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

Újpest
Újpest FC logo.svg
Full nameÚjpest Football Club
Nickname(s)Újpest, Lilák
Short nameUTE
Founded16 June 1885; 137 years ago (1885-06-16)
as Újpesti Torna Egylet
GroundSzusza Ferenc stadion,
Budapest
Capacity12,670
OwnerRoderick Duchâtelet
ManagerNebojša Vignjević
LeagueNB I
2021–22NB I, 5th of 12
WebsiteClub website
Current season
Újpest FC B
Full nameÚjpest Football Club "B"
Nickname(s)Lilák ("Purples")
Founded2007 as Újpest FC B
GroundH-1044 Budapest, Megyeri út 13.

Budapest
League()

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, and have won 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 Ferencvárosi TC, with whom they contest a local derby.

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

HistoryEdit

 
Chart showing Újpest's finishing positions since the first ever Hungarian league season of 1901

Újpest FC 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 eliminated 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 coloursEdit

On 3 July 2017, Újpest FC announced that they changed their crest.[5]

Naming historyEdit

  • 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 sponsorsEdit

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

StadiumEdit

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.[6]

OwnershipEdit

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 that "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."[7]

Újpest approached Roland Duchâtelet to become the owner of the club. Although Roland refused the club's offer, he suggested his son to be the proprietor of Újpest.[8] Roland Duchâtelet is the owner of the FC Carl Zeiss Jena and former owner of the Standard Liège,[9] AD Alcorcón[10] and Charlton Athletic F.C.[11]

On 19 October 2011, Roderick Duchâtelet, former director of Germinal Beerschot, bought 95% of the shares of the City Budapest Zrt.[12]

Roderick Duchâtelet said that he intends to bring back the glory of the 1970s.[13]

On 27 October 2011, Csaba Bartha, managing director of Újpest FC, confirmed that the club received 150 million Hungarian forint from Roderick Duchâtelet.[14]

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.[15]

On 27 April 2023, it was announced on Nemzeti Sport that Interactive Brokers Group, owned by Thomas Peterffy, is intereseted in purchasing the club.[16]

SupportersEdit

 
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

RivalriesEdit

 
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 9 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.

The rivalry with Ferencváros dates back to 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.[22] 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.

HonoursEdit

DomesticEdit

InternationalEdit

FriendlyEdit

PlayersEdit

Current squadEdit

As of 28 February 2023[23]

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   SRB Filip Pajović
2 DF   KOS Lirim Kastrati
3 DF   HUN Csanád Fehér
4 DF   MLI Abdoulaye Diaby
5 MF   CMR Petrus Boumal
6 MF   GER Luca Mack
7 MF   HUN Krisztián Simon
8 MF   GER Heinz Mörschel
10 FW   FRA Yohan Croizet
11 DF   SRB Nemanja Antonov
13 GK   SRB Đorđe Nikolić
18 MF   HUN Bálint Szabó
19 FW   CIV Fernand Gouré (on loan from Westerlo)
21 FW   HUN György Varga
No. Pos. Nation Player
23 GK   HUN Dávid Banai
29 MF   NGA Vincent Onovo
32 FW   NGA Peter Ambrose
33 FW   HUN Márk Mucsányi
34 DF   LUX Tim Hall
39 MF   GER Luis Jakobi
42 DF   GRE Georgios Antzoulas
45 MF   MKD Stefan Jevtoski
49 DF   SRB Branko Pauljević
62 DF   HUN Dominik Kovács
77 FW   HUN Kevin Csoboth
82 FW   ITA Giuseppe Borello
91 FW   SRB Ognjen Mudrinski

Out on loanEdit

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   BIH Dženan Bureković (at Spartak Subotica until 30 June 2023)
DF   EST Märten Kuusk (at Flora until 30 June 2023)
No. Pos. Nation Player
DF   HUN Zsolt Máté (at Tiszakécske until 30 June 2023)
MF   SRB Matija Ljujić (at Sabail until 30 June 2023)

Club officialsEdit

Board of directorsEdit

As of 21 December 2022[24]

Position Name
President   Roderick Duchâtelet
Managing director   Berta Csaba

ManagementEdit

As of 18 April 2023[25]

Position Name
Manager   Nebojša Vignjević
Assistant manager   Trkulja Bojan
Assistant manager   Péter Víg
Goalkeeping coach   József Andrusch
Fitness coach   Bogicevic Milos
Physiotherapist   Jovetic Aleksandar
Physiotherapist   Milovanovic Zarko
Club doctor   Iván Kollár
Sports psychologist   Krisztina Bóna
Sports Coordinator   Péter Kabát
Technical manager   Babett Zsitva

Notable foreign playersEdit

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ Magyarfutball.hu. "Budapest, Újpest FC II. (history, data) • clubs • Magyarfutball.hu". www.magyarfutball.hu. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  2. ^ Magyarfutball.hu. "League table: I. osztály 1910/1911 • Magyarfutball.hu". www.magyarfutball.hu. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  3. ^ Magyarfutball.hu. "League table: I. osztályú professzionista ligabajnokság 1929/1930 • Magyarfutball.hu". www.magyarfutball.hu. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  4. ^ "Újpest FC | Hungarian Football". HungarianFootball.com. 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. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  6. ^ Magyarfutball.hu. "Budapest, IV. ker., Szusza Ferenc Stadion: photos, data • grounds • Magyarfutball.hu". www.magyarfutball.hu. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  7. ^ "Wolves consider Hungarian link-up". BBC Sport. 3 December 2008.
  8. ^ "The Duchatelet family's international football empire | Hungarian Football". HungarianFootball.com. 2018-07-24. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  9. ^ "Charlton owner Roland Duchatelet sells Standard Liege". CityAM. 2015-10-29. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  10. ^ "Charlton Athletic: Owner Roland Duchatelet sells club to Abu Dhabi-based consortium". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  11. ^ "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, retrieved 2021-10-18
  12. ^ "A '70-es évek sikereit ígérte az Újpest új belga tulajdonosa". Nemzeti Sport. 19 October 2011.
  13. ^ ""Vissza akarjuk hozni a hetvenes évek sikerkorszakát" – belga kézbe került az Újpest FC". Origo.hu. 19 October 2011.
  14. ^ "Megkönnyebbülhet az Újpest: pénzhez jutott a klub". Heti Világgazdaság. 27 October 2011.
  15. ^ TIBOR, PIETSCH (2022-07-01). "Kovács Zoltán: Nem jött össze. Most még nem… - NSO". NSO.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2022-07-01.
  16. ^ nemzetisport.hu. "NB I: milliárdos érdeklődők az Újpest iránt – sajtóhír - NSO". www.nemzetisport.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  17. ^ "Szurkolók és híresek". Magic Magyars. 30 April 2013.
  18. ^ "Havas Henrik az Újpestről: Lila mezbe öltözött senkiháziak – tapló fradisták". pepsifoci.hu. 10 October 2010.
  19. ^ "Zagyva vs. Lenhardt – avagy UTE és FTC szurkolók Parlamentben". szentkoronaradio.com. 10 September 2010.
  20. ^ ""Tűzpárbaj" és könnygáz Újpesten".
  21. ^ "Az UTE önkormányzati segítséget kap". 24 February 2011.
  22. ^ "The Budapest Derby". Football Derbies. 20 July 2011.
  23. ^ "Újpest Football Club" (in Hungarian). Újpest FC.
  24. ^ "Újpest Football Club".
  25. ^ "Újpest Football Club".
  26. ^ 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.

External linksEdit