How Hungary’s Stars Left Their Football Mark With Olympic Success

 Ferenc Puskás (left) scores the opening goal in Hungary’s 2-0 win over Yugoslavia in the gold medal match at the Helsinki Olympics in August 1952. Zoltán Czibor scored the other goal at the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki in front of 58,553 fans. Photograph: EPA
Ferenc Puskás (left) scores the opening goal in Hungary’s 2-0 win over Yugoslavia in the gold medal match at the Helsinki Olympics in August 1952. Zoltán Czibor scored the other goal at the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki in front of 58,553 fans. Photograph: EPA
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How Hungary’s Stars Left Their Football Mark With Olympic Success

 Ferenc Puskás (left) scores the opening goal in Hungary’s 2-0 win over Yugoslavia in the gold medal match at the Helsinki Olympics in August 1952. Zoltán Czibor scored the other goal at the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki in front of 58,553 fans. Photograph: EPA
Ferenc Puskás (left) scores the opening goal in Hungary’s 2-0 win over Yugoslavia in the gold medal match at the Helsinki Olympics in August 1952. Zoltán Czibor scored the other goal at the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki in front of 58,553 fans. Photograph: EPA

It would be wrong to assume that Ferenc Puskás, just because he was cheery and relaxed, did not think about the game or was merely a turner of tricks blessed with an extraordinary left foot.

He was exceptionally technically gifted, of course, but what made him quite so important to the Aranycsapat [Hungary’s Golden Squad] was his tactical brain. “If a good player has the ball, he should have the vision to spot three options,” the right-back Jenő Buzánszky said. “Puskás always saw at least five.”

Perhaps recognising his own lack of tactical nous, in 1949 Hungary’s coach, Gusztáv Sebes, appointed the former MTK full-back Gyula Mándi as his assistant.

Mándi had retired as a player in 1937, with 10 league titles and 32 international caps to his name. That he had survived the war was thanks in no small part to his brother-in-law, György Szomolányi.

Two years later, though, Mándi couldn’t avoid labour service. Finding himself bound for Ukraine, he scribbled a postcard to Szomolányi and threw it from the train taking him east. Somebody found it and posted it but when it arrived, it was torn, and all that could be made out was the word ‘KELPUSZTA’. Szomolányi realised this must be Ekelpuszta, where there was a transit camp.

He put on his officer’s uniform from the first world war, strode into the camp and insisted he needed five men for an essential task. Impressed by his air of authority, the guards told him to take his pick. Szomolányi selected Mándi and four others, including the elderly husband of a sister of Mándi’s wife. He, though, refused to go, nominating instead a young father of four. He was never heard from again.

Having survived the war, Mándi became coach of the lower league side Ganz TE and also set up a shop in Budapest selling shirts. He had been noted as a player for his positional sense and that translated as a manager into tactical acuity. Márton Bukovi, then coaching MTK, was too much his own man to work alongside Sebes but Mándi, aware of the need to support his family and with far less of a coaching pedigree, was happy to operate as Sebes’s assistant.

The partnership worked. Hungary suffered a 5–3 defeat in a friendly against Austria on 14 May 1950, after which they won nine games and drew one in the buildup to the 1952 Olympics. Hungary had competed once in Olympic football since the embarrassment against Egypt in 1924, losing their only game 3–0 against Poland in 1936, but communism had given them a huge advantage: all their players were technically amateur and so they were able to select their strongest possible squad. Between 1952 and 1980, every Olympic gold medallist in men’s football was communist – and after France triumphed in Los Angeles in 1984, the USSR won it again in 1988.

Mándi received his official suit for the Games, but at the last moment he was refused permission to travel after it was decided his shirt shop made him an agent of private enterprise. Nonetheless, Sebes telephoned him every day for tactical advice. Hungary beat Romania, Italy and Turkey before facing the defending champions Sweden in the semi-final. They hammered them 6–0. “It was one of those days,” said Puskás, who
In the final they faced Yugoslavia, who had beaten the USSR after a replay in the first round. Tito’s government had manoeuvred itself into a position of independence from Moscow, inflating the political tension to the extent that, when the USSR had lost to Yugoslavia in the first round, the defeat had so enraged Stalin that he disbanded the CDKA side that had provided the bulk of the squad. Sebes, similarly, on the morning of the final received a telephone call from Mátyás Rákosi, the leader of Hungary’s Communist party, warning him that defeat could not be tolerated.

