Article by Mihai Șovei – Published Monday, March 16, 2026, 11:36 / Updated Monday, March 16, 2026 11:50
During Monday morning, Gheorghe Hagi i-handed over the majority stake in Farul to Gică Popescua decision that further indicates that the “King” would take over the management of the Romanian national team. Ovidiu Ioanițoaia, director of Gazeta Sporturilor, also spoke about this during the GSP Live show.
Ovidiu Ioanițoaia believes that things are quite clear at this moment, and Hagi will be appointed selector after the retirement of Mircea Lucescu.
Ovidiu Ioanițoaia: “After the retirement of Mircea Lucescu, Hagi will be the new selector”
“Being brothers-in-law, the shares stay in the family. It was rumored at one point that he was going to give them to Kira, his daughter. Ianis has no way to take them because he is an active player. This is also a sign.
Things seem quite clear, the Federation elections are coming up, a new mandate for Burleanu who practically has no opponent. Hagi will be, after the retirement of Mircea Lucescu, the coach of the national team“, declared Ovidiu Ioanițoaia, during the GSP Live show.
George Hagi
Brothers-in-law Gică Popescu and Gică Hagi made history together at the Romanian national team. They were teammates at Barcelona, then at Galatasaray, in the period 1997-2001, where they won a UEFA Super Cup, a UEFA Cup, 4 titles in Turkey and two Turkish Cups. At Viitorul/Farul, the two have been collaborating since June 2019.
Lighthouse has a clear identity, a strong academy and a healthy model. The time has come to think about myself, about what I feel I can do best, train. Farul continues in good hands, and Gică is the most suitable to become the majority shareholder.
He has been president for many years, knows all our problems and is ready to come up with solutions for each of them.
– declared Gică Hagi, after the historic change at the Lighthouse took place
Present in the studio of the GSP Live show, Raul Rusescu and Alexandru Bourceanu, former Romanian internationals, commented on this topic.
It was to be expected. The only thing that prevented me from believing that Hagi would be a selector, was the fact that he was a club patron. If these things happen I would like to hear. Hagi does not go to the national team without having a project in mind for a certain period. I would really like to hear from Mr. Hagi how he sees the future of Romanian football.
– Raul Rusescu
