Victor Pițurcă

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Victor Pițurcă
Pițurcă in June 2018.
Personal information
Date of birth (1956-05-08) 8 May 1956 (age 69)
Place of birth Orodel, Romania
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1964–1974 Universitatea Craiova
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1974–1977 Universitatea Craiova 8 (0)
1974–1975 → Dinamo Slatina (loan)
1977–1979 Pandurii Târgu Jiu
1979–1983 Olt Scornicești 118 (28)
1983–1989 Steaua București 175 (137)
1989–1990 Lens 28 (4)
Total 329 (169)
International career
1985–1987 Romania 13 (6)
Managerial career
1991–1992 Steaua București (assistant)
1992 Steaua București
1994–1995 FC Universitatea Craiova
1996–1998 Romania U21
1998–1999 Romania
2000–2002 Steaua București
2002–2004 Steaua București
2004–2009 Romania
2010 Steaua București
2010 FC Universitatea Craiova
2011–2014 Romania
2014–2015 Al-Ittihad
2015–2016 Al-Ittihad
2019–2020 Universitatea Craiova
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Victor Pițurcă (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈviktor piˈt͡surkə]; born 8 May 1956) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player.

Club career

[edit]

Pițurcă was born on 8 May 1956 in Orodel, Dolj County, Romania and began playing junior-level football at Universitatea Craiova.[1][2][3][4][5] He started his senior career in 1974, when he was loaned for one year to Dinamo Slatina in Divizia B.[1][2][3][5] When he returned to "U" Craiova, coach Constantin Cernăianu gave him his Divizia A debut on 19 November 1975 in a 4–0 home win over Argeș Pitești.[1][2] However, during his two seasons spent at Craiova, he played rarely, so he went again in Divizia B, this time at Pandurii Târgu Jiu.[2][3][4][5] There, in his first season he worked with coach Constantin Oțet and netted over half of the total 37 goals scored by the team, but the club was relegated to Divizia C.[2][6][7] In the 1978–79 season, Pițurcă scored 46 goals of Pandurii's total of 98, helping them gain promotion back to Divizia B after one year.[5][6][7] In 1979, he went back to Divizia A football, as he joined Olt Scornicești, making regular appearances during his four-years spell.[1][2][3][4][5]

In July 1983, Steaua București, coached by Cernăianu, wanted him, but his Scornicești coach, Florin Halagian, tried to retain him until Emerich Jenei's insistence secured the transfer.[2][3][8] In his first season, he did not win any trophies, but afterwards he helped the team conquer five league titles in a row.[1][2][4] First was The Double in the 1984–85 season when Pițurcă was the second top-scorer of the league, having only one goal behind Sportul Studențesc's Gheorghe Hagi, as he scored 19 goals in the 32 matches coaches Halagian and Jenei used him.[1][9][10][11][12] He also scored the decisive goal of the 2–1 victory in the Cupa României final over his former team, Universitatea Craiova.[13] In the following season, he was again the league's second top-scorer, this time with two goals behind Hagi, having scored 29 in the 34 appearances given to him by Jenei.[1][9][10][11][12] The coach also used him in all nine games in the historical European Cup campaign in which Pițurcă was the team's top-scorer, netting five times in all the home matches, one against each of Vejle, Budapest Honvéd and Kuusysi Lahti and a brace in the 3–0 win in the semifinals against Anderlecht.[1][2][5][14] He then played as a starter until the 112th minute of extra time when he was replaced with Marin Radu in the eventual 2–0 victory after the penalty shoot-out in the final against Barcelona.[15] Pițurcă started the 1986–87 season by playing all the minutes in the 1–0 win over Dynamo Kyiv in the European Super Cup and in the loss in the Intercontinental Cup with the same score against River Plate.[1][2][4][5][16] He finished the season by winning another Double with Steaua, as coaches Jenei and Anghel Iordănescu gave him 31 league appearances in which he scored 22 goals, being surpassed only by Dinamo București's controversial European Golden Shoe winner, Rodion Cămătaru, who netted double.[1][2][10][11][12] He also appeared the full 90 minutes in the 1–0 victory in the Cupa României final over Dinamo.[1][2][4][17] In the next season, Pițurcă was used by Iordănescu in 33 league games in which he scored 34 goals, being the top-scorer of the championship and European Bronze Boot as only Tanju Çolak (39) and John Eriksen (36) scored more.[2][4][10][11][12] He made another continental performance with the team as they reached the semi-finals of the European Cup where they lost to Benfica, Pițurcă contributing with one goal scored against Rangers in the eight matches played.[1][18] In his last season spent with The Military Men, the team won another Double, Iordănescu using him in 22 league matches, managing to score 23 goals.[1][2][11][12] He also played the whole game in another 1–0 victory in the Cupa României final over rivals Dinamo.[1][2][19] Pițurcă delivered another European performance with the club, playing seven games in the European Cup campaign.[1] He scored one goal in the semi-finals against Galatasaray, a controversial incident where goalkeeper Zoran Simović kicked the ball into the back of his head, leading to it entering the goalpost, but the referee wrongfully disallowed it.[20] He then played the entire match in the 4–0 loss to AC Milan in the final.[4][21] During these years, Pițurcă netted five goals in the derby against Dinamo which helped the club earn three victories, two in the league and one in the Cupa României respectively.[22] His last Divizia A game took place on 17 June 1989 in Steaua's 4–1 home win over Flacăra Moreni, with him scoring a goal, having a total of 301 appearances with 65 goals in the competition, also totaling 29 matches and six goals in European competitions.[1][2][4][5]

