Rapid Coach Daniel Pancu Suspended Two Matches, Fined

Bucharest, Romania – Daniel Pancu, the head coach of football club Rapid București, has received a two-match suspension and a fine of 360 lei from the Romanian Football Federation's Disciplinary Committee. The sanctions were imposed following Pancu's conduct during the recent derby match against Dinamo, which Rapid lost 0-1.

The incident occurred in the 53rd minute of the game. Referee Horațiu Feșnic had stopped play after Rapid player Alexandru Musi fell to the ground. In response, Pancu entered the field of play to protest the referee's decision, leading to his immediate expulsion from the match. He watched the remainder of the game from the stands.

Speaking after the match, Pancu expressed his frustration, stating, "It seemed to me that the Dinamo player got back on the field and lay down, but perhaps I don't know the rules well. I could take pills (to not be tense), fall asleep on the bench. It's not advisable. I have never taken them and never will. From now on, I will not talk about refereeing anymore." He questioned the stoppage of play, noting, "I know that only if a player is hit on the head is the game stopped. We were attacking..."

In addition to Pancu's suspension, other individuals involved in recent matches also faced disciplinary action. Andrei Cosmin Gheorghiță, a player for Universitatea Cluj, received a two-match suspension and a 3,000 lei fine for a red card received against UTA. UTA club was fined 5,000 lei. Alexandru Crețu, a midfielder for Universitatea Craiova, was suspended for one match and fined 740 lei for his expulsion against Oțelul Galați. Cătălin Tudor, the physical trainer for Universitatea Craiova, also received a two-match suspension and a 4,500 lei penalty for his expulsion in the same match.

Dinamo București club was fined 5,000 lei for incidents during their match against FC Voluntari, while the president of FC Voluntari, Bogdan Bălănescu, received a warning.

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It seemed to me that the Dinamo player got back on the field and lay down, but perhaps I don't know the rules well. I could take pills (to not be tense), fall asleep on the bench. It's not advisable. I have never taken them and never will. From now on, I will not talk about refereeing anymore.