. Nation Player
25 DF Hungary HUN Nimród Baranyai
26 DF Hungary HUN Bálint Geiger
29 MF Nigeria NGA Vincent Onovo
30 DF Portugal POR João Nunes
33 DF Hungary HUN Barnabás Bese
35 DF Portugal POR André Duarte
44 DF Hungary HUN Bence Gergényi
47 FW Hungary HUN Márk Mucsányi
55 DF Hungary HUN Attila Fiola
70 FW France FRA Mamoudou Karamoko
74 DF Hungary HUN Dominik Kaczvinszki
77 MF Hungary HUN Adrián Dénes
88 MF Serbia SRB Matija Ljujić
93 GK Italy ITA Riccardo Piscitelli

Out on loan

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF Hungary HUN Dominik Kovács (at Budapesti VSC until 30 June 2025)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— FW Hungary HUN Balázs Varga (at Szeged until 30 June 2025)

Club officials

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Board of directors

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As of 21 December 2022[37]

Position Name
President Hungary Balázs Benczédi
Managing director Hungary György Doncsics

Management

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As of 24 April 2024[38]

Position Name
Manager Sweden Bartosz Grzelak
Assistant manager Hungary Máté Szalai
Assistant manager Hungary Palkó Bozs
Goalkeeping coach Hungary Ferenc Márton
Fitness coach Hungary Szabolcs Varga
Fitness coach Hungary László Baráth
Physiotherapist Hungary Patrik Orbán
Physiotherapist Hungary Miklós Horváth
Club doctor Hungary Zsolt Keller
Masseur Hungary Gergő Fehér
Masseur Hungary Csaba Dénes
Video analyst Hungary Lukács Nagy
Kit manager Hungary Péter Zugló
Technical manager Hungary András György

Notable former players

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Magyarfutball.hu. "Budapest, Újpest FC II. (history, data) • clubs • Magyarfutball.hu". www.magyarfutball.hu. Archived from the original on 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  2. ^ Magyarfutball.hu. "League table: I. osztály 1910/1911 • Magyarfutball.hu". www.magyarfutball.hu. Archived from the original on 2021-10-29. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  3. ^ Magyarfutball.hu. "League table: I. osztályú professzionista ligabajnokság 1929/1930 • Magyarfutball.hu". www.magyarfutball.hu. Archived from the original on 2021-10-29. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  4. ^ "Újpest FC | Hungarian Football". HungarianFootball.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-08. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  5. ^ "Újpest FC: eldőlt, mostantól ez a klub új címere – fotó" [Újpest FC: It is decided, from now this is the new crest of the club] (in Hungarian). Nemzeti Sport. 3 July 2017. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  6. ^ "Újpest: a klub újra a tradicionális címert használja" [Újpest: The club uses the traditional crest again] (in Hungarian). Nemzeti Sport. 4 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  7. ^ Magyarfutball.hu. "Budapest, IV. ker., Szusza Ferenc Stadion: photos, data • grounds • Magyarfutball.hu". www.magyarfutball.hu. Archived from the original on 2022-12-21. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  8. ^ "Wolves consider Hungarian link-up". BBC Sport. 3 December 2008. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  9. ^ "The Duchatelet family's international football empire | Hungarian Football". HungarianFootball.com. 2018-07-24. Archived from the original on 2021-10-18. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  10. ^ "Charlton owner Roland Duchatelet sells Standard Liege". CityAM. 2015-10-29. Archived from the original on 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  11. ^ "Charlton Athletic: Owner Roland Duchatelet sells club to Abu Dhabi-based consortium". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 2021-10-18. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  12. ^ "Being an Environmentalist: Decisive Uncertainty and the Future of American Environmentalism", Living Through the End of Nature, The MIT Press, 2010, doi:10.7551/mitpress/8454.003.0010, ISBN 9780262266000, archived from the original on 2024-02-18, retrieved 2021-10-18
  13. ^ "A '70-es évek sikereit ígérte az Újpest új belga tulajdonosa". Nemzeti Sport. 19 October 2011. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  14. ^ ""Vissza akarjuk hozni a hetvenes évek sikerkorszakát" – belga kézbe került az Újpest FC". Origo.hu. 19 October 2011. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
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  16. ^ TIBOR, PIETSCH (2022-07-01). "Kovács Zoltán: Nem jött össze. Most még nem… - NSO". NSO.hu (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on 2022-07-01. Retrieved 2022-07-01.
  17. ^ nemzetisport.hu. "NB I: milliárdos érdeklődők az Újpest iránt – sajtóhír - NSO". www.nemzetisport.hu (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on 2023-05-03. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  18. ^ "Itt a vége, Duchatelet eladja az Újpestet, jövő héten jöhet az aláírás – NS-infó". Nemzeti Sport (in Hungarian). 2024-02-03. Archived from the original on 2024-02-03. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  19. ^ István, Kocsmár-Tóth (2024-02-03). "Igazi korszakhatár lesz a Hungária körúti zakó, az újpestiek régi vágya válik valóra". index.hu (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on 2024-02-18. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  20. ^ Origo. "Bombahír: Roderick Duchatelet 13 év után eladja az Újpest FC-t". www.origo.hu/ (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on 2024-02-03. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
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  22. ^ "Tulajdonosváltás! Duchatelet eladta az Újpestet a Molnak – hivatalos". Nemzeti Sport (in Hungarian). 2024-02-06. Archived from the original on 2024-02-06. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  23. ^ "Új fejezet a magyar labdarúgásban: nyáron érkezik a MOL Újpestre". ujpestfc.hu. Archived from the original on 2024-02-06. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  24. ^ "A Mol vásárolja meg az Újpest FC-t, itt van minden, amit eddig tudni lehet". telex (in Hungarian). 2024-02-06. Archived from the original on 2024-02-06. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  25. ^ "Lezárult az adásvétel, a MOL-csoport lett az Újpest FC új tulajdonosa". Nemzeti Sport (in Hungarian). 2024-03-21. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
  26. ^ László, Borbély (2024-03-21). "Lezárult az adásvétel, az Újpest hivatalosan is a Mol-csoporté lett". index.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2024-03-22.
  27. ^ "Újpest: Duchatelet tényleg engedett – ennyit fizethet a Mol". Nemzeti Sport (in Hungarian). 2024-03-20. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
  28. ^ Népszava. "Mol: 6,2 milliárd az Újpest FC-ért". Népszava (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2024-03-22.
  29. ^ "Népszava: A Mol 6,2 milliárd forintért veszi meg az Újpest FC-t". hvg.hu (in Hungarian). 2024-03-20. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
  30. ^ "Szurkolók és híresek". Magic Magyars. 30 April 2013. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
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  32. ^ "Zagyva vs. Lenhardt – avagy UTE és FTC szurkolók Parlamentben". szentkoronaradio.com. 10 September 2010. Archived from the original on 21 September 2011. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  33. ^ ""Tűzpárbaj" és könnygáz Újpesten". Archived from the original on 2009-08-27. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  34. ^ "Az UTE önkormányzati segítséget kap". 24 February 2011. Archived from the original on 24 July 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  35. ^ "The Budapest Derby". Football Derbies. 20 July 2011. Archived from the original on 29 September 2008. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  36. ^ "Újpest Football Club" (in Hungarian). Újpest FC. Archived from the original on 2022-04-19. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  37. ^ "Újpest Football Club". Archived from the original on 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
  38. ^ "Újpest Football Club". Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  39. ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "NFT player — National team & Club appearances: Theobald, Densill". national-football-teams.com. National Football Teams. Archived from the original on 6 February 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
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