Why did former referee Alexandru Tudor come to the GSP editorial office? “Take a stick and it would last you two hours”

There are two stories about the former referee Alexander Tudor.

VIDEO | Cătălin Oprișan, on the GSP “2 to 1” podcast: “Sandu Tudor was walking around with a video in his trunk…”

“Sandu Tudor, at the Voința stadium, in '95, came to the Press Cup and said: “Mr. player, you have the yellow card”. “Hey, Sandul, are you stupid?! We came from the Military…”… “You have the red one”. Brad Pitt… we took him to the police station”, says Oprișan, former journalist at Gazeta Sporturilor.

“Tudor walked around with a video in his trunk, that's how he's been all his life. He had a Dacie station wagon and was walking with last night's game in the car. He would come to the editorial office at Gazeta and Pro and let loose the phases: “Why did you write that it was offside?”. He would take a stick and hold you for two hours. It was today's VAR. He had VAR 30 years ago!“, is another account of Oprișan from the GSP podcast “2 to 1”.

Cătălin Oprișan, on the GSP “2 to 1” podcast, photo: Ionuț Iordache (GSP.ro)

What is Alexandru Tudor doing today?

He retired from arbitration in December 2018. Since then, he has become a close friend of Gigi Becali, the patron of FCSB, and devoted himself to the faith.

“I have no advice for young referees. I have learned that advice is given in two situations. If it is asked for, because it must be received, and if it is a matter of life and death. As long as someone asks me for advice I will give it.

Generic, I say like this: if you do it with passion, if you do it with your heart, if you put your best foot forward, go for it! Work together with God! Don't put yourself in front because you'll snap like I snapped at one point!” Tudor declared a few years ago.

381 partiesAlexandru Tudor refereed in League 1, being for a long time the “central” with the most matches conducted on the first stage

Tudor had been co-opted by Gigi Becali within the FCSB club. At the beginning, he was in charge of the Berceni Football Academy and was even present at the first team's training sessions, but he rarely appeared in the senior team.

Becali revealed that he hired him because “he has even greater faith than me. A prayer made by Tudor is more valuable than any goal scored or any football player bought”.

FULL VIDEO | “2 to 1” with Cătălin Oprișan, special Christmas edition:

About Cătălin Oprisan:

• journalist since 1993, graduated in “Peculiarities of the language of sports media”;
• participated in the last ever Cup Winners' Cup final;
• saw Hagi at Euro 2000, when the “King” retired from the national team;
• he smelled the grass on the “Maracanã” and broadcast from outside Ronaldo's house in Brazil, a day after he had become world champion;
• he wrote the history of Stela – “Star, Legend of a football team”, for which he received the “Ioan Chirilă” Award, but also “The History of the Romanian National Football Team”, awarded by the Romanian Sports Press Association;
• he was Don Balón's correspondent for Romania, and wrote for the first time in Gazeta Sporturilor in 1999;
• in the podcasts and videos where he inevitably becomes the main actor, he revives legendary sports characters, being a kind of archaeologist who unearths the forgotten stories of the arenas;
• co-producer of the morning show on Kiss FM.