After he won the European Cup in 1986, Pițurcă had an offer to play for Anderlecht but was not allowed to go there by the communist regime.[23] However, in 1989 with the help of Valentin Ceaușescu, he and teammate Tudorel Stoica were allowed to transfer at Lens in French Division 2, where after one season, Pițurcă ended his playing career.[1][2][3][4][24]

On 25 March 2008, he was decorated by the president of Romania, Traian Băsescu for the winning of the 1985–86 European Cup with Ordinul "Meritul Sportiv" — (The Order "The Sportive Merit") class II.[25]

International career

[edit]

Pițurcă played 13 games and scored six goals at international level for Romania, making his debut on 27 March 1985 under coach Mircea Lucescu in a 0–0 friendly draw against Poland.[26][27] After playing two matches in the 1986 World Cup qualifiers, he scored his first two goals for the national team in a 3–1 friendly win over Norway.[26] He netted another brace in a 4–2 friendly victory against Israel and made five appearances during the Euro 1988 qualifiers where he scored two goals in two victories over Albania and Spain.[26] He made his last appearance for Romania on 18 November 1987 in a 0–0 draw against Austria.[26]

International stats

[edit]
Appearances and goals by national team and year[26]
National team Year Apps Goals
Romania 1985 3 0
1986 4 4
1987 6 2
Total 13 6
Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first. "Score" column indicates the score after each Victor Pițurcă goal.[26]
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 4 June 1986 Stadionul 23 August, Bucharest, Romania  Norway 1–0 3–1 Friendly
2 2–0
3 8 October 1986 Ramat Gan Stadium, Israel  Israel 1–0 4–2 Friendly
4 4–1
5 25 March 1987 Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest, Romania  Albania 1–0 5–1 Euro 1988 qualifiers
6 29 April 1987 Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest, Romania  Spain 1–0 3–1 Euro 1988 qualifiers

Managerial career

[edit]

Pițurcă's first coaching experience was working as an assistant of Emerich Jenei at Steaua București.[4] Shortly afterwards, he became the team's head coach in March 1992, winning on his debut with 3–0 against rivals Rapid București.[2][3][4][5][28] He finished the season in second place and won the Cupa României after the penalty shoot-out victory in the final against Politehnica Timișoara.[2][4][5][29] His following coaching spell began in 1994 at Universitatea Craiova where he finished second in the 1994–95 season.[2][3][4][5][30]

