Article by Alexandru Stanciu – Published Saturday, May 16, 2026, 1:42 p.m. / Updated Saturday, May 16, 2026, 1:43 p.m.
Florin Pîrvu (51 years old), the coach of FC volunteerreacted after what his team narrowly missed out on direct promotion to the Superliga. The Ilfovenians ended with equal points with SEPSwith 64 each, but the Covasnians took second place at the end of the play-off due to the fact that they ended the regular season in a higher position, according to the tie-breaker criteria established by the FRF.
Voluntari prevailed away with Steaua, score 4-1, but the draw obtained by Sepsi at home with Chindia, score 1-1, was enough for the formation coached by Ovidiu Burcă to grab the second guaranteed ticket for the Superliga, the first being obtained by several stages by Corvinul Hunedoara.
Thus, FC Voluntari will contest the play-off with one of Hermannstadt or Unirea Slobozia, depending on the results of the last stage of the Superliga play-out. Florin Pîrvu is convinced that his team can pull off a surprise and, implicitly, return to the first stage of Romanian football, after the relegation suffered in 2024.
Florin Pîrvu, ready to bring FC Voluntari back to the Super League: “We can face any opponent”
“It's a win that doesn't take us where we want to be, but I want to tell you what I also said to the boys in the dressing room immediately after the game. The important thing is that we stuck to our plan and, as we set out to do in this play-off, we played every game to win.
We happened to win in the last match as well. It wasn't up to us, that's for sure, but we still have to stay motivated.
In the play-offs we were the team that played very nice football and, not only that, we finished in first place. We showed that we deserve to be in the first league.
We lost a lot of points in the regular season. The regular season in League 2 is a bit atypical in that the points are not halved when you enter the play-offs. We lost points to lower ranked teams and it cost us dearly.
I am proud of my players. I think we have great chances in the next two games. I'm glad that in this play-off we showed that we are a team that deserves to be in League 1.
We are overconfident, that is very clear, but from Monday, when we return to training, we have to be the same players that were here in the play-offs and show up in the play-off to give a very good response.
We will respect any team we play. We know very well that the teams in League 1 have a better pace of play than in League 2. I think we can deal with any opponent. We respect them, but we want to win. That's our mentality“, said Florin Pîrvu, according to sport.ro.
PHOTO GALLERY. Sepsi celebrated on the field the return to the Superliga after only one season
Sepsi celebrated on the field the return to the Superliga after only one season, and the owner Laszlo Dioszegi was visibly emotional on the field, where he went to thank the players and also the fans for their support this season.
