The wave of emigration that followed the 1956 Hungarian Revolution had a profound impact on Hungarian football. Many players fled the country to escape retaliation, yet they did not disappear from the sport. Instead, they soon united in Western Europe and dazzled new audiences with a style of play reminiscent of Hungary’s golden era.
The “Dutch coach” was, in fact, József Veréb, who had settled in the Netherlands after World War II. When the 1956 refugees began to arrive, he recognized an opportunity: he did not want the world-class Hungarian footballers to scatter across Europe. He visited refugee camps in Austria, recruiting talented players such as Miklós Tódor, András Béres, Jenő Békeffy, Béla Gregor, and György Bognár.
Official player registrations were still impossible at the time because the Hungarian Football Association had banned all footballers who fled abroad from playing for one year. Veréb, however, was undeterred. He formed a Hungarian refugee select team and organized friendly matches for them. Word of the team spread quickly, and soon top-tier Dutch clubs—among them PSV Eindhoven—were eager to play against them.