Sunflower seeds at Siófok: Hungary's twilight game

Words: Richard McClean

Images: Richard McClean

At the Révész Géza utcai Stadion in Siófok, on the southern shore of Hungary’s Lake Balaton, the August heat is lifting as the golden sun dips and the locals meander through the turnstiles.

As the crowd slowly builds, it makes its way to the Büfe trailer to pick up packets of salted sunflower seeds and overflowing plastic cups of beer before heading up into the stand or to the concrete terrace on the far side of the pitch.

Soon the game begins to unfold as the fans kick back with a beer or a cigarette and the shadows lengthen.

There’s a lady with a dog on her lap, some kids having a kick about under the floodlights in the corner, and occasionally, a chant and beat of a drum from the flag waving ultras, while the coach bellows instructions to an out of position left back.

A Pécsi midfielder scores a screamer into the top corner from 20 yards and the game, like the setting sun, fizzles out. The fans down the last of their beer, tell another joke, shake hands with the players and make their way to the exit, the terrace littered with plastic cups and sunflower husks.

On the street, nighttime has fallen, the day almost done but the season has only just begun.