Article by Andrei Crăiţoiu – Published Friday, 05 December 2025, 13:39 / Updated Friday, 05 December 2025 13:50
Dan Șucu, Mihai Rotaru, Mihai Stoica and Iuliu Mureșan are among the leaders in Romanian football who do not agree with the law that stipulates the obligation to use 40% Romanian athletes by Romanian clubs, in all sports, at matches organized in our country.
The amendments to the Physical Education and Sports Law no. 69/2000 of the Chamber of Deputies continues to make noise in Romanian football.
Ionuț Stroe, former minister of sports, currently deputy of Romania, says that the amendments to AUR, POT and SOS are discriminatory and clearly states that “We risk becoming one of the few countries in the world that puts politics in the locker room of sports teams”.
Ionuț Stroe published “the striking similarities between the Russian law and the law adopted in our country!”
“I want to support Romanian athletes to increase in value. But I don't want to do it with wrong methods, with a law that hits the value of Romanian sports teams – copied from Russia,” says the former minister.
Which makes a clear point: “My position is firm: NO to the Russification of Romanian sport. YES to European, open, competitive and fair Romanian sport”.
“The discriminatory law that affects the value of Romanian teams”
Today, Ionuț Stroe took another step to block the promulgation of the law and send it to re-examination. The politician sent the President of Romania, Nicușor Dan, a petition signed by representatives of the most important sports clubs in Romania.
Ionuț Stroe, former minister of sports, currently deputy of Romania
“The main message is clear: the discriminatory law that affects the value of Romanian teams based on citizenship criteria must be stopped!”says Stroe.
“Most people in sports say clearly that politics has no place in the locker room and that the autonomy of sport must be respected. The petition submitted to Cotroceni deals with legal – constitutional and European law aspects, but also with the arguments of a sporting nature, for which I consider it dangerous and inappropriate in Romanian sport”, says the former minister.
FCSB, Rapid, Craiova united against AUR, POT and SOS
Who are the people who signed the petition that was submitted today by Ionuț Stroe at the Cotroceni Palace and that will end up on the table of President Nicușor Dan?
- University of Craiova – Mihai Rotaru
- quickly – Dan Sucu
- FCSB – Mihai Stoica
- FC Botosani – Valeriu Iftime
- CFR Cluj – Iuliu Muresan
- Galati Steel – Cristian Munteanu
- Dynamo – Andrei Nicolescu
“This law does not protect Romanian sport, but on the contrary, weakens it and isolates it internationally. Through this law, the only criterion in performance, the individual value of the athlete, is replaced by an arbitrary political decision materialized by percentages and citizenship quotas”, notes Ionuț Stroe.
“Romanian sport does not need a law to make its teams weaker”
In a post on his personal account, the former minister of sports, PNL debutant, who clearly opposed the amendment of this Law points out.
“In order to develop, Romanian sport needs investments, financial supportstrong academies for children and juniors, real coaching and sports management schools, facilities for investors in sports, national programs and school sports competitions, fair European rules, free competition and autonomy in relation to the political decision – not by passports counted in the locker room at the pleasure of the parliamentarians”, writes the politician.
When the state imposes by law, following the model of non-democratic countries, who is allowed to enter the field and who is not, it means that, in sports terms, we have already lost the game as a nation, at least in European competitions
Ionut Stroe
Moreover, the former minister started a collection of signatures in the online environment as wellemphasizing that “Romanian sport does not need a law that makes its teams weaker and its championships more vulnerable. It needs correct rules, investments and merit, not passports counted in the locker room according to political will”.
