Viktor Orbán defends Puskás Akadémia funding

Viktor Orbán has responded to scrutiny regarding the funding received by the Puskás Akadémia in Felcsút. Following the release of a government map detailing TAO (corporate tax) support over the last 11 years, data revealed the academy received 45.4 billion HUF, an amount exceeding the total support for some visible sports branches.

In an article titled “This is Why Felcsút,” Orbán argued that the funds in question are not state subsidies, but rather contributions from profitable private companies that required application through professional programs approved by the football association. He stated that these funds represent only 2 to 2.5 percent of the total TAO resources used in Hungarian sports.

Orbán also defended the academy's model, claiming it was a highly effective concept developed in Felcsút that the national government had to defend in Brussels. He noted that the academy was established and began operating well before 2010, becoming the second such academy in the country after MTK.