But Hungary were unstoppable. In front of 58,000 in Helsinki, late goals from Puskás and Zoltán Czibor gave Hungary a 2–0 win. “At that time,” Buzánszky said, “Miss Universe was a Finnish woman. In itself receiving the gold medal was a wonderful feeling but it was a great bonus to have Miss Universe handing over an olive branch and giving us a kiss. I was so overcome with the moment I had to look in the paper the next day to see if she really was as beautiful as I remembered.”

It was the semi-final, though, that stood out. Sir Stanley Rous, president of the Football Association, had been so impressed that he had offered Sebes a friendly against England. That was still regarded as a great honour but, when Sebes reported the approach to the MLSZ [Hungarian football federation], he was told that Rákosi was concerned by the possibility of defeat. Nonetheless, when European football federation leaders met late in 1952, a friendly was arranged for November 1953.

The Guardian Sport



Tottenham Hotspur Sack Head Coach Thomas Frank

(FILES) Tottenham Hotspur's Danish head coach Thomas Frank gestures on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur at Turf Moor in Burnley, north-west England on January 24, 2026. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)/
(FILES) Tottenham Hotspur's Danish head coach Thomas Frank gestures on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur at Turf Moor in Burnley, north-west England on January 24, 2026. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)/
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Tottenham Hotspur Sack Head Coach Thomas Frank

(FILES) Tottenham Hotspur's Danish head coach Thomas Frank gestures on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur at Turf Moor in Burnley, north-west England on January 24, 2026. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)/
(FILES) Tottenham Hotspur's Danish head coach Thomas Frank gestures on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur at Turf Moor in Burnley, north-west England on January 24, 2026. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)/

Thomas Frank was fired by Tottenham on Wednesday after only eight months in charge and with his team just five points above the relegation zone in the Premier League.

Despite leading Spurs to the round of 16 in the Champions League, Frank has overseen a desperate domestic campaign. A 2-1 loss to Newcastle on Tuesday means Spurs are still to win in the league in 2026.

“The Club has taken the decision to make a change in the Men’s Head Coach position and Thomas Frank will leave today,” Tottenham said in a statement. “Thomas was appointed in June 2025, and we have been determined to give him the time and support needed to build for the future together.

“However, results and performances have led the Board to conclude that a change at this point in the season is necessary.”

Frank’s exit means Spurs are on the lookout for a sixth head coach in less than seven years since Mauricio Pochettino departed in 2019.


Marseille Coach De Zerbi Leaves After Humiliating 5-0 Loss to PSG 

Marseille's Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi looks on from the technical area during the French Cup round of 32 football match between FC Bayeux and Olympique de Marseille (OM) at the Michel-d'Ornano Stadium in Caen on January 13, 2026. (AFP) 
Marseille's Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi looks on from the technical area during the French Cup round of 32 football match between FC Bayeux and Olympique de Marseille (OM) at the Michel-d'Ornano Stadium in Caen on January 13, 2026. (AFP) 
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Marseille Coach De Zerbi Leaves After Humiliating 5-0 Loss to PSG 

Marseille's Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi looks on from the technical area during the French Cup round of 32 football match between FC Bayeux and Olympique de Marseille (OM) at the Michel-d'Ornano Stadium in Caen on January 13, 2026. (AFP) 
Marseille's Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi looks on from the technical area during the French Cup round of 32 football match between FC Bayeux and Olympique de Marseille (OM) at the Michel-d'Ornano Stadium in Caen on January 13, 2026. (AFP) 

Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi is leaving the French league club in the wake of a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of PSG in French soccer biggest game.

The nine-time French champions said on Wednesday that they have ended “their collaboration by mutual agreement.”

The heavy loss Sunday at the Parc des Princes restored defending champion PSG’s two-point lead over Lens after 21 rounds, with Marseille in fourth place after the humiliating defeat.

