Article by Costi Prună, Tudor Belivacă – Published on Wednesday, 19 November 2025, 20:40 / Updated on Wednesday, 19 November 2025 20:45
Iulian Pâslaru, the current general director of CSM Bucharest, reacted after the Chamber of Deputies voted in favor of the legislative proposal that transforms the “Eduard Novak Order” into law. Following the changes, Constantin Căliman, former general director of CSM Bucharest, currently Deputy Director of FSSU (Federation of School and University Sports), and also the director of CS Rapid, Vlad Andronescu, also reacted.
Iulian Pâslaru is of the opinion that this reform will only make Romanian athletes have bigger contracts because the clubs need them to comply with the law. The current director of CSM Bucharest believes that this law, if promulgated by President Nicușor Dan, will not increase the flow of quality Romanian athletes.
Iulian Pâslaru, reaction after the legislative changes: “Artificial increase in the value of the contract”
“The Novak law will have the effect, from my point of view, of artificially increasing the value of the contracts of athletes with Romanian passports.
Clubs will have to increase their offers to Romanian athletes to ensure they comply with the law.
What is really serious is that this law will not solve the fundamental problem of team sports, namely the shortage of athletes and their value, and I say this in the conditions that CSM Bucharest has the complete pyramid in all team sports.
A law cannot solve a structural and strategic problem that we have at the level of children and juniors, the most pressing problem being the lack of infrastructure that determines the impossibility of increasing the number of practitioners and the quality of training.
The rest is a law that will have to be respected, the comments being late,” Iulian Pâslaru told GSP.ro.
What Constantin Căliman, the former director of CSM Bucharest, conveyed: “I think we have other levers at hand to solve the problem”
The former director of CSM Bucharest highlighted several problems related to the new changes. His full statement for GSP.ro:
“I think: 1. If we have a OM (no Ministerial Order) why do we still need a law!? We will give laws in the future and what color socks the athletes must wear!?
2. OM applies from my point of view only to sports structures subordinate to MTS/ANS (no Ministry of Youth and Sports / National Sports Agency)!
3. This OM can apply to sports federations in any sport branch only if the BF/CA approves a regulation with these provisions or other provisions (without violating international law on the right to work)! The National Federations in the Sports Branch are of private law and of public utility! They are NOT subordinate to MTS/ANS!
4. Because it violates the latest EU rules and regulations and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice. International legislation evolves and we must adapt! The White Charter of Sports and the other EU regulations for sports are also laws for Romania! Not just for other member states!
5. Personally I think we have other (healthy) levers at hand to solve the problem of the number of foreign athletes in a club team!
6. The public finance law requires that public funds be spent judiciously! From my point of view, (and this is how I also built the winning team of the EHF Champions League 2016) as a credit orderer (president/general manager of a sports structure under public law) you have to meet the season goals! You have 100 RON and you set out to win the EHF Champions League, you must demonstrate the judicious use of public funds! Are you in arrears!? Fine 1500 RON and for the second offense 1-3 years in prison!
That's what the law says and for this reason I left CSM Bucharest before the termination of the secondment! After winning the European trophy (second after Steaua 86') they almost doubled the budget, but without results!
7. As an example of an erroneous interpretation of the legislation, I will tell you something that few people understand: GD 1447/2007 regarding the financial rules in sports activity only applies to sports structures subordinated to central public administrations! The others (sports structures subordinate to local public administrations and other private sports structures make their own rules)!”
I believe that the Novak Law is overall good for Romanian sports, but I think that it should have been children's and junior projects that have a continuity through the Novak Law at the senior level. There will be a decrease in value in all sports. The level of youth sports in Romania was in a shadow cone. There is not enough value to implement this law and maintain a high level of competition.
In the long term, with consistency and continuity and with investments at the level of children and juniors, which we at Rapid have and want to take to the best possible level. Overall I think it's a good team, but at the moment there will be a drop in the competitive level. The world needs to invest in children and juniors to generate added value in all sports.
– Vlad AndronescuCS Rapid general manager
The law must be promulgated by President Nicușor Dan to enter into force
-
The law must be promulgated by President Nicușor Dan to enter into force
-
The Chamber of Deputies voted that the Order of the Ministry of Sports 500/2022, issued by former minister Eduard Novak, which stipulated the obligation to use 40% Romanian athletes by Romanian clubs, in all sports, at matches organized in the country, to become an integral part of the Physical Education and Sports Law
-
The text of the law provides for financial sanctions for teams that will not comply with the provision, fines between 500,000 and 1,000,000 lei, but it is not clear if the penalties will be applied after each violation (each match in which the teams will not use Romanians in a proportion of at least 40%) or at the end of the seasons. Details of this kind will be determined by each individual sports federation.
