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Farewell to
Puskás in Kossuth Square, the Stadium, Heroes' Square, and the Basilica
Hungarian News Service
8 December 2006, 22:39
The
day of Ferenc Puskás's funeral, a national day of mourning, will begin at
9 a.m. with the raising of the flag. It will continue with a memorial
service in Ferenc Puskás Stadium, followed by a salute in Heroes' Square.
It will conclude at Saint Stephen's Basilica with a mass and a service.
After the
wreath-laying ceremony to be held on Thursday, tens of thousands of people
may say goodbye to Ferenc Puskás, the Golden Team's legendary footballer
who died 17 November, on Saturday.
Once the public dignitaries, politicians, and sports leaders have paid
their respects in Saint Stephen's Basilica, thousands of people will pay
homage to the memory of Ferenc Puskás. In the stadium named after Puskás,
there is seating for forty thousand, but Pál Schmitt, the president of the
tribute committee, said that seats would be available on the track as well.
The national day of mourning's official programme begins at 9 a.m. in
Kossuth Square, where the flag of the Hungarian Republic will be raised,
then lowered to half-mast.
The gates of the Ferenc Puskás Stadium will open at 2 p.m. In the former
People's Stadium, Pál Schmitt, then Ramon Calderon, President of Real
Madrid, are to say goodbye, followed by György Szepesi, Honorary President
the Hungarian Football Association (MLSZ), representing the friends. The
ceremony will be closed either by Michel Platini representing the European
Football Association (UEFA) or Anfel Maria Villar, President of the
Spanish Football Association.
After the speeches, the funeral procession will make its way to Heroes'
Square, where the Hungarian Army will perform a military salute.
The requiem and the funeral mass begin at 7 p.m. in Saint Stephen's
Basilica. László Sólyom, President of the Hungarian Republic; Mónika
Lamperth, Minister of Sport Affairs for Municipal and Regional Development;
Joseph Blatter, President of the International Football Association (FIFA);
Juan Antonio Samaranch, former Chairman of the International Olympic
Committee; and István Kisteleki, President of MLSZ, are to make speeches.
The internment will begin at approx. 8:30 p.m. Only members of the family
are to take part. Audiences members remaining outside may watch the
proceedings on projector screens.
Source:
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