Edi Iordănescu, the former Romania national team coach, has been vocal about the state of Romanian football after the recent European qualifying rounds. The 48-year-old tactician was at the FC Voluntari – UTA Arad match in the third round of the Superliga, where he shared his thoughts on the differences between the domestic league and European competitions.
Iordănescu feels that the results in Europe are a true reflection of the level of Romanian football, and that teams from the Superliga are no longer eliminated only by strong opponents. “For me, it’s frustrating that we work for a year to get into European competitions, and they represent the mirror of Romanian football,” he said. “I have the feeling that we’ve been deceiving ourselves with our league, with the competition here, with our pride. We want to achieve more every year, make efforts, and we should acknowledge the good things. But when we face European competitions, we’re no longer needed to face strong opponents to get eliminated. That’s sad.”
The former coach believes that the enthusiasm generated by domestic league matches is crushed when Romanian teams face European opponents. “For Romanian football, it’s essential to have teams in European competitions. In the league, we get excited, sometimes we take risks, and create hopes and expectations. Sometimes we’re disappointed. Then we face reality, and we see that we’re not eliminated by strong teams, but by teams that don’t say much in European football.” Iordănescu feels that the domestic league should produce international performance after a year of hard work and effort. Unfortunately, Romanian football seems to be stuck in a rut.
The impact of poor performances by Romanian clubs affects not only the team’s reputation but also the national team. Iordănescu explained that a significant portion of the national team’s players come from the Superliga, and they need to gain experience playing against stronger opponents. “It’s sad for the national team, because 40-45% of the players in the squad come from the domestic league. Where do they gain experience? Where do they face stronger opponents if not in European competitions? We need players to come to the national team with international experience, not to get it there.”
A Nation in Decline
The current state of Romanian football is a far cry from the team’s successful Euro 2020 campaign, where they managed to qualify for the tournament. However, that achievement was largely due to the lack of Romanian teams in European competitions at the time. Iordănescu recalled that only one player, Racovițan, played in European competitions during that season, and it was a tough year for the national team.
Looking to the Future
When asked about his future plans, Iordănescu revealed that his priority is a project outside of Romania, although he didn’t rule out a return to the Superliga. “I’ve been in the Liga 1, we’ve won European competitions, we’ve won trophies, and I’d like to go abroad. That doesn’t mean I’m saying no to the Liga 1, but it’s true that a project with important goals, European cups, and the freedom to make technical decisions as I see fit, and a project with stability, would motivate me.”
Romanian football needs a reality check, and Iordănescu’s words serve as a wake-up call for the country’s football authorities. The national team’s prospects look bleak, and the club scene is struggling to produce competitive teams. It’s time for Romanian football to regroup and reassess its priorities to avoid further decline.