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MOL Kukkonia Cup 2024: Central Europe´s Best U19 Teams Compete

MOL Kukkonia Cup 2024: Central Europe´s Best U19 Teams Compete

ACADEMY
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News
| thu 4.7.2024, Kiss,FAA

It has become a tradition for U19 football teams from the Central European region to meet in Dunajská Streda in the middle of summer to test their strength in a football tournament. At this year´s three-day event, young players from five countries - Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Croatia, and Romania - will once again compete for the cup.

The renowned youth tournament is already in its ninth season, but its roots go even deeper into the past. The predecessor of the current tournament in the 1980s was the Harvest Cup, which was revived in 2015 by the DAC football club and the Kukkonia civic association under the name MOL Kukkonia Cup.

The most successful participant in the tournament is the DAC U19 junior team, with the home team having won first place four times in the previous eight tournaments. The yellow-blue team last took the top spot two years ago, in 2022. It will not be easy for coach Peter Černák´s charges to win the cup, as the competition will be extremely strong again. DAC U19 will be the only team from Slovakia, while Hungary will be represented by Győri ETO, Puskás Academy, Kisvárda, and DVTK, Romania by Csíkszereda (Miercurea Ciuc), Serbia by Topolya (Bačka Topola), and Croatia by Eszék (Osijek).

DAC Academy director Krisztián Németh believes that this year´s tournament will also be successful and will provide a significant boost for young players in their future careers. "Last year, the gold medal was won by the players from Osijek, we´ll see who lifts the trophy this year. One thing is certain, there will be no shortage of tough matches again this time. It is a great honor for us to have regular returnees. At our academy, the teams will find professional conditions, allowing young players to fully focus on football. All the guys come here to showcase themselves and win, so it is certain that this year we will not fall short of the level we have been accustomed to in previous years," said Krisztián Németh.

The venue for the IX. MOL Kukkonia Cup will be the MOL Football Academy, where entry for all fans is free.

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