Răzvan Burleanu, in front of his last mandate as head of the FRF. The final list for the March 18 elections has been established
The last administrative obstacles before the election for the head of the FRF, scheduled for March 18, were overcome last night, after the Commission for the Resolution of Appeals rejected the requests made by Sorin Victor Răducanu and Ilie Ștefan Drăgan. Thus, the final list for the Federation elections was officially established.
Răzvan Burleanu is preparing for a last mandate as head of the FRF. Photo Inquam Photos/ Octav Ganea
For the position of president, Răzvan Burleanu will have only one direct opponent on the ballot, in the person of Ilie Ștefan Drăgan. As the current head of football has over time defeated much bigger names than his opponent – Ionuț Lupescu and Vasile Avram – there is no question that there will be any surprises in the March 18 election.
Thus, Răzvan Bruleanu will lead the FRF for the next 4 years, and at the end of the mandate he will leave the place to someone else, after 16 years at the head of Romanian football. Not because he no longer wants to, but because he will no longer be allowed to run. Most likely, he will then choose a lukewarm position in the structures of UEFA or FIFA.
A maximum of three mandates in the regulation, Burleanu in front of the fourth
In 2014, Răzvan Burleanu won against Vasile Avram: 113-58 votes. The main opponent, Gică Popescu, had been arrested a few days before the elections.
In 2018, the current head of the FRF clearly won against Ionuț Lupescu: 168-78
In 2022, he had no counter-candidate, He was elected unanimously, following an open vote.
The Băcăuan is facing his fourth mandate, although the FRF regulations say that “no person can hold the position of President of the FRF for more than 3 (three) mandates”. As this change was made during the first term of the FRF head, the commissions interpreted the regulation in favor of Burleanu, saying that the rule was introduced during his first term, which does not count.
Who is fighting for the other positions
If there are no emotions at the presidency, for the other posts it's a fight. Valeriu Argăseală, Alexandru Meszar and Andrei Nicolescu will run for the position of member in the Executive Committee, as a representative of the clubs from the First League, while Bogdan Bălănescu and Cristian Tănase will enter the race for the representative of the clubs from the Second League, and Mihai Dascălescu and Florea Spânu, as a representative of the clubs from the Third League.
The amateur sector will be represented by Ioan Octavian Goga or Cristian Petrean, candidates for the position of vice president in this segment. At the level of junior clubs, the race is between Cătălin Sebastian Cighir and the same Ilie Ștefan Drăgan. Women's football will be led by Alexandru Alin Cioban, the only candidate for this position.
