Article by Ovidiu Minea – Published Monday, 02 February 2026, 09:59 / Updated on Monday, 02 February 2026 10:05
The sports club of the Iași City Hall, CSM Iași 2020, which in recent years has spent 13 million euros of the money of the people of Iași, is again at the center of a scandal.
After being forced last week by the Romanian Handball Federation (FRH) to pay over 450,000 euros to coach Iulian Stamate and players Maria Bardac, Sara Kovarova, Gomes Barbosa Elaine and Maria Coman, who had not worked for a second in Iași for that money, CSM 2020, whose activity is also being investigated by the National Anticorruption Directorate, risks losing now 72,000 euros.
Stefania Lazăr is asking for 185,100 lei
On January 29, player Ștefania Lazăr notified CSM Iasi 2020 to pay her salary arrears in the amount of 185,100 lei. The amount represents the net wages that the player claims she was entitled to collect between July and December 2025.
According to the contract concluded in October 2024 between the group from Iași and Lazăr, it was to receive a net monthly remuneration of 30,850 lei per month, about 6,000 euros, until the end of June 2026.
CSM Iași 2020 is now playing in the last league, after being relegated last year, at the end of a season in which it achieved only one victory, in the last stage.
Stefania Lazar
Total stake of 72,000 euros
The player who played for important teams, such as Bistrita, Rapid or Corona Brașov, asked to receive the mentioned amount within five days of the club's notification.
If she does not receive the money, the athlete says that she will turn to FRH, who will also request the termination of the contract, based on just cause, and the obligation of CSM Iași 2020 to also pay her salaries for the first six months of this year.
In total, taking into account the claims for the last half of 2025, Lazar would collect, if he wins, 72,000 euros.
“Professionally marginalized and administratively harassed”
Ștefania Lazăr, who is 36 years old, brings other arguments for the termination of the contract for just cause, in addition to the delay in the payment of salaries. These are: professional marginalization, as a result of exclusion from the batch and official communication groups, and administrative harassment, through statements and an attempt to impose an illegal salary reduction.
This season, Lazăr, who did not want to make additional statements, played at CSM Iași 2020 only at the start, then she was no longer retained in the squad.
CSM Iasi 2020 position
The position of CSM Iași 2020 regarding this case was offered by the president of the Board of Directors, Mihai Liviu Gavril:
“As for the club's point of view vis a vis the athlete Ștefania Lazăr, it was presented in the litigation already judged by the Appeals Commission of the FRH. Thus, according to the decision in file 353/A/2025, CSM Iași 2020 does not have to pay any leu to the athlete, not even court costs. The athlete can use the right to further file other actions against the club, but the club's position remains the same.
The contractual provisions are clear, unambiguous and unequivocal regarding the club's consideration. CSM Iași 2020 will maintain its point of view from the file mentioned above, regardless of how many actions the athlete will file with the federal commissions. I assure you that the athlete was respected, both by the technical staff and by the medical staff, and that there is no problem at this moment between the team staff and the athlete”.
