Mircea Sandu about the secret meeting Ion Iliescu-Iordănescu from 1996: “I was not present, but …” + Impressions related to the former president: “Mining, NATO, EU!”
Article by Justin Gafiuc – published Tuesday, 05 August 2025 22:47 / Updated Tuesday, August 05, 2025 23:10
Mircea Sandu, at FRF, and Ion Iliescu, in Cotroceni, went in parallel with their mandates between 1990-2004, minus the 1996-2000 segment, with Emil Constantinescu at the head of the state. Nașu 'recalls episodes in which Romanian football intersected with the former president, died today at the age of 95.
President of FRF in the period 1990-2014, Mircea Sandu has overlapped his mandates with those of Ion Iliescu as head of state. And the parallel longevity of both had turned into a slogan of the stands, by chasing “Mircea Sandu for us / is Iliescu two!”.
Today, at the disappearance of the former President of Romania at the age of 95, “Nașu” agreed to dialogue with the GSP about how the relationship with Iliescu has in those years.
Mircea Sandu: “He rewarded the national team after the 1994 World Cup”
Ion Iliescu decorated Hagi for the course of CM 1994 and met with “King” and before the Hagi Gala from 2003
“We have always tried to keep the federation in a weaker contact with the political area, but in a mutual respect and collaboration framework on the topics of creating an impact legislation in the field. President Iliescu never intervened, sent messengers regarding how we organize and operate,” Sandu points out.
And add: “He had a reward attitude towards the national team after the 1994 World Cup, when a series of government titles were conferred on the entire US delegation. He visited the representative lot at Săftica and this was all in those years.”
I met Ion Iliescu last time in 2009, at the funeral of Mircea Angelescu, the former president of the federation, with whom he knew before the Revolution. And invested after '89 with the quality of Minister of Sport. Was a sentimental person
– Mircea Sandu, for GSP
“Puiu had this bent on politicians”
Mircea Sandu also commented on a tense moment spent at the national team in 1996, when a discreet step of Ion Iliescu contributed to staying on the bank of Anghel Iordănescu.
Anghel Iordănescu was convinced by Ion Iliescu to stay on the national bank in 1996
Infuriated by the string of strategic matches in the internal championship, Tata Puiu presented his resignation in early 1996 and refused to move to Belgrade for a friendly with Yugoslavia (0-1). The Seconds Balint and Stefanescu then stayed on the bench.
In full federal tension, President Ion Iliescu had a meeting between four eyes with Anghel Iordănescu, whom he would have convinced to continue in front of the “tricolors”. And then the qualification followed at CM 1998!
“I was not present at the meeting, so I have no comment. But I am convinced that Iordănescu would have continued that mandate anyway. He had this bent to politicians, a more militarous guy, who was turning enough in those circles. In fact, Puiu wanted to produce that gesture as a scarecrow not to the FRF, but to the FRF, but to the FRF. Sandu.
I spent over 20 years on the lawn, I saw that some players did not defend their chances correctly, but how could I act if there were no evidence? I think that Puiu's attitude in 1996 also had effects, because you do not forget that then there were some cases on committees, with submissions, roar – oil or Ceahlăul – Dinamo
– Mircea Sandu, for GSP
“Iliescu did not enrich in Cotroceni”
Romania joined NATO in 2004, during the last term of Ion Iliescu Photo: IMAGO
But beyond the official relationship with Ion Iliescu, how did Mircea Sandu perceived the former president of Romania?
“I do not go into debates about different events related to Ion Iliescu, Mining, NATO, EU, the relationship with the former King Mihai, these are issues that are and will be analyzed by historians. But I know that, in trouble, the difference in society is made between rich and poor.
As far as I know, Iliescu did not enrich how much he worked in Cotroceni. He sought to keep a balance, beyond all those episodes in his career, some with positive, others – negative, ”said Sandu.
And he completed: “They appeared around him and powerful politicians, like Adrian Nastase, very well trained. Here, and I do not discuss his related problems, he was convicted. I refer strictly to the political profile, in a time when PSD/PDSR dominated the public scene, through strong politicians, while they have no alternative, Quintus, Radu Cîmpeanu or Rațiu.
