European football's governing body has ordered Hungary to play its next two UEFA matches without spectators for "the discriminatory behavior of its supporters" at the European Championships.
UEFA’s ruling on July 9 follows an investigation into alleged homophobic banners and monkey noises during Hungary's Euro 2020 group-stage matches last month in Budapest and Munich.
Hungary played its first two games of the tournament against Portugal and France at Budapest's Ferenc Puskas arena. UEFA on June 20 appointed an ethics and disciplinary inspector to conduct a probe into "potential discriminatory incidents" during those two matches.
The investigation was widened days later following the match between Germany and Hungary in Munich.
During the match against Portugal, images of a banner among the home supporters that read "ANTI LMBTQ" -- a reference to the Hungarian language abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer -- circulated on social media.
UEFA's Control Ethics and Disciplinary Body’s ruling on July 9 said Hungary should play its next three UEFA competition matches without fans. But it suspended the third of those matches for a probationary period of two years.
The Hungarian Football Federation also was fined 100,000 euros ($118,000) and ordered to display UEFA's #EqualGame banner at UEFA competition matches in which it serves as the host association.
Hungary is not scheduled to play another UEFA competition until the 2022-23 Nations League, which starts in June next year. The order does not apply to World Cup qualifiers, which fall under FIFA's jurisdiction.
UEFA Punishes Hungary For Fans' Behavior During Euro 2020 Matches
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