Article by Daniel Grigore – Published Tuesday, February 17, 2026, 5:03 p.m. / Updated Tuesday, February 17, 2026, 5:03 p.m.
Through the voice of the general secretary Justin Ștefan, the Professional Football League responded the official request that FC Argeș sent today at the addresses of FRF, CCA, LPF and EAD, the company that owns the rights to televise the competition.
Today, 4 days later the match between Petrolul and FC ArgeșFC Argeș requested the publication of the dialogues between the referees in two of the phases in which they consider themselves unfair, from that 1-2 from Ploiești, respectively 0-1 with UTA.
The official request is addressed to the Romanian Football Federation and the Central Commission of Referees, but it also targeted two other key players in Romanian football, the Professional Football League and EAD, the company holding the TV rights.
LPF: “Publishing the records would be a healthy matter”
A first reaction, in dialogue with GSP, came from the general secretary of the LPF, Justin Ștefan, who supports the publication of the recording of the dialogue between the referees.
“I would like to know the CCA's position on this request. Certainly they have to base their position on what they have in the regulations. This is where things need to be nuanced, let's see if they can release those records. Certainly, if they have it, I think it would be a healthy matter for everyone“, said Justin Ștefan.
The possibility invoked by the LPF official exists. In September 2023, after a CFR Cluj – Petrolul 1-0, CCA published the dialogue carried by “central” Istvan Kovacs and “VAR” Horia Mladinovic on account of a penalty phase in the home team's box.
Another example: in August 2022, CCA published the dialogue between Kovacs and Cătălin Popaafter which the first awarded a penalty for Craiova University in a local derby with FCU.
Considering these precedents, Ștefan completed: “If they have done it before, it means that there is a practice and that there is no impediment this time“.
Lawyer by profession, Ștefan was also asked if there is a legal framework through which FC Argeș can request compensationif they would not catch the play-off.
“At first glance, I doubt it. There have been refereeing errors at the World Championships, at the European Championships, with serious consequences. I doubt there is such a possibilityto get compensation to the extent that they would miss out on qualifying for the play-offs,” he reacted.
FC Argeș: “We reserve the right to go to court”
In the document sent to decision-makers in Romanian football, FC Argeș warns:
Considering the imminent sporting and financial damage (potential missing the Play-Off and loss of TV rights), it is imperative that the CCA publish the transcripts of the audio recordings of the discussions held between the teams of referees on the field and the officials in the VAR room for the two incriminated phases.
We believe that the secrecy of these dialogues in the context of such obvious errors only fuels the suspicions regarding the lack of equidistance and the possible ill-will directed against our club and the suspicion of the involvement of the Central Commission of Referees in establishing the hierarchy of the Superleague.
The refusal to make these records public will be interpreted by the FC Argeș club as a tacit acknowledgment of the deliberate falsification of the results and an attempt at a cover-up.
In the absence of this proof of transparency, we reserve the right to go to the sports and civil courts for the full recovery of the financial damage (the difference in money from TV rights, ticketing, sponsorships, etc.) from those responsible, using your refusal as proof of bad faith.
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