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Puskás Day in Athens (photos)

Puskás Day in Athens (photos)

Ferenc Puskás (1927-2006), the legendary football player from Hungary, worked also as a trainer with remarkable efficiency. He accepted his first assignment in 1970 with the team of Panathinaikos which qualified for the participation in the European Cup. His talent was reflected by his results: he led the so called "Puskás Boys" of P.A.O. to the European Cup's Final in 1971 in Wembley/London playing against Ajax Amsterdam and achieved the greatest success of the Greek club football until today.

In order to honour the memory of Puskás, the government of Hungary (represented by the Embassy of Hungary in Athens) in cooperation with the Ferenc Puskás Football Academy and the Panathinaikos A.O. prepared a Memorial Plate which will be inaugurated in the stadium Apostolos Nikolaidis on Alexandras Avenue on June 2nd, the 43rd anniversary of the Wembley-Final. The Memorial Plate will be unveiled by H.E. Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary and Mr Ilias Michalarias, President of P.A.O., in the presence of the members of the P.A.O-team of 1971 as well as the widow of Ferenc Puskás, Elisabeth Puskás. The ceremony will be attended by Mr István Simicskó, Minister of State for Sport and Youth as well by a delegation from the Ferenc Puskás Football Academy and by Hungarian journalists.

The inauguration will be followed by a football game of the U-17 team of Panathinaikos and the Ferenc Puskás Football Academy from Hungary.

The event will be realized under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Sport, General Secretary of Sports of the Hellenic Republic.

The inauguration and the football game are open to the public, all admirers of Ferenc Puskás and football are welcome to celebrate the Memory of Puskás!

Furthermore, the Embassy of Hungary in Athens, in cooperation with the archives of the Ferenc Puskás Football Academy and the City of Athens Cultural, Sports and Youth Organization prepared an exhibition with pieces from the adventurous life of Ferenc Puskás, with Olympic medals, European Cup trophies, dresses and other memorabilia, some of them related to the work of Puskás with Panathinaikos. The exhibition will be officially opened earlier in the afternoon of June 2nd by Mr István Simicskó, Minister of State for Sport and Youth of Hungary. The exhibition will open its gates for the public on June 3rd and remain in Athens until June 22nd in the building of the City of Athens Cultural, Sports and Youth Organization (Akadimias 50). Besides the valuable relics, the movie "Puskás Hungary" will be projected with Greek subtitles in the hall of the exhibition.