Sport News

The President of the International Handball Federation, Hassan Moustafa, announced the results of the survey among experts, journalists and supporters, for the nomination of the best handball player in 2010. The Romanian Cristina Neagu (22) was declared the Top Player 2010.

Emanuel "Mani" Gyenes, the best enduro and rally-raid Romanian motobike pilot, won the Marathon class at the 2011 Paris-Dakar Rally. With a KTM 690 Rally Factory Replica, he won also the 3rd place at the "over 450cc engines" class.

The renowned Romanian football player Gheorghe Hagi, according to FIFA official site, accomplished the most beautiful move in the history of the World Football Championship, during the match against Colombia (3-1), June 18 1994.

Romania at World Cup

The World Football Championship was created at the initiative of FIFA president Jules Rimet after successful football tournament at the Olympics. On May 28, 1928, the FIFA Congress in Amsterdam decided to Uruguay to conduct the first such competition. The national football team of Romania has participated at seven World Cup final tournaments.

Uruguay, 1930
The first World Football Championship, Copa del Mundo (World Cup), was hosted by Uruguay, Olympic champion in 1924 and 1928, which in 1930 celebrated one hundred years of independence. There were no preliminaries, all national football teams received invitations to participate. Romania was the first European country to announce its participation in the tournament. The 13 national teams were distributed in 4 groups, the winners of each group qualifying in semi-finals. Romania was in the 3rd group, along with Peru and Uruguay.

Peru - Romania 1-3 (for Romania scored Adalbert Deşu 1' - the fastest goal of the competition, Constantin Stanciu, Ştefan Barbu 85')
Uruguay - Romania 4-0

Uruguay won the World Cup, Romania was on the 8th place.

Jules Rimet Cup

Italy, 1934
Romania was qualified in a group with Swiss and Yugoslavia. In the eighths, Romania was defeated by Czechoslovakia, the finalist of the competition.

Czechoslovakia - Romania 2-1 (Puc, Nejedly - Ştefan Dobay)

Italy won the World Cup, Romania was on the 12th place.

Ştefan Dobay

France, 1938

Romania qualified by default for the 1938 World Cup after their qualifying playoff opponents Egypt withdrew. They suffered a shock defeat in the finals in France, losing to minnows Cuba, who, like Romania, had only qualified due to the withdrawal of their qualifying opponents, USA. The first match at the Stade Chapou in Toulouse ended 3–3 after extra time, but Cuba won the replay four days later 2–1.

Italy won the World Cup, Romania was on the 11th place.

Mexico, 1970

Romania was in Group 3 with England, Brazil and Czechoslovakia.

England - Romania 1-0 (Geoff Hurst)
Czechoslovakia - Romania 1-2 (Ladislav Petráš - Alexandru Neagu, Florea Dumitrache)
Brazil - Romania 3-2 (Pelé twice, Jairzinho - Florea Dumitrache, Emerich Dembrowski)

Brazil won the World Cup, Romania was on the 11th place.

Florea Dumitrache

Italy, 1990
Romania was in a group along with Argentina (the world champion), USSR (the vice-european champion), and Cameroon.

USSR - Romania 0-2 (Marius Lăcătuş twice)
Cameroon - Romania 2-0 (Roger Milla twice)
Argentina - Romania 1-1 (Pedro Monzón - Gavrilă Balint)

Second round
Ireland - Romania 0-0 (Ireland qualified at penalty shots)

West Germany won the World Cup.

Gheorghe Hagi

USA, 1994
Romania was in a group along with Colombia, Switzerland, and USA.

Colombia - Romania 1-3 (Adolfo Valencia - Florin Radu Răducioiu twice, Gheorghe Hagi)
Switzerland - Romania 4-1
USA - Romania 0-1 (Dan Petrescu)

Round of 8
Argentina - Romania 2-3 (Gabriel Batistuta, Abel Balbo - Ilie Dumitrescu twice, Gheorghe Hagi)

Quarter-finals
Sweden - Romania 2-2 (Brolin, Roland Nilsson - Florin Radu Răducioiu twice). Sweden qualified at penalty shots.

