FTC-Telekom made a perfect start to their 2026/27 preparations, winning all four matches to claim the Ladislav Bottlik Memorial Tournament in Kosice, Slovakia.
The three-day tournament provided an immediate test for Balazs Nyeki’s squad, with FTC facing the Slovak national team alongside three established European clubs: Spandau 04, Serbian champions Radnicki and CSM Oradea.
It was also an early opportunity to integrate new Greek centre Konstantinos Kakaris, who scored his first FTC goal in the opening match against Slovakia. Youngsters Csaba Jambor and Csongor Lugosi were also given significant opportunities across the tournament, with Nyeki rotating several of his more experienced players.
FTC opened with a comfortable 19-5 victory over Slovakia, taking control with a 12-0 run after the hosts had initially remained competitive at 3-3. Marton Vamos and Vince Vigvari both scored four, while Denes Manhercz added three.
Their toughest day came on Thursday, with two matches inside ten hours.
Spandau actually led FTC 5-4 after the opening quarter of the morning game, before the Hungarian champions completely changed the contest. FTC kept the German side scoreless in the second period and eventually pulled away for a 24-10 victory, with Gergo Fekete scoring seven times.
That evening came the biggest test of the trip against Radnicki. The Serbian champions had also started the tournament unbeaten, but FTC built a 10-6 half-time advantage and controlled the second half to win 16-11. Dusan Mandic, Manhercz and Krisztian Vismeg each scored three, while Fekete finished a remarkable two-game day with nine goals.
FTC completed the perfect tournament on Friday morning against CSM Oradea. Despite resting Stylianos Argyropoulos, they raced into an 8-4 half-time lead and eventually secured a 17-11 victory. Fekete again led the scoring with five, while Vigvari added four and Kakaris scored twice.
The tournament was the first edition held in memory of Ladislav Bottlik, one of the most important figures in Slovak water polo history, who died aged 83 in October 2025. The Kosice-born former player and coach won 13 Czechoslovak titles as a player and later enjoyed a hugely successful coaching career, including spells with the Czechoslovak and Slovak national teams and Croatian giants Mladost Zagreb.
For FTC, the four victories offer a strong opening to preparations as the club looks to defend its Hungarian titles and challenge again for the Champions League after taking bronze in Malta last season.
Results
FTC-Telekom 19-5 Slovakia
FTC-Telekom 24-10 Spandau 04
Radnicki 11-16 FTC-Telekom
CSM Oradea 11-17 FTC-Telekom
Homepage
Visit the WP360 Shop!
Follow Waterpolo 360 on Facebook, Instagram and X