Article by Justin Gafiuc – Published Friday, February 27, 2026 9:43 p.m. / Updated Friday, February 27, 2026 9:44 p.m.
Petru Parfenov, a member of the club's Board of Directors and a co-shareholder in the company ELSACO, the main financier of Botoşani, had a harsh speech after the failure in Sibiu, which definitively removes the Moldovans from the calculations for the play-offs. He leaves the door open including a divorce from coach Leo Grozavu after a terrible series of results collected in 2026
With a miraculous start to the season, which had taken the team to the top of the ranking, Botoșani effectively collapsed in 2026. The Moldovans registered six failures, a draw (0-0, Oțelul) and only one victory (3-0, Metaloglobus) in the matches played in the championship this year, and today's defeat in Sibiu (1-3, Hermannstadt) closed the doors to play off.
Member of the club's Board of Directors and 20% shareholder in the ELSACO group, the main financier of the group, Petru Parfenov spoke for GSP about the disappointment caused by the failure on Cibin and what is to come in the court of the band from the north of the country.
Petru Parfenov: “The financial burden is huge: 4-5 million euros per year. We are looking for a partner!”
Petru Parfenov (left) is one of the founders of the ELSACO company, together with Valeriu Iftime, both of whom are shareholders in the company that finances FC Botoșani. Photo: fcbt.ro
“The upset is too great to talk about now. We had hopes that we would still enter the play-off, an achievable goal if we had won in Sibiu. We will discuss the situation in a Board of Directors, but, at the moment, both I and Valeriu Iftime are out of the country. Anyway, let's let things settle down tonight, let's not make decisions in the heat”, the Botoșani official pointed out.
And he added: “The team is the same, you can't change too much. I don't know if replacing the coach is a solution, but any option is open at the moment. It is possible to stop with the financing, to bring in another coach, to play with young people, because we saw how well Ilaș or Bota came in. Maybe the experienced ones have reached saturation”.
With only four points won in 8 matches in 2026, Leo Grozavu steps further on thin ice at FC Botoșani / photo: Imago Images
Is it really possible for the main financier from Botoșani to take a step back? “The burden on the group of companies is huge. You wonder if it's worth spending four to five million euros per year. That it's an expense, not an investment, because you don't get this money back. OK, so far it was for the image, notoriety, but let's see how we can take these things further. There were also discussions to find a partner at the club,” Parfenov pointed out.
Lupa on Miron and Friday: “Everyone told us to be careful”
Andrei Miron also committed many mistakes in the Sibiu match Photo: Imago
He then directed his speech to two players: “Miron connects an endless series of bad matches. He also had terrible bad luck in the phase when he unfortunately deflected the ball, it went crosswise, then it was sent into the net by Neguț. And with Adams, he warned us all to be careful after he signed with Cluj University. But we thought he could help us, we trusted him, but, unfortunately, it seems that there is nothing left must”.
Parfenov also invoked a phase that could change the fate of the game: “In the first seconds of the match, it's that moment when a defender from Hermannstadt touches the ball with his hand in the box. It could have been a penalty. And with an 11 meters in the 1st minute, the game could have looked different. However, there was no consultation with VAR. I don't know what else to say.”
