Article by Adrian Duţă – Published on Wednesday, 05 November 2025 21:13 / Updated on Wednesday, 05 November 2025 21:28
Nicușor Dan, the president of Romania, sent a message afterwards the death of Emeric Ienai, the legendary coach of Stella and the national team.
Emeric Ienei died on Wednesday, November 5, at the age of 88. He will be buried in Oradea, at the Rulikowski Municipal Cemetery, on Saturday, at 2:00 p.m.
Nicușor Dan's message, after the death of Emeric Ienei
“Thank you, Emeric Iena, for all the joy you brought us and for making us proud of Romanian football so many times! Today, we lost one of the legendary figures of football, but his memory will always remain alive in our hearts.
Throughout an exceptional career, Emeric Ienei has decisively contributed to the writing of some glorious pages of local sports. He was part of one of the most beautiful generations of athletes, and under his leadership, the Steaua Bucharest team won the European Champions Cup, a unique moment of great prestige for Romania on the international level. Emeric Ienei is also the one who, in 1990, managed to qualify the Romanian team, after 20 years, for a World Football Championship.
Beyond his outstanding performances, Emeric Ienei has always been a model of balance, elegance and nobility of soul, a personality who has inspired generations through modesty, professionalism and deep respect for the values of sport.
I send my condolences to the bereaved family, colleagues and everyone who knew, admired and cherished him”, Nicușor Dan wrote on his personal Facebook page.
10 key figures from Emeric Ienei's coaching career:
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6 championship titles, all with Steaua: 1975/76, 1977/78, 1984/85, 1985/86, 1986/87, 1993/94. In 1976 he stopped a streak of 8 years without a title, the longest in the history of the red-blues
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4 Romanian Cups: 1975/76, 1984/85, 1991/92, 1998/99
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European Champions Cup 1985/86
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51 of matches for the Romanian national team: 23 wins, 14 draws, 14 failures
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He qualified Romania for the WC 1990, after a break of 20 years
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It was Romania's coach at EC 2000, the first victory in a continental final tournament, 3-2 with England, is also linked to his name
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He succeeded the first qualification from the groups of a world tournament (CM 1990) and the first of the groups of a European tournament (EC 2000)
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He led Steaua in 31 European games. Record: 13 wins, 8 draws, 10 losses. The final with FC Barcelona was the 13th match
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It's the technician with most Derbies Steaua – Dinamo, 23 (19 in the championship and 4 in the Cup)
