Basarab Panduru, nervously after seeing in Giulești, brought the interview with Ovidiu Ioanițoaia: “I want to read you”
Article by Adrian Duţă – published Tuesday, 05 August 2025, 07:48 / Updated Tuesday, 05 August 2025 07:59
Basarab Panduru, former international, was disturbed by the first half to play Fast – Botosani 2-1 And he came up with a quote of Viorel Mateianu, from an interview offered by Ovidiu Ioanițoaia, in 1979.
The former midfielder from Porto and Benfica noted the static game of the two teams, criticizing the players because they did not start, and read live what Mateianu said in 1979 in Flacăra.
Basarab Panduru: “It has been almost 50 years. This is exactly what happened in the first half”
“I did not like the first half, I thought it was confused and each one confused each one. We play when we have the ball, the others look at that ball, nobody asks for future position and everyone was static.
I wanted to read something and see if it happened in this match I read now. Former great striker and coach Viorel Mateianu said in 1979: «Those who have the ball play pretty well, we have a lot of players capable of technical refinements. The problem is those who do not have the ball, who are content to look, becoming spectators ».
It's exactly the first half! It's been almost 50 years. In the first half it was exactly as Mr. Mateianu said.
Baroan entered and solved the match. Botosani woke up a bit late, and this way of playing had to be from the first minute. If you give two goals and the opponent one, then to say that Victoria is worth it? Rapid woke up after the first half and did it earlier than Botosani. Victoria is worth it, right?
I knew him, he was in Bulgaria, if I had to ask about a player, I find out about anyone, “said Basarab Panduru at the first sport, quoted by orange.ro.
Panduru quoted from Mateianu's dialogue with Ovidiu Ioanițoaia
The quote of Basarab Panduru comes from an interview with Viorel Mateianu to Ovidiu Ioanițoaia, in 1979, while the GSP director was working in Flacăra.
Naturally, physical training should not be neglected. But the key to success is the game. With and without ball. This chapter is our bad football. Those who have the ball play pretty well, we have a lot of players capable of technical refinements. The problem is those who do not have the ball, who are satisfied to look, becoming spectators. This contemplation has always cost us a lot.
– Viorel Mateianu, in a dialogue with Ovidiu Ioanițoaia from 1979, published in “Flacăra”
Viorel Mateianu, Nichi Dumitriu and Mircea Lucescu (photo: GSP archive)
Who was Viorel Mateianu
Viorel Mateianu, who died in 1997, at just 59, would have been the first Romanian player in history offered by Real Madrid. It would have happened in 1957, but the communist regime in Romania prevented it to go to Spain.
As a coach, he created a spectacular play style and achieved a huge surprise in Division A in 1979, when he was a coach at Baia Mare. He finished the championship tour with Argeș's Dorbin, in the first place. In the end, Baia Mare ranked 5th, an excellent position for a newly promoted.
176 matchesHe gathered Mateianu as a coach in Division A on the Bank of the Formatii Bucharest, FC Baia Mare, Petrol Ploiești, Jiul Petrosani and FC Bihor Oradea. Palmares: 70 victories, 25 draws and 81 defeats
*In 2022, the Sports Gazette publishes a “retro GSP” material about Viorel Mateianu, which can be read in full HERE.
