Competition for Răzvan Burleanu to head the FRF » The surprise name has officially announced his candidacy

GSP.ro announced a week ago that Ilie Drăgan wants to run for the position of president of the Romanian Football Federation. He is currently the president of the 3 Kids Sports Junior Club. He also ran in 2018, without getting any votes. Drăgan is a vocal opponent of the Burleanu regime.

Meanwhile, he announced official that he will be Burleanu's opponent in the elections in over a month and hopes that he will be able to submit the file in the coming days: “I hope I'm not the only candidate, I hope there will be more candidates for the presidency of the FRF. I'm a man passionate about football, a hardworking man and with intuition in making certain decisions regarding my work.

I can even say that I would have a vision, in the sense that over time I was one step ahead of other clubs at my level, I mean in my capacity as club president. I'm a man who doesn't give up, I was good at resistance when I was legit. I am currently the president of the 3 Kids Sport football club, I founded it together with other people in 2008,” Drăgan said, quoted by prosport.ro.

Ilie Drăgan announced his candidacy for the head of the FRF // photo: prosport.ro

Drăgan is still waiting for a candidacy proposal to submit the file

• For a candidacy to be validated, the claimant needs to be supported of at least 5 affiliated members of the FRF. So far, Drăgan has 4 candidacy proposals

“The file is not finished yet. I still need a candidacy proposal, I have 4 so far. I still have 5-6 people who told me that they will give me the candidacy and I will meet with them in the following days. They promised me, now I hope that at least one of them will keep their word.

Personally, I don't think there will be any problems with another candidacy proposal. I would not like to have only 5, I would like to have 8-9 proposals, that I can expect anything”, said Drăgan, for the source cited above.

Ilie Drăgan will run for the position of FRF president

President of the Romanian Football Federation since 2014, Răzvan Burleanu will have competition on the way to his fourth term.

Although the current head of the FRF claimed that he has no information about a potential counter-candidate, he does exist, and his name is Ilie Drăgan. A month before the elections, he criticized Burleanu and said what exactly he would change in Romanian football in the first 100 days after winning the elections.

First of all, the organization of meetings, meetings, departmental debates and later the General Assembly in which the topics and solutions found are put to a vote. There are many problems in Romanian football. All debated.

Then, a meeting with FRF employees. I think there are some of the FRF employees who can be better valued. I will also give you a concrete example. Miodrag Belodedici. He only appears when an event is organized.

I would also bring other people from the territory who have the same passion as me to the FRF. I will also tell you a name that I do not know personally. I don't know if you have heard of Oana Vădeanu. He knows a lot about football, especially South American football.

– Ilie Drăgan, president of 3 Kids Sports

“From my perspective, and I don't think it's only mine, there is no real improvement in the condition of Romanian football. That's the main and only objective that should be the basis of an involvement. I say this as a club president, who participated in FRF competitions for 5 years.

I also worked in the Romanian Football Federation between July 2014 and February 15, 2016. During this period, I saw how things work in the FRF and what the Federation's approach is to football in Romania,” said Drăgan.

Răzvan Burleanu uses the word “together” all the time. “Together we are a family”, “together we are better”. I've had that too, but using messages without substance without putting them into action would be a problem. I don't think the message is important, but what we do. I could say “unity”. And maybe “we suffer together” could be a slogan.

Those from the management of the FRF do not suffer together with Romanian football. They are two totally separate things. The Romanian Football Federation which is really doing very well if we look at the Mercedes that are there and what the Federation building looks like on the inside. The wealth of those who run the FRF. And Romanian football, which is falling apart day by day.

– Ilie Dragan

Dragan's reproaches for the current leadership

“Lack of communication. I fix what Răzvan Burleanu says he will promote. These days I really put aside the activity of the club and the family and follow what is happening. I watched Burleanu's speech in 2014, when he came out as president. He said then 'I will consult with affiliated members.' First of all, consultation is not the best method. Debate, then vote are the methods that should be taken. This is the main thing I reproach Răzvan Burleanu with. The fact that he implemented the consultation and remained at the consultation level.

It did not go to the next stage, that is, to the debate, then to the vote. When an affiliated member comes up with a proposal and feels it needs to be discussed, the FRF president or the people around him do not call everyone interested in the issue to discuss it and find solutions. There is democracy, but at the moment I think it's an autocratic, directive style, where things don't go well with debate.

The undertakers are not affiliate members, but a group of people. Who suffers from these decisions? First of all, the clubs, the AJFs, the parents, the supporters, the media suffer. Who makes the decisions? Only those from the leadership of the FRF”, said Drăgan.

Răzvan Burleanu is optimistic before the elections

Răzvan Burleanu, president of the FRF / PHOTO Ionuț Iordache (GSP)

Despite the fact that he will have an opponent, Burleanu is optimistic before the elections.

I will definitely apply. But I think the position of president is no longer as coveted as it was in the past. For the position of president at the level of the FRF, first of all you need the ability to align all the interests and objectives, on the one hand of professional football, on the other hand of amateur football, and to be able to keep them permanently in balance, at the same time proposing a very clear and coherent vision of development.

At the same time, you must also have a very good reputation in the market to ensure that you keep the Federation's income at a very high level year after year. Every time I come to you and present new initiatives and projects, be it an intermediate national batch or a new competition, all these projects require financial resources

– Răzvan Burleanu, president of the FRF

• In 2022, Burleanu was the only candidate for this position. Then he was elected unanimously, 272 votes for, zero against, zero abstentions