Florin Prunea, the former Romanian international, issued a message after facing backlash for a controversial video shared before the match between Sheriff Tiraspol and St. Gallen, which ended with a score of 1-3 in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League qualifying round. Prunea, 57, attended the game in his capacity as a UEFA delegate.
Prior to the match, Prunea filmed two women nearby and made inappropriate comments about them. He later deleted the video from his Instagram account.
Following the match, he released another video praising the organization of the event and the behavior of the fans, and he addressed his earlier comments about the women at the stadium.
VIDEO | Florin Prunea Responds: “We Like the Girls”
“Hello everyone! My adventure in Chișinău ends here. It has been an extraordinary three days, with no issues during the match. The organization was impeccable, no yellow cards. I gave a fair-play score of 10 to everyone: both to Tiraspol and the others,” Prunea stated.
“The St. Gallen supporters were amazing! 150 supporters with no fireworks, believe me! Plus 6,000 Transnistrian fans who impressed me. I showed you who came to the stadium.”
“I saw some people in Romania questioning why we like the girls. Well, it’s because we don’t like the boys! We have no problem with that… We like the girls. You have some incredible girls! What I saw last night in Tiraspol, huh?”
Prunea continued, “Yes, beautiful and lovely girls, and they were… applauding. Very nice! I will keep incredible memories. Sending hugs from Hanțu and see you at home! All the best!”
Prunea Deleted Initial Video Hours After Posting
In the initial video, filmed just before the match, Prunea showcased the field and the stands, before pointing his phone towards two women near him.
“Sending hugs from Hanțu! The match is starting, the teams are coming out. I think there are more guests. Let me show you something beautiful here (referring to a woman in front of him). Let me show you something beautiful again (pointing to another woman).
“Is that good, brother? Hope there are no issues. These guys came from Switzerland, brother, to see the match. Beloved team, St. Gallen. I promised to keep you updated. Sending hugs from Hanțu! Hopefully, we have a match without problems, and, of course, may the best team win,” Prunea had said.
St. Gallen secured a crucial 3-1 victory in Tiraspol, placing them in a strong position for qualification to the Conference League playoffs. All four goals of the match were scored in the second half.