De Zerbi's exit followed another embarrassing 3-0 loss at Club Brugge two weeks ago that resulted in Marseille exiting the Champions League.

De Zerbi, who had apologized to Marseille fans after the loss against bitter rival PSG, joined Marseille in 2024 after two seasons in charge at Brighton. After tightening things up tactically in Marseille during his first season, his recent choices had left many observers puzzled.

“Following consultations involving all stakeholders in the club’s leadership — the owner, president, director of football and head coach — it was decided to opt for a change at the head of the first team,” Marseille said. “This was a collective and difficult decision, taken after thorough consideration, in the best interests of the club and in order to address the sporting challenges of the end of the season.”

De Zerbi led Marseille to a second-place finish last season. Marseille did not immediately announce a replacement for De Zerbi ahead of Saturday's league match against Strasbourg.

Since American owner Frank McCourt bought Marseille in 2016, the former powerhouse of French soccer has failed to find any form of stability, with a succession of coaches and crises that sometimes turned violent.

Marseille dominated domestic soccer in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was the only French team to win the Champions League before PSG claimed the trophy last year. It hasn’t won its own league title since 2010.


Olympic Fans Hunt for Plushies of Mascots Milo and Tina as They Fly off Shelves 

Fans take selfies with the Olympic mascot Tina at the finish area of an alpine ski, slalom portion of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP)
Fans take selfies with the Olympic mascot Tina at the finish area of an alpine ski, slalom portion of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP)
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Olympic Fans Hunt for Plushies of Mascots Milo and Tina as They Fly off Shelves 

Fans take selfies with the Olympic mascot Tina at the finish area of an alpine ski, slalom portion of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP)
Fans take selfies with the Olympic mascot Tina at the finish area of an alpine ski, slalom portion of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP)

For fans of the Milan Cortina Olympic mascots, the eponymous Milo and Tina, it's been nearly impossible to find a plush toy of the stoat siblings in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Many of the official Olympics stores in the host cities are already sold out, less than a week into the Winter Games.

“I think the only way to get them is to actually win a medal,” Julia Peeler joked Tuesday in central Milan, where Tina and Milo characters posed for photos with fans.

The 38-year-old from South Carolina is on the hunt for the plushies for her niece. She's already bought some mascot pins, but she won't wear them on her lanyard. Peeler wants to avoid anyone trying to swap for them in a pin trade, a popular Olympic pastime.

Tina, short for Cortina, is the lighter-colored stoat and represents the Olympic Winter Games. Her younger brother Milo, short for Milano, is the face of the Paralympic Winter Games.

Milo was born without one paw but learned to use his tail and turn his difference into a strength, according to the Olympics website. A stoat is a small mustelid, like a weasel or an otter.

The animals adorn merchandise ranging from coffee mugs to T-shirts, but the plush toys are the most popular.

They're priced from 18 to 58 euros (about $21 to $69) and many of the major official stores in Milan, including the largest one at the iconic Duomo Cathedral, and Cortina have been cleaned out. They appeared to be sold out online Tuesday night.

Winning athletes are gifted the plush toys when they receive their gold, silver and bronze medals atop the podium.

Broadcast system engineer Jennifer Suarez got lucky Tuesday at the media center in Milan. She's been collecting mascot toys since the 2010 Vancouver Games and has been asking shops when they would restock.

“We were lucky we were just in time,” she said, clutching a tiny Tina. “They are gone right now.”

Friends Michelle Chen and Brenda Zhang were among the dozens of fans Tuesday who took photos with the characters at the fan zone in central Milan.

“They’re just so lovable and they’re always super excited at the Games, they are cheering on the crowd,” Chen, 29, said after they snapped their shots. “We just are so excited to meet them.”

The San Franciscan women are in Milan for the Olympics and their friend who is “obsessed” with the stoats asked for a plush Tina as a gift.

“They’re just so cute, and stoats are such a unique animal to be the Olympic mascot,” Zhang, 28, said.

Annie-Laurie Atkins, Peeler's friend, loves that Milo is the mascot for Paralympians.

“The Paralympics are really special to me,” she said Tuesday. “I have a lot of friends that are disabled and so having a character that also represents that is just incredible.”