Article by Alexandru Tomuțiu – Published Monday, November 10, 2025, 11:20 p.m. / Updated Monday, November 10, 2025, 11:20 p.m.
Victor Pițurcă (69 years old) made a series of harsh statements to Mihai Rotaru, the boss of the University of Craiova.
Victor Pițurcă coached Mihai Rotaru's team between September 2019 and January 2020, the separation occurring after only 16 matches. The two sides clashed shortly after.
“Mr. Pițurcă stated that he left Craiova because no players were brought to him. That is a lie. First of all, he did not leave Craiova, he was fired from Craiova!”, declared Mihai Rotaru, after the coach's departure.
Victor Pițurcă: “If Mihai Rotaru changed me, he had to give me 500,000 euros”
Almost 5 years after that episode, the coach recalled Rotaru's statements and conveyed that he left of his own free will, without being fired.
“I left Craiova because I left, I felt that I had no chance to get the results I wanted. After I left, Mihai Rotaru came out and said, “Sir, Pițurcă has been changed”.
Maybe he wanted me to leave, but he didn't change me, that if he changed me, he had to give me the money, 500,000 euros. A nasty thing he said. Not to mention Tavi Popescu (no junior at the University at the time), about what he was doing to me, that he left because of me.
But time has passed, I no longer have any problem with Mihai Rotaru, but it is also important for him that the team has continuity with a coach who comes and works. You can't come, be lucky for a month and get results, then say you're a great coach”, said Victor Pițurcă, at Digi Sport.
I don't want to get into a polemic with Victor Pițurcă. But I couldn't even listen to him offend. He offends, throws stones, but the big danger when you do that is that 3, 4 stones come back at you. I never stated that he directed Octavian Popescu to the FCSB, I said that he directed him to the agency of Mr. Ioan Becali, then he went further to the FCSB.
– Mihai Rotaru, in 2021
