“Will you extend your hand to Bergodi?” » Pancu didn't think about it, a month after the violent scenes in Cluj


Article by Romeo Ene – Published on Sunday, 15 March 2026, 21:37 / Updated on Sunday, 15 March 2026 21:38
Daniel Pancu (48 years old), the coach of CFR Cluj, held the press conference prior to the away derby with rival “U”. The game was scheduled for Monday, March 16, starting at 20:30.
Sparks came out in the last direct match between the two rivals (3-2 for CFR). Cristiano Bergodi and Andrei Cordea were suspended, after the conflict they had at the end of the game, they will see each other again after what happened in Gruia.
Pancu he then had a vehement reaction and explained that foreigners should not resort to such gestures in Romania. A long-distance exchange between the two ensued, and in the conference call he was asked if he would shake hands with his counterpart.
VIDEO | Daniel Pancu, statements before U Cluj – CFR: “It's history!”
“(Mr. Bergodi was saying that as the home coach, he would reach out to you before the game, meaning he would shake your hand. I'm guessing the answer will be the same from you?)
I had no problem with Mr. Bergodi as a situation and I will not return. History is over, everything is history. Let's see each other for football, teams and so on. No, it's history.
It's a derby, first and foremost. Big pride in the game, three very important points. We are two teams with a similar path, fantastic from my point of view, because the only difference between our path from the return – that is, since I have been here – and theirs, is the direct match. Those three points are.
Otherwise, an impressive number of wins, a solid game, a very well organized team, a team with players and technique, and speed, and experience. In a word, a team that certainly… I wasn't wrong when I said a month and a half ago that it has a good chance of winning this championship, like all the others in the play-offs.
We also have health problems, myself included. Yesterday I could not participate in the training, I have a virus that does not give me peace, leaves me, takes me, since the game in Constanța. We hope that the fittest, the fittest, perform very well as always tomorrow night and get the first three points from the play-offs.
We have… we can't tell you, you can tell, but we have players who only trained with the team yesterday. We see, we are doing an assessment today as well. Nwe should be fatalistic, we shouldn't panic if, God forbid, something happens, but I don't think it will.
And for the European cups, which has been my goal since I've been here, I'm sure that for that 3rd or 4th place it will be played until the last stage”, said Pancu, in the conference.
I'm still markedly sad. You are in a foreign country, you must respect us all! It is a gross lack of respect towards the Romanians. I can't categorize, it's hard for me, I feel like I'm a nobody in my country, on my land. These are my feelings in the future, I don't know if there is any point in talking about football.
– Pancuabout Bergodi, on February 7, 2026
What expectations does Pancu have from the Cluj derby: “It was a strange week”
Pancu claims that the preparation of the party suffered in the context in which the LPF changed the day of its dispute several times.
“I don't know if there will be so many more goals, although the last few games are going like that, because both teams normally want victory for the moment and for the start of the play-offs. I, from my point of view, would prefer that we don't concede any more goals, that is, that they don't score and that we get at least one point.
It's been a weird week anyway. I changed the periodization twice. On Wednesday we still didn't know what day we were playing. In the end we play Monday-Friday, again the only team that plays every four days. Of course the national team has priority, nothing to comment, nothing to say, but how is it that CFR is the only one that plays every four days?
We want to, we don't want to, we are related to the European aspect, but we have played once before as they play in Europe and it was the top, with the same two opponents. Now there is no problem because we had a week at our disposal, but we want, we don't want, we have players who are still not 100% recovered on the fourth day.
We have players who reach European-level physical parameters in games, yes, but whose recovery takes a little longer. But this is an aspect that no longer matters. The national team now I really don't comment on this aspect, only that we changed our periodization, the planning we had done from one day to the nextPancu added.




