A Village Stadium Is a Symbol of Power for Hungary’s Premier

FELCSUT, Hungary — Something strange is going on here among the humble Soviet-era cottages.

Construction cranes loom over what will soon be a nearly 4,000-seat sports stadium named after Ferenc Puskas, the Babe Ruth of Hungarian soccer. The price? Upward of $17 million.

This blink-and-you-missed-it village, about 24 miles west of Budapest, might seem an odd place for such an extravagance. After all, only about 1,800 people live here.

But Felcsut is also the hometown of Viktor Orban, Hungary’s powerful prime minister. And Mr. Orban, an ardent soccer fan, will have the best seat in town: His country house sits about 20 feet from the stadium.

“The whole town is working here,” said Laszlo Molnar, a construction worker. “It’s like a cathedral.”

What is happening in Felcsut is part of the changes that have washed over Hungary since Mr. Orban and his Fidesz party swept to power in 2010. His government has rewritten the constitution and passed hundreds of laws, including a tax code that makes business investment in sports tax-deductible. It has also come to dominate all branches of government and boosted a rising class of oligarchs. Mr. Orban is expected to consolidate his power in parliamentary elections this Sunday.

While the European Union has been alarmed by the rise of autocratic leaders in neighboring countries, Mr. Orban’s critics see him as a strongman within the bloc. After recently fast-tracking a nuclear energy agreement with Russia, Mr. Orban, a one-time anti-Communist activist, is pulling close to Vladimir V. Putin.

more: TheNewYorkTimes