“Four or five boys came with Alain Delon skins. Me, thugs!”

Aurică Beldeanu, his wife, Marcela (Cămătaru's sister) and Rodion Cămătaru are the voices intercepted by the Securitate in 1982-1983, when a series of conversations in the CNSAS archive, presented exclusively by GSP, show how the three discussed the sale of some championship matches. It's about the away games with Jiul (1-3) and CS Târgoviște (2-3), which actually ended with Craiova University losing the title to Dinamo in 1983.

There are conversations in which, at one point, Aurel Țicleanu's name is mentioned in the context of a dialogue between his wife from '83 and Beldeanu's. The two evoked that Craiova University “sold the match” in Petroșani and exchanged information that two or four players from Olteni “took the money from Jiul”. The former midfielder of Craiova Maxima, who does not appear to be connected to any of the camps in the locker room revealed in the interceptions, is now commenting for Gazeta on the incredible transcripts played by the Securitate.

Aurel Țicleanu: “The most beautiful years! They are all my brothers”

Rodion Cămătaru was one of the voices intercepted by the Securitate in the early 80s Photo: GSP archive

“I was amused by this whole story with 'carnations' and 'oranges'. Well, after that there was a lot of discussion, that they took, they didn't and so on. It doesn't even matter anymore. Those were the most beautiful years for me and I don't regret anything at all. They are all my brothers. Everyone was saying things like that and at the party, everyone was laughing, having fun. I don't think there was anyone who would have been angry”, emphasizes Țcleanu.

And he continues: “They even told this in public, after 20 years of Alexandre Dumas the son and the father together. Ilie through the shows where he was invited, Beldeanu, Donose. They all said what they remembered from those times. I was very young then, no one paid attention to such things.”

The reference to “carnations” and “oranges” came from two expressions used in conversations by Cămătaru:
– “He gave me ten “carnations”” – with reference to a meeting held with the secret emissary of Târgoviște, identified by the name of Mărăcine in the transcripts
– “That one came from Brașov with two “oranges”. He brings the money to Craiova” – information exchanged with Mărăcine about involvement in the match CS Târgoviște – U Craiova 3-2 of Brașov, which needed the Dâmboviţi team to lose to save themselves from relegation

The passage from the transcript of the conversation on June 21 between Cămătaru and his sister, Marcela, to whom he was talking about the “carnations” received from the man of Târgoviște. Photo: CNSAS archives

I wasn't the only one who sold matches when I was playing in Craiova, everyone did it! We were in gangs, each played a game, two with certain formations. Timisoara had two or three players “taken” from us, Târgoviștea another two or three, Jiul others and so on. But we were not upset
Aurel Beldeanu, in the book “The beautiful fools of Craiova Maxima”

Interceptions: “Four guys from you have been taking Jiul's money for two weeks”

Before Țicleanu's additions, let's also review the template from the interceptions that referred to his person. It was about a discussion held on June 18, 1983, when the big Dinamo – U Craiova derby was to be played in the evening, extremely important for the title, because the rivals were going shoulder to shoulder in the championship.
“At 2:30 p.m., the wife of “R” (NR abbreviation from “Reșițeanu”, the conspiratorial name assigned to Aurică Beldeanu in the prosecution procedures) is called by Țicleanu's wife and after greeting each other and asking about her health, they continue to talk.
WIFE BELDEANU: Aren't you going to Bucharest?
WIFE TICLEANU: I'm not going I'm not going, because I'm sick of being beaten up and doing another miracle in the stands!
SB: Are you going to Pitesti on Wednesday (NR follows U Craiova – Sportul, in Pitesti, Romanian Cup quarter-finals)?
ST: Let me ask Aurel. If they want to win, I go. If not…
SB: Yes, me, like in Petroșani…
ST: Leave it to me, they sold the match. Stop being bitter!
SB: Yes, because we just knew, that before the match with Bihor (NR U Craiova – FC Bihor 5-3, championship arrears, May 28, 1983), someone told us at the stadium, Mr. Pașcu (NR Romeo Pașcu, president of FC Bihor), said to Aurică (NR Beldeanu) – My, you won in Iași for nothing, that you eat beatings in Jiul (NR after the match with FC Bihor, U Craiova played with Poli Iași and Jiul), that four guys from you took the money from Jiul for two weeks.

Passage from the transcript with the interception of the conversation between the wives of Beldeanu and Țicleanu. Photo: CNSAS archives

ST: I knew for two.
SB: He told us four times, Pașcu told us, with whom we solved many problems when we went to Felix, with clothes, with these, you know…
ST: I heard from Aurel (Ticleanu).
SB: Aurică told her niece Tica (Vinegar). Be careful sir, they are selling your match, be careful how you team up!
ST: Aurel knows, that he always finds out and he told me in advance and I said to him, why are you still going and running like a fool? I mean – what did you say to ILIE (NR Ilie Balaci)? I told him that it's his business, I have nothing to do with him, I'm going to tell VINEGAR that…! That not even Aurel knew exactly who they were.
SB: Me, Olivia, I say stay in your bank, you're not solving anything.
ST: Yes, it's not normal, me! ILIE told me now, you know… ah, that your man (NR Țicleanu) doesn't keep his word!… With what?, I say… Well, he was going to score! That's where I found out, and after that I asked Aurel – I mean, how, was he not allowed to score?
SB: Yeah, me, can't you see they're all holding him? We are modest”.

We were a team of smart guys. We were counting our steps. There were situations in which I lost the matches. I don't say who I slapped, what amounts, because it doesn't make sense. But I think Craiova is the only team in the world that sold out matches and won championships! Craiova made countertops as long as it had interest. Never out of friendship or ambition. Who wanted to beat, had to pay us! Well, what do you raise children with? With foolish pride?
Ilie Balaci, April 2012, for mateiudrea.wordpress.com

“We lost in Oradea, the tricksters had said that the Țicleanu kid doesn't do it anymore, he doesn't drag anymore”

Țicleanu adds on the side of the interceptions: “I remember another match, in Oradea, around '78 or '79. I lost there against Bihor, after which I went to the national youth team with Zare and Duckadam, for a game against Turkey. When I returned, they immediately put me in a big meeting at the party with Vasile Bulucea, the future mayor of Craiova, but at that time the number one two from the county on the political line. He was curious to know what happened in Oradea, to argue with me, that the tricksters, in my absence, had told him about the kid Țicleanu that he was no longer playing, no longer doing, no longer playing, to explain the defeat. From two or three questions, he realized that I had no business.”

Craiova's big band started to be involved in suspicious matches since the end of the 70s

And further: “After about three months, about four or five of the boys appear with some Alain Delon-type boots, elegant, flirtatious, known for being made in Oradea. I say – look, you bandits, you put me in people's mouths and, when you were preparing for winter, be well dressed!”.

“Dinamo had raised the bar very high, artificially”

The former international believes that, at that time, U Craiova was, anyway, fighting an unequal battle with Dinamo to get trophies: “The bar was very high from the start, because it was complicated to get as many points as they got through the structure by which they won everything. We didn't have a recovery, vitamin system, we only traveled by bus, sometimes by train, rarely by plane. I'm not talking about the hostile refereeing and the serious opponents that we met in Oradea, Arad, Timișoara, Constanța, Iasi or Bacău”.

He concludes: “I'm not talking about the hostile arbitrations, with which it was almost impossible to fight. Remember also the artificial course of Stela, with that series of about two championships without defeat. Pițurcă was right when he said that two titles won by Craiova were equivalent to about ten won by Dinamo or Steaua, given the competition conditions of those times.”