Adrian Porumboiu (75 years old) candidly describes the backstage of Romanian football during the communist period and says that the refereeing was divided between the two great forces of the time.
The former international referee tells how he complained about attempts to influence with money, how teams were drawn for derbies and how he was “completely stripped” by Dinamo's men before a flight to Vienna.
“Two columns: Steaua-Dinamo and at each there was a herd of referees”
– Mr. Porumboiu, you also met Mircea Sandu and Burleanu. Who is the better president of the two?
– You should give me some time to think and give an answer like this, in measure. Mircea Sandu was from the place, he did not come from the top of the forest or from the bottom of the lake. I had disputes with him, oho, as much as possible. People think that… It doesn't make sense for me to give them now, that I'm not interested, I don't have any kind of…
Adrian Porumboiu
– What do you mean?!
– Those who have teams, those who… get things done. But he appears that alas, that he does not discuss… Well, he does not discuss with anyone, that he was taught by those who have the academy of studies of… There is no comparison, period! So he knew what he was talking about. The national team was 11th, 10th in the world, now 57th, if I'm not mistaken.
– We invited Gheorghe Ștefan and kept challenging him because he was one of the heads of the Cooperative. And he told me that at that time I had results, compared to today's…
– The cooperative was a cooperative and the footballers were footballers who were training, some of them. I don't want to cause a controversy with this. The cooperative was never good!
– Of course not, it was undoubtedly a negative phenomenon.
– Totally negative. I was also a referee during that period… There were two big columns like this: Steaua-Dinamo and at each one there was a herd of referees.
– So each big team with its band.
– I say it without any reservations, I had no business with any… absolutely no team, neither with Steaua, nor with Dinamo, with any team in the country and I saw…
– Was there any team that put pressure, that came, that tried…?
– With money, with everything. I notified the Federation on time, I announced right at the first Steaua-Dinamo match, I went to the Federation, I announced. Pascu and Dinulescu were telling me to speak more slowly, in a whisper, about what had happened. But I told them and told them a thousand times…
Porumboiu: “Then they stripped me completely. That I would have currency, some nonsense”
– How many Steaua-Dinamo matches have you refereed?
– I think nine matches. And at that time I had a hard time refereeing Steaua-Dinamo, because, at one point, even they who were delegating…
– Yes, there were interests in the position…
– There were interests and no one had the courage to shoot. There were seven FIFA referees, they put them in a hat, shuffled them and took a number out of there, like tram tickets. And, at a certain point, this work was done by Ţopescu, may God forgive him, and then no one had the courage, because a scandal broke out between the two big clubs.
Ion Crăciunescu and Adrian Porumboiu, photo: Liviu Manecan
– Yes.
– And he was walking with that bowl and the maid fired. And the maid pulled me once, when I went out to a Dinamo-Steaua game. But these were things, these were, as I say, the fears that existed between the two big clubs.
– Who had more power, more influence: Steaua or Dinamo?
– Bigger, it's hard for me to appreciate, because they were both very strong. The star was the fact that it was, please, Ceaușescu.
– Valentine…
– And the old man, but also Valentin. And Dinamo was Dinamo. At one point, they thought I would have a job with Steaua, after a Victoria-Steaua match. We were going to Vienna, refereeing Admira Wacker with AS Cannes. Then they stripped me completely. That I would have currency, some nonsense, I didn't, I didn't have any kind of job. When I came back, I entered in the rain, I stayed in Vienna for two days, I had also left the equipment there and: “My God, it smells!”. “Well who makes you smell it?”. This is Dinamo.
– That's right.
– On the other side, Steaua also had strength, but more orthodox things were happening there, in that Valentin only wanted fairness. Until he took care of the team, some were also walking there… They were also walking around with nonsense, one even came to Vaslui, to the hotel. These happened for real.
