Article by Daniel Grigore – Published Sunday, February 22, 2026 23:19 / Updated Sunday, February 22, 2026 23:21
Sorin Cârțu (70 years old), the honorary president of Craiova University, prefaced the play-off, now that a top 6 is taking shape without the title champion, FCSB. The blue-and-whites are running the clock and are 4 points clear at the top of the standings.
Argeșului's victory with Farul, 1-0 today, terribly complicated the mission of the FCSB ranking in the TOP 6 and, implicitly, qualifying for the play-off.
If the red-blues are in the mood, Bania is waiting for her first title after 35 years. After the remaining stages of the regular season, plus the 10 play-offs, Olten leads the Superliga with a 4-point lead over Dinamo and Rapid.
After 3-0 with Unirea SloboziaSorin Cârțu did not shy away from admitting that “we are in the game for both goals. In the Cup we play with CFR, we have the chance to play at home. At home we are a very strong team, with the public by our side we are hard to beat”.
Questioned on account of the title fightabout how many formations will be engaged in this battle, the honorary president of the University did not exclude CFR Cluj:
“Let's see how the play-offs are, because there are still these games. Sure, and CFR is a good team, especially the way they went and recovered all that distance after Pancu came. It actually looks pretty good. It will be a play-off with a lot of fight, with teams that can easily think of trying to attack the championship”.
Sorin Cârțu, asked: “Are you happy that FCSB will not be in the play-offs?”
Another question concerned the situation of FCSB, a team with a slim chance of catching the TOP 6: “Are you happy because, most likely, FCSB will not be in the play-offs?”
“I don't care who's in, who's out. I really don't. And that's the thinking at club level. We're not happy and we're not sad. We have the idea of winning the championship and we are concerned about thatlet's break any game, let's get closer. There are 12 more matches, it is very important to think about them all.
Let's see what the playoff setup will be like, what the target is like. How you start is very important.
It neither makes us happy nor makes us sad. It's their business. In general, we are not interested in any team. Be it FCSB, U Cluj, CFR, Dinamo or Rapid, in all the matches we dominated the respective parties. That it didn't always end with the desired results, yes, but it was a little unfair. And here I am thinking about the games with Rapid, with Dinamo. We are really not interested in the configuration of the play-off”, replied Cârțu to PrimaSport.
Sorin Cârțu, about Craiova under Filipe Coelho: “It can be seen that the team has a certain calmness”
In the telephone intervention, the coach from the last title in Bănie was challenged to compare the current version of the team with the one from Mirel Rădoi's mandate.
“The tour was with Rădoi, Coelho started with the second match of the return leg. How much time has passed since then, we can say that now the team moves according to the style imposed by Coelho. I said it from the beginning, we went for an almost perfect symbiosis between what Rădoi did and what Coelho was doing at the time. And things continue.
He maintained the system with 3 on the back. We are in a good moment, with good possession, with calmness on the build-up, relative to the way we approach the opponent. It can be seen that the team has a certain tranquility, a state of comfort”, he said.