Brazil won the World Cup, Romania was on the 6th place.

Florin Radu Răducioiu

France, 1998
Romania was in a group along with Colombia, England, and Tunisia.

Colombia - Romania 0-1 (Adrian Ilie)
England - Romania 1-2 (Michael Owen - Viorel Moldovan, Dan Petrescu)
Tunisia - Romania 1-1 (Skander Souayah - Viorel Moldovan)

Round of 16
Croatia - Romania 2-0 (Davor Šuker twice)

France won the World Cup, Romania was on the 11th place.

Viorel Moldovan

Emerich Jenei

Emerich Jenei (March 22, 1937, Agriş, Arad County) is a Romanian football player and coach, considered one of Romania's best coaches, winner of the European Cup in 1986.


He made his debut playing for Flamura Roşie Arad, and in 1957, at age 20, he signed with Steaua Bucharest. He played for Steaua until 1969, when he left Romania to play in Turkey for Kayserispor Kulübü. In 1971, Jenei retired as player and became a coach. During his career as a footballer, he played 305 matches and he won 12 caps for Romania's National Team (between 1959 and 1964). Jenei won with Steaua 3 Romanian football championship titles in 1960, 1961 and 1968, as well hi participated with Romania's Olympic Team at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Japan, where the Romanians came on 5-th place.


As a coach, Jenei continued to enjoy success. He managed Steaua Bucharest (1975–1978, 1983–1986, 1990–1991, 1993–1994, 1998–2000), FC Bihor Oradea, CS Târgovişte, Universitatea Craiova, the National Team of Romania (1986–1990, 2000), the National Team of Hungary (1992–1993), FC Fehérvár (1993), Panionios F.C. (1995–1996).


Emerich Jenei won the championship title in 1976, 1978 and 1985 with Steaua. In the following season led Steaua Bucureşti to victory in the European Cup final against FC Barcelona in May 1986. He qualified Romania to World Cup 1990 and Euro 2000. After his retirement (2000), worked for the Romanian Football Federation. He is regularly consulted by the Romanian media for his opinion ahead of important football games for Romanian clubs, especially Steaua, or the Romanian National Team. On March 25, 2008, he was decorated by the president of Romania, with Ordinul "Meritul Sportiv" (The Order "The Sportive Merit") class II with one barret.

Ştefan "Pisti" Covaci

Ştefan Kovács (Romanian: Ştefan Covaci; October 2, 1920, Timişoara - May 12, 1995, Cluj) was a successful Romanian (Hungarian ethnic) footballer and coach, winner of European Champions Cup, European Supercup and Intercontinental Cup with Ajax Amsterdam.


He managed Universitatea Cluj (1953-1962) and Romaniaa, as assistant (1962–1967). Kovács had his first major coaching successes at the helm of Steaua Bucharest, where he won between 1967 and 1971 once the championship and three times the cup of Romania. After this he succeeded Rinus Michels at the head of Ajax Amsterdam in 1971, continuing and expanding on his "total football" philosophy. With Ajax he achieved 1972 and 1973 two consecutive European Champions Cups. In 1972 he even won the Intercontinental Cup and also the first edition of European Supercup (1973). Further to that he led Ajax to the double of cup and championship in 1972 and another national championship in 1973.


After he left Ajax in 1973, he was called up by the French football federation to take the reins of the national side (1973–1975). In this position he raised the young generations of French talents (as Raymond Domenech, Arsene Wenger şi Michel Platini) and prepared his successor, Michel Hidalgo, to the successes of the 80's. After this episode he returned to Romania becoming its National Team coach (1976–1980). Later he had further successes with Panathinaikos (1982-1983) and AS Monaco (1986–1987), with which he won the national cup competitions in 1982 and 1987, respectively.


In 1995, when Covaci died, Jacques Chirac was in a meeting with the French government. After consultation with the Prime Minister of France in that time, Chirac interrupted the meeting to preserve a moment of silence. The French president wanted it that way paying homage to the one he considered the founder of modern football in France. (adapted from Wikipedia)