Chch visit by Hungary

Press, 15 January 1982, Page 1

Chch visit by Hungary

PA Wellington Hungary, which won European Group Four of the World Soccer Cup qualifying series, will play a New Zealand Invitation' XI at Queen Elizabeth II Park, on Sunday. February 14. three days after a match against New Zealand at Auckland. The New Zealand World Cup soccer manager. Mr John Adshead. will recall his players from Australia for the Auckland match. Hungary, this year making its eighth appearance in the World Cup Finals, is at odds of 50 to one with English bookmakers. New Zealand rates 500 to one. The Hungarian visit was called off a fortnight ago by the New Zealand World Cup director. Mr Charlie Dempsey. after he had failed to get a reply to the letter he had sent a month earlier outlining his proposals and conditions for the trip. But after New Zealand's 21 win over China at Singapore earlier on Monday, the Australian-based promoters of the Hungarian visit telephoned Mr Dempsey to say that all the airline bookings had been made and the trip was definitelv on.

They said the Hungarians had presumed the letter containing the proposals and conditions was in- fact the formal contract and had therefore proceeded with their plans.

Mr Adshead. who is on holiday in Rarotonga, has been told of the visit and proposed to recall to New Zealand those members of his squad playing in the Australian Philips League. These players will be available only for the match in Auckland, because Mr Adshead had previously promised them that, whatever happened, they would be released from World- Cup duties in time for the start of Philips League football on February 14. the date of the Hungarians’ match in Christchurch.

Mr Dempsey said he had never, in all his years as a football administrator, accepted a tour on the basis of a telephone call, "but the prospect of a visit by a World Cup team from Eastern Europe is so exciting that I am prepared to make an exception. "Alan Fraser (chairman of the Canterbury Football Association) and I are both going out on a limb in accepting the assurances of the promoters that my proposals and conditions have been agreed to in full and without any alteration." said Mr Dempsey. He said that he hoped he would get confirmation in writing before he left this afternoon for Madrid, where the draw for the 24-nation finals will be made on Sunday morning New Zealand time.