Article by Marius Mărgărit – Published Monday, 08 December 2025, 17:03 / Updated on Monday, 08 December 2025 17:04
Ioan Sdrobiș, a well-known coach from the 90s and early 2000s, died today, at the age of 79. Leo Doană, one of the talented players in Sdrobiș's beautiful team from CSM Reșita, told several special moments with his former technician.
Leontin Doană (55 years old), the former play-maker of the Rossoneri, the “Milan of Banat”, as they were called at CSM Reșița at the end of the 90s, is also among the players who say that “nee Nelu Sdrobiș influenced my career a lot and for the better. He was tough and gentle, but like a parent to us.”
Now, Leo is a coach for the U19 group of CSM Reșita and is closely following the career of his son, Ianis (18 years old), who has already started to stand out in the senior team of Steaua.
Leo Doană: “I haven't forgotten his “fondants””
Doană was affected by the news that his former coach, “Father” Sdrobiș, died this morning. He remembers that “Nelu came to us immediately after graduation, in '97. And with him we had a very good first round of the championship, we finished 7th, although we were a small team, newly promoted. I had him as a coach for about three years. He was tough, he cared about training and discipline, he “killed” us in training.
I didn't forget his “fondants”, that's what he called them during field laps and sprint rounds. Tactically, he worked less, but physically he prepared “concrete” for us. That's why I was able to face the rigors of the first echelon. But outside the field he really spoke to us like a parent”.
Leo Doană: “Nea Nelu made me captain at Reșita and that's how I stayed”
When you ask him about his memories with Ioan Sdrobiș, the first one that comes to mind is from a match with FC National, away: “In the evening, he called me to his room and he said, 'Mr. Doană, I want to make you team captain!'” I panicked a bit, because there were others older in the team and I didn't know how they would react.
I told him that “I'm going to say that the boys are “siphons” in the team”. He laughed but told me he had already made up his mind. That he wants to value me and warned me that “The televisions will be on you”. And so I remained, captain for about three years. He really gave me confidence, and the boys, the colleagues, had no problem with that”.
Ioan Sdrobiș passed U Cluj in the first division in 1992, then found himself kicked out due to the intervention of the university members from the Board of Directors / photo: GSP Archive
“When we won he was happy, when we lost he accused us of betraying him!”
Leo also says that the worst was after the defeats: “Then he accused all of us of betraying him. Especially us the oldest and who played the most. I, because I had personality, used to fight with him, we used to argue. We told him that there is no such thing, we crossed ourselves, he didn't believe us.
I still nervously left the dressing room. But after that it passed. He put a lot of soul into it. Well, I've never seen anything like it. He would wake up at 5 in the morning and go to the town hall, to talk about watering our field, rolling it, so that we have all the conditions for the game. At that time, we had good grass like the big arenas in Bucharest”.
Doana also said that “Sdrobiș was like a father to many of us. I remember how he promoted Cristi Chivu, left defender, at a match in Bacău, away. At the game preparation meeting he said to me: “Mr. captain, if you score a goal, I'll wait for you on the bench, you can take off your shorts and I'll kiss you, in front of everyone”.
I warned him I was coming to the bank if that happened. He was laughing. We won 1-0, I scored myself, but I didn't go to the bench… He was a completely different person when we won, when he saw us running, suffocating the opponent. Great coach! May God rest him!”.
