Article by Daniel Grigore – Published on Wednesday, 05 November 2025 21:15 / Updated on Wednesday, 05 November 2025 21:24
Emeric Ienei, the legendary coach died today at the age of 88was established for several decades in Oradea, a city he arrived in 1978, when he took over the local team. On Friday, November 7, between 16:00 and 19:00, at the “Iuliu Bodola” stadium in Oradea, the coffin with the lifeless body of the great football man will be laid.
Emeric Ienei is primarily identified with Steaua Bucharest, the greatest achievement in the history of Romanian football being linked to his name, the conquest of the European Champions Cup in 1986.
But before that legendary season, Ienei also coached at FC Bihor, in 1978/1979, after finishing another term at Steaua.
In 2010, Ienei told how he instantly fell in love with the city of Bihor, making the decision that, once he retired from work, he would settle there permanently.
Why did Emeric Ienei settle in Oradea: “Love at first sight”
“Oradea means my home, it means my friends. Oradea is my city, which I greet every morning. I go out, go and buy my newspapers from the same kiosk, for many years. Then I pass across the street, where there is a cafe, and have tea with my friends. We do politics, we talk about football. Then, at 1:30 p.m., I go home. This whole ritual has become a reflex for me.
When I moved to Oradea I thought it would be difficult for me to adapt, but it wasn't like that. Sometimes, at the beginning, I had nostalgia for Bucharest. But after only two days spent in Bucharest, I always missed Oradea”, told Iena 15 years agofor the Event of the Day.
However, why did he choose Oradea as his home?
“I'm answering you with a joke. I'm from Arad, the wife is from Cluj, so we decided to settle down somewhere in the middle!”, he amused himself, before giving the “serious answer”:
“I was requested, in 1978, by FC Bihor, after I had been fired from Steaua because we had lost the title on goal difference. That was in the 70s. In Oradea, we got a house where we still live today.
It was love at first sight. The city entered my heart instantly. I knew him a little, because I had played here a few times, even with the national team, in a friendly with China.
“I was attracted by the beauty, the tranquility, the people, even if they are quite difficult! It is a splendid city, with old buildings. We have friends from Germany visiting and they are impressed by the old buildings in Oradea.”
On Saturday, Emeric Ienei, Brigadier General, will be buried with military honors
Emeric Ienei was born on March 22, 1937 in Agriș commune, approximately 160 kilometers from Oradea.
Saturday, November 8, 2:00 p.m., will be buried with military honors at the Rulikowski Municipal Cemetery in Oradea.
The FC Bihor Oradea club announces that the coffin with the lifeless body of Mr. Emeric Iena, a prominent personality of Romanian football, will be deposited on Friday, November 7, between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., at the “Iuliu Bodola” Stadium in Oradea.
All those wishing to say a final farewell to the legendary coach are invited to come to the stadium to pay their respects. Oradea was the city where he chose to live and the place that always remained close to his heart.
The funeral will take place on Saturday, November 8, from 2:00 p.m., at the Town Chapel of the Rulikowski Cemetery in Oradea.
10 key figures from Emeric Ienei's coaching career:
- 386 matches in the first division with Steaua, FC Bihor, CS Târgovişte and U Craiova. Record: 218 wins, 79 draws, 89 losses
- 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
- 4 Romanian Cups: 1975/76, 1984/85, 1991/92, 1998/99
- European Champions Cup 1985/86
- 51 of matches for the Romanian national team: 23 wins, 14 draws, 14 failures
- He qualified Romania for the WC 1990, after a break of 20 years
- 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
- 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)
- He led Steaua in 31 European games. Record: 13 wins, 8 draws, 10 losses. The final with FC Barcelona was the 13th match
- It's the technician with most Derbies Steaua – Dinamo, 23 (19 in the championship and 4 in the Cup)
