Article by Marius Mărgărit – Published on Wednesday, 22 April 2026, 21:31 / Updated on Wednesday, 22 April 2026 21:43
Today, Ilie Drăgan, Răzvan Burleanu's counter-candidate in the March 18 FRF elections, paid his share, 12,500 euros, i.e. half, of the expenses of a case at the CAS that he initiated against the president of Casa Fotbalului.
The Federation was also expected to pay the rest so that the case could be tried by the Lausanne forum. It is about a process by which Drăgan challenges Burleanu's right to run for and obtain a 4th mandate at the head of the Federation, given that the Statute states that “a person cannot hold more than 3 mandates as president of the FRF”.
FRF notified TAS that it was not paying
Also today, however, Drăgan had a surprise, being informed by TAS that the FRF announced that it would not pay its part of the costs for that process. And the only option for it to take place is for a party to pay the full costs for the file to be processed.
Now, Ilie Drăgan will have to look for funding to be able to sue Răzvan Burleanu at the CAS on the issue of violating the FRF Statute.
“They will also feel the fear they have instilled in affiliates”
Ilie Drăgan does not give up and wants to collect the necessary money for the TAS trial to take place. He says that “considering that the FRF does not want to pay, it is clear that Mr. Burleanu is afraid of this approach and avoids judging us by any means. It is incredible that, when I submitted the candidacy file, the FRF made me sign a statement obliging me to go to the CAS in the event of an appeal.
This means that both parties agree to this procedure. And according to custom, each should have paid his share, if there was a dispute. But they don't want to pay because they know they are not right, that they are not right, that they violated the FRF Statute.
What did the amount of 12,500 euros mean for FRF?! Or for Burleanu?! A few per diems. But he is afraid! He, who keeps saying how honest he is, doesn't have the courage to prove his innocence at CAS. Now let them also feel the fear they have induced among the affiliated members”.
The president of the children's and junior club “3 Kids Sport” continued: “I hope to solve this financial problem myself, to pay all the costs and go to court. He made me “cheat”, he didn't let me in the hall for the elections, he took me upstairs. He didn't let me speak. And the vote was more open than secret.
Burleanu wanted to humiliate me, maybe that way I will give up the approach to TAS, which I had already done before the elections. On top of that, he's lying! He said that the amendment to the Statute, which increased the maximum number of mandates of the FRF president, from two to three, would have entered into force only in 2016.
It is not true, I watched the footage from that time, from the FRF meeting on June 28, 2014. And there he clearly announced, in plenary, that the respective amendments adopted then will enter into force “from today”, i.e. from that date! He says he is an honest man, but he is a liar! That's why he doesn't want to go to TAS!”.
The court rejected Drăgan's request
Also today, the Bucharest Court rejected the approach by which Ilie Drăgan tried to obtain a presidential ordinance for the suspension of Răzvan Burleanu from the position of FRF president, pending the resolution of the litigation opened at the CAS.
The lawyers of the FRF invoked yesterday the exception of general and material incompetence in the trial of this case by the Romanian courts. A point of view confirmed by the court, which rejected Ilie Drăgan's request. An appeal can be made against this decision within 5 days.
