Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban is visiting Dublin to attend the Ireland vs Hungary soccer match in the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, but will not meet anyone from the Government during the trip.

In a statement to The Irish Times, the Department of Foreign Affairs said: “This visit is taking place in a private capacity on the occasion of the Ireland-Hungary international football match. There are no official engagements planned.”

Sources said there had been no requests for meetings with Taoiseach Micheál Martin or Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris.

Mr Orban, a critic of the European Union and especially of European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, has previously clashed with the Taoiseach on EU matters.

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When contacted, the Hungarian embassy said it had no information about Mr Orban’s visit and could not confirm or deny it.

The embassy asked to know the source of the Irish Times’ information, but news of Mr Orban’s visit to Dublin was circulating widely on social media on Friday.

Multiple far-right social media accounts have enthusiastically welcomed the Hungarian prime minister to Dublin.

Meanwhile, Labour MEP Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said in a statement that Mr Orban was not welcome to Dublin and promised to organise a protest with the Labour LGBTQ group outside the stadium.

Mr Orban has been widely criticised by the EU, international organisations and other governments for restrictions on civil liberties, press freedom, academic freedom and hostility to migrants and minorities, including LGBTQ people.

[ ‘Don’t ruin the love story between Irish and Hungarian patriots’: Viktor Orban criticises TaoiseachOpens in new window ]

A ban on the Budapest pride parade this year was ignored, however, and the march went ahead, a signal of domestic opposition to his regime.

Diplomatic sources said a visit by a foreign head of government without any official events was not unusual if the visit was totally private – which is how the Hungarian authorities are understood to have flagged the visit to the Government.

However, sources also speculated that members of the Government would also be attending the game, and were likely to meet Mr Orban.