BUCHAREST (ROMANIA) (ITALPRESS) – The Romanian Football Federation has announced in a statement that Mircea Lucescu has completed his mandate as coach. The 80-year-old coach failed to secure World Cup qualification, with a 1-0 defeat in Turkey that stopped Romania in the semi-finals of the European playoffs. That was also Lucescu’s last match in charge: already struggling with health problems, the former coach of Brescia, Pisa, and Inter Milan felt unwell on Sunday during the technical meeting ahead of the friendly against Slovakia, where the team was coached by assistant Ionel Gane. Lucescu, formerly coach of Romania from 1981 to 1986, returned in August 2024, after the European Championships, and finished with an overall record of 11 wins, one draw, and six losses.
The Romanian Football Federation, through its president Razvan Burleanu, while emphasizing that Lucescu remains “a historical figure,” does not rule out a future collaboration: “He gave everything for Romania, showing boundless passion and dedication. He demonstrated what it means to love the national team. We look forward to him in a new role in the coming months, so that Romanian football can benefit from all the experience he has accumulated throughout his career, and thus better prepare our coaches and players.”
– photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
