Milos Kerkez faces threats after attending Serbian match over Hungary fixture

Hungarian footballer Milos Kerkez has faced threats and public backlash after choosing to attend a second-division Serbian football match instead of supporting the Hungarian national team during a Nations League fixture against Ukraine.

Kerkez, a defender for Liverpool, was suspended from the match against Ukraine due to accumulated yellow cards. Rather than attending the international game as a spectator, he visited a match between FK TSC and Graficar in Serbia, near his birthplace. The decision sparked controversy due to historical tensions between Hungary and Serbia.

In response to reports of threats directed at the player, Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orban issued a statement condemning the actions, saying, “I strongly condemn the stigmatization and every form of threat against the Hungarian citizen Milos Kerkez.”

The controversy is further complicated by previous tensions involving Kerkez’s father, Sebastian, whose social media posts following a match against Ukraine drew criticism in Ukraine. Milos Kerkez has previously distanced himself from his father’s views, stating, “It is important to understand that I am not my father. I cannot be responsible for what he does.”