Incredible situation at the Super League club » The players refuse to travel to the match due to financial problems
Article by Cosmin Nistor – Published Saturday, April 18, 2026, 4:46 p.m. / Updated Saturday, April 18, 2026, 4:47 p.m.
Major crisis at Hermannstadt before the game with The oilscheduled in Ploiesti. The Sibians were supposed to play on Sunday, in stage #5 of the play-out, but the situation in the dressing room is tense to the max: several players refuse to show up for the match due to the club's financial problems.
Hermannstadt's financial problems are not new, but the situation has now reached a critical point. The footballers have not received their salaries for several months, and the grievances turned into a real protest.
Lottery problems before the match with Petrolul
According to the information, several players decided not to travel to Ploiesti. The clearest cases are those of Antoni Ivanov and Jair, who would have refused to go to the match, as the journalist Emanuel Roșu announced.
Ivanov's situation is even more complicated: the Bulgarian midfielder is said to have already terminated his contract to become free of commitment.
The list of absentees does not stop there. Dennis Politic is also out of the squad, while Aurelian Chițu is not recovered and cannot play. Even if it had been rebuilt, even Chițu would not have moved to Ploiesti.
Thus, Hermannstadt risks showing up to the match with Petrol with a seriously damaged team.
Hope from a lawsuit won at FIFA
In all this tense context, there is also positive news for the Siberian club. Hermannstadt won the dispute opened at FIFA against Estrela Amadora, in the case of the transfer of Ianis Stoica.
The Super League team would collect approximately 1.3 million euros, money that could help stabilize the financial situation. Although there was a clear agreement between the parties, Estrela Amadora did not pay the first installment of the transfer, despite notifications from FC Hermannstadt.
Under these conditions, the Super League club notified FIFA, and after a five-month trial, the international forum won the Romanian team's case. The Portuguese are required to pay the outstanding sums or face harsh sanctions, including a ban on transferring players.
Estrela Amadora is also going through a complicated financial situation, being in the process of reorganization to avoid bankruptcy. According to the original agreement, the total amount of 1.3 million euros had to be paid by August 2026.
