Money works wonders at FC Botoșani » The new award system has caught on with the Superliga leader
Article by George Nistor – Published Thursday, October 16, 2025, 3:38 p.m. / Updated Thursday, October 16, 2025, 3:46 p.m.
FC Botosani went through a series of changes in the summer to make relegation no longer a real threat, as it has been in recent seasons. Beyond the transfer strategy, Valeriu Iftime (65 years old) also changed the award rules for players, and the results can also be seen in the ranking.
The current leader of the Superliga is in a form that the giants of the competition dare not hope for, at the moment. The Moldovans come after four consecutive victories, in which they defeated UTA, Metaloglobus, FCSB and Oțelul in a row. Their only defeat in the championship dates back to August 4, when Leo Grozavu's players lost in Giulesti, 1-2 against Rapid.
FC Botoșani was reborn with new premiums
Even if the salaries are almost constantly delayed by a month, the game premiums are never late at Botoșani, that's okay.
Until last season, the bonus was fixed, 4000 lei for the victory, but from the current season the reward reaches 6000 lei for six of the 15 matches of the tour, chosen in advance by Leo Grozavu, depending on the opponent and the moment the team is going through. For the others, the incentive remains at 4000.
For the next three matches of the Superliga tour, the players have the right to be remunerated only once with 6000 euros, as they have exhausted the previous five possibilities. U Cluj, Petrolul (both away) and Hermannstadt, on their own ground, will be the next opponents of the Botošanians.
Because it bore fruit, the management plans to continue the reward grid in the return, and if FC Botoșani reaches the play-offs, even increase it.
It's a very good moment for us and the atmosphere is great, so I don't think the firsts matter so much at the moment, in the sense that the motivation in the dressing room is already high. With U Cluj it will be a very difficult match, because it is a challenge to continue throughout this. I feel that the team can do much more than that.
– Valeriu Iftime, for GSP.ro
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For the Botošan residents, the duel with U Cluj follows, in the 13th round, scheduled for Saturday, at 3:00 p.m. Rijad Sadiku and Francisco Junior will be missing from the first-place lineup, while Ioan Ovidiu Sabău will not be able to rely on Gheorghiță, Simion and Van der Werff.
Leo Grozavu (58 years old) is cautious before the confrontation at Cluj Arena.
“It will be a very difficult game, it's clear, we're coming and after these two weeks of interruption, we're also a little out of rhythm, I hope it won't show when the game starts. My expectations, as always, are that the boys will do their job very well on the field, at the end we'll see what the table shows.
U Cluj is a strong, traditional team, with organization, budget, valuable players and, more than likely, we will have to be over 100% if we want to achieve a positive result”, declared the technician in the press conference.
In the friendly, we tried to give minutes to all the players, as an attitude they satisfied me. It is clear that now we are treated more seriously, differently. We are one of the teams that have aroused enough envy.
– Leo Grozavu, FC Botoșani coach
