Puskás's Widow Expresses Her Thanks

INDEX
14 December 2006, 16:59

Mrs. Ferenc Puskás, the widow of Hungary's greatest footballer, expressed her thanks to those who had contributed to her late husband's funeral. On behalf of Ferenc Puskás's family, she conveyed their grateful acknowledgements to those who contributed to the arrangements for the great footballer's funeral last Saturday.

Our thanks and appreciation go out to everyone here at home and abroad who, through their participation, cooperation, letters, telegrams, and telephone calls, have eased the family's pain.

In grateful appreciation, the wife and family of the late Ferenc Puskás thank you very sincerely for your kind expressions of sympathy in their recent bereavement.

I would like to offer my special thanks to those who made arrangements for the burial ceremony: the Hungarian government, the tribute committee, the Hungarian Army, the Hungarian Police, the employees of Ferenc Puskás Stadium, the local governments of Budapest's 14th and 19th districts, the county assemblies expressing their sympathies, the Hungarian Olympic Committee, the Hungarian Football Association, and everyone at Saint Stephen's Basilica.

My special grateful acknowledgements are due President László Sólyom; Viktor Orbán, founder of the Ferenc Puskás Football Academy; Mónika Lamperth, Minister of Sport Affairs for Municipal and Regional Development; István Kisteleki, Chairman of the Hungarian Football Association; Bishop László Kiss-Rigó for officiating the mass; the bishops, vicars, and their assistants in charger of the burial service; Pál Schmitt, President of the Ferenc Puskás Tribute Committee and Chairman of the Hungarian Olympic Committee; and Gábor Koltay, art director for the ceremony.

I would also wish to thank

- Hungarian Television, Hungarian Radio, and the entire Hungarian media for their compassionate coverage of the Hungarian people's love and sympathy;
- the foreign delegations and leading sports associations - in particular, Joseph Blatter, President of FIFA; Juan Antonio Samaranch, Honorary Chairman of the International Olympic Committee; Michel Plantini, Vice-President of UEFA; and Angel Maria Villar, Chairman of the Spanish Royal Football Association - for paying a visit to Budapest and participating in the ceremony;
- the delegations from Real Madrid CF, Panathinaikosz FC, Manchester City FC, and the German Football Association;
- the visitors from Canada, the USA, France, and Ireland who came for this occasion;
- the athletes, artists, musicians, actors, singers, dancers, and choirs for their contribution;
- the Hungarian sports associations, foreign delegations, and communities that arranged church services and commemorations in Madrid, Athens, Toronto, London, Paris, Bratislava, and elsewhere; and finally,
- those who participated in the ceremony to say their personal good-byes to Ferenc Puskás in Heroes' Square, on the streets of Budapest, in Saint Stephen's Basilica, and those who held him in remembrance as they followed the broadcast on radio or on television.

Although our hearts our grieving, they are also filled with gratitude for the great outpouring of sympathy that we have received.

In the name of the bereaved family,

Mrs. Ferenc Puskás

Source: Index