FRF president: Mircea Lucescu had a medical certificate confirming he was fit to work
Romanian Football Federation (FRF) president Razvan Burleanu said on Thursday that, ahead of Romania's play-off match against Turkey on March 26, manager Mircea Lucescu, who died on April 7, had presented a medical certificate from a Belgian doctor confirming he was fit to work.
Asked whether he had been aware of Lucescu's complex diagnosis and whether they had discussed the risks of him attending the match, Burleanu said: 'The medical information we had access to was very fragmented, because when we talk about anyone's medical situation, that information is confidential. At the same time, as a federation, we said back in February that we were working with several scenarios and were prepared for any of them. We even worked with a deadline - February 20 - and on February 21 we had a meeting here with Mr. Lucescu and Mr. Stoichita. Mr. Lucescu had a medical certificate from a doctor in Belgium stating he was medically fit to continue his professional activity.'
Burleanu said he believes the decision to keep Lucescu in charge for the play-off against Turkey was the correct one.
'I've seen various reactions lately, but I believe the Romanian Football Federation acted correctly. If we had considered dismissing Mr. Lucescu or encouraging him to step down, FRF would have been at fault - professionally and morally. It's very easy to be radical from an armchair, but I believe that was the best decision. Put yourself in my place and ask what decision you would have taken, knowing we had at our disposal the most decorated Romanian coach, who wanted to be with the national team at its most important moment,' Burleanu said.
Former international player and coach Mircea Lucescu died on April 7 at the age of 80 at Bucharest University Emergency Hospital.
He had been admitted on March 29 after collapsing during a technical meeting ahead of a national-team training session. He had been deeply affected by Romania's failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, following the 0 - 1 defeat to Turkey on March 26.
Lucescu did not travel with the team to Slovakia, where Romania lost 0 - 2 in a friendly led by assistant coach Ionel Gane.
On April 2, FRF announced that Lucescu's mandate as national team coach had ended.
Under Lucescu, Romania had an exceptional Nations League campaign, securing a place in the March play-off for a spot at this summer's World Cup. His record during this period included 11 wins, 1 draw and 6 defeats. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Marius Tone; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)
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