Article by Dan Bâra – Published Friday, March 27, 2026, 1:36 p.m. / Updated Friday, March 27, 2026, 1:37 p.m.
Dan Bâra, the creator of Breaking Bets, opened today's show with an analysis from another angle of the match Turkey – Romania 1-0.
Bâra analyzed the performance of the tricolors, eliminated for the 7th time on the way to a World Championship, but also the performance of commentators Costi Mocanu and Emil Grădinescu, who commented on the national team's match on Prima TV.
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The failure of the tricolors was seen on television by no less than 4 million Romanians, translated into a market share of 50.9% of the active urban population. Prima TV occupied the first place in the audience list from the first to the last minute, as shown in a statement issued by the Clever group
Here is the opinion of Dan Bâra, presented in the show Breaking Bets, which runs Monday-Friday, from 13:00, on GSP.ro.
Dan Bâra rubbishes the TV commentary: “It was unfortunate! Grădinescu should retire”
“I'd like to talk a little about the broadcast from Prima TV. It was absolutely miserable. You saw that those studios in Turkey also frequently cut off, there was no sound, but the picture. The broadcast was very modest. I don't understand why you take such competitions, when you are not able to broadcast in HD. It's the same with Voyo, by the way. I couldn't clearly distinguish the footballers, except when they turned their backs and I could see their numbers. Sometimes, not even then.
I also get to the two commentators, the worst problem of the broadcast. I remember the time of Ceaușescu, when matches were rarely broadcast on TV, we had the famous couple of commentators Dumitru Graur and Cornel Pumnea. Well, these two were unwatchable, they spoiled the fun of the match, they were two of the most unfit people for the job. At that time, you couldn't tell, because no one started criticizing in the newspapers or on TV, on the radio, but now we can speak freely, let's call things by name.
Even if they are, in theory, my colleagues, they are still journalists, Emil Grădinescu and Costin Mocanu were at the lowest level, weaker than Graur and Cornel Pumnea. They didn't have any professional mark in the comment they made, and the icing on the cake was at the beginning of the match when they said that they would call the Turkish players by their first name and not their last name. I think there were spectators who didn't even realize who was at the ball, because of the commentary. I've had problems too, even though I've been a sports journalist for 20-odd years.
Ferdi Kadioglu's goal from Turkey – Romania / PHOTO: Ionuț Iordache (GSP.ro)
I find this to be one of the dumbest ideas any commentator has had, regardless of country. How to tell the players by their first names? Who knows who Ferdi is? We found out after he gave us a goal. I identified him by the number on the back of his shirt. Absolutely regrettable comment. Grădinescu and Mocanu commented, “They were like two cats, like two mellow old men.” They were extremely unpleasant, including those moments when Grădinescu gave tactical instructions to the players: «go», «go out», «aoleu», «mother». I have never seen anything like this.
Think of the BBC, what would such a broadcast be like? How would viewers react to such a level? It also reflected what happened on the field, but even if we had Brazil – France, things would have been just as bad from the point of view of the comments. Grădinescu is 66 years old, it would be time to retire, he is one of the most unpleasant people I have listened to in my life”, said the Breaking Bets moderator.
