Article by Tudor Belivacă – Published on Sunday, April 19, 2026, 1:55 p.m. / Updated on Sunday, April 19, 2026, 1:59 p.m.
Cornel Dinu, the legendary coach and player of Dinamo, reacted after Cătălin Predoiu, the Minister of Internal Affairs, announced that the new arena of the “dogs” will be called the “Mircea Lucescu” Arena.
Cornel Dinu does not agree with the decision of the MAI and believes that the new stadium in Ștefan cel Mare should be called Dinamo, and the stands and lawns should be named after the outstanding personalities in the history of the red-white club.
Cornel Dinu: “My belief is that the new stadium should keep the name Dinamo”
“I cannot comment on this. The current Ministry of the Interior is far from knowing the true track record of the Dinamo club. My belief is that the new stadium should keep the name Dinamo.
Eventually, if it is considered that there were some players who wrote history at Dinamo and who have a path through which they can identify with this club, maybe the stands and lawns should be named after them.
I have a special satisfaction, I am perhaps the only one in the world who has occupied all possible positions in the club. Player, coach, president, decades in a row. Dinamo is an entity that must not disappear. The club has a world-renowned track record, the stadium is central,” Cornel Dinu said, according to digisport.ro.
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Cornel Dinu, although he was a colleague of Mircea Lucescu both in the national team and in the club team, had a rivalry with Mircea Lucescu. The rivalry relationship culminated when the two became coaches, one at Dinamo, the other at Rapid, but in recent years, the relationship between the two had softened.
Mircea Lucescu's achievements at Dinamo
Mircea Lucescu took his first steps in football at Dinamo Bucharest, the team he has been associated with for most of his career. As a player, he won 7 championship titles and a Romanian Cup, all with Dinamo. As a coach, he has a title and two Romanian Cups.
Cornel Dinu's achievements at Dinamo
As a player, Cornel Dinu brought 6 championship titles and two Romanian Cups to Dinamo. As a coach, he added two more championship titles and two Romanian Cups. Also, Cornel Dinu held several management positions in the Dinamo club over time.
The stadium in Ștefan cel Mare has a completion date of 2028
The new “Dinamo” stadium is to be completed, according to the latest estimates, in 2028, depending on the pace of the works, which would take approximately 24-30 months from the actual start.
The arena will have a capacity of approximately 25,000 seats and will comply with the criteria for UEFA category 4, which will allow it to host international matches.
The complex will not only have a sports function, but will also integrate modern facilities: a hotel for athletes, a museum, commercial spaces and halls dedicated to other sports disciplines, such as boxing, fencing or wrestling. In addition, the project also provides for a helipad, which could serve the Floreasca Hospital in an emergency.
The total value of the investment is estimated at approximately 170 million euros.