In 1996, Pițurcă was named coach of Romania's under-21 side, leading the team to its first qualification to a European Championship in 1998, which Romania subsequently hosted.[3][30][31][32][33] They qualified after winning the group 8 of the qualifiers with eight victories out of eight matches against Iceland, Republic of Ireland, Lithuania and Macedonia.[31][32] At the final tournament which was composed of eight teams, they were eliminated by Netherlands with 2–0 in the quarter-finals.[31][32][33] They also lost the games for the 5th-8th places and for the 7th place to Germany and Russia respectively.[31][32][33] However, from the 20-players squad that took part at that tournament, only five never played for Romania's senior team throughout their career.[31]

In 1998, following the success with the under-21 side, Pițurcă was appointed as Romania's seniors manager, making his debut on 17 August in a 0–0 friendly draw against Norway.[3][28][30][34][35] He qualified the team to the Euro 2000, as he won the qualification group with seven victories and three draws against Portugal, Slovakia, Hungary, Azerbaijan and Liechtenstein.[4][5][34][30][36] However, despite this performance, Pițurcă was sacked in late 1999, not having the chance to take the squad to the final tournament, due to an argument he had with Romania's best players, Gheorghe Hagi, Gheorghe Popescu and Dan Petrescu.[2][4][5][30][37]

At the beginning of the year 2000, he returned to Steaua, finishing the championship in third place.[2][4] He managed to win the following one and also the 2001 Supercupa României with a 2–1 victory against Dinamo București.[2][4][5][30][38] He resigned in June 2002 after an argument with the club's chairman, Gigi Becali, but they reconciled and Pițurcă came back in October the same year.[2] He finished the 2002–03 and 2003–04 seasons in second place.[2] He guided the team in the 2003–04 UEFA Cup season when The Red and Blues eliminated Neman Grodno and Southampton in the first two rounds.[4][39] Subsequently, they earned a 1–1 draw in the first leg of the following round against Liverpool, losing the away leg with 1–0, thus the campaign ended.[4][39] In July 2004, Pițurcă resigned after another argument with Becali, who fired player Romeo Pădureț without his approval.[40]

In December 2004, Pițurcă was appointed manager of Romania for the second time, when the qualification to the 2006 World Cup was largely compromised.[2][3][4][5][30] Despite obtaining good results in the qualifiers, including a 2–0 home win over Czech Republic, he was ultimately unable to secure qualification.[34][41] He won the Euro 2008 qualifying group G ahead of Netherlands, against whom he obtained a historical first-ever victory with 1–0 at the Farul stadium.[2][30][34][35][42] This performance helped him earn the 2007 Gazeta Sporturilor Romania Coach of the Year award.[43] At the Euro 2008 final tournament, Romania was drawn in the "Group of Death" where they obtained two draws in their first two games against France and Italy who were the finalists of the previous World Cup.[2][4][30][34][44] However, they lost 0–2 to the Netherlands, finishing the group in third place, thus being eliminated from the competition.[2][4][30][34][44] He was very criticized by the press for the defensive style imposed on the team, especially in the last match.[2] After Euro 2008, Romania showed an increasingly poor form during the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign, as in the first two games they lost 0–3 to Lithuania at home and four days later secured a difficult 1–0 victory against the Faroe Islands.[2][5][30][34] After a 2–2 draw against France, they lost the next two games to Serbia and Austria.[34] Considering these results, the Romanian Football Federation released Pițurcă in April 2009, appointing Răzvan Lucescu instead.[2][5][30][34]

In 2010, he had two short spells as manager at Steaua and Universitatea Craiova, leaving both clubs due to conflicts with their owners..[2][4][30]

Victor Pițurcă as manager of Romania in 2014

On 14 June 2011, Pițurcă returned for a third spell in charge of Romania when the chances of qualifying for Euro 2012 were very low, with the objective of creating a team that would qualify for Euro 2016.[2][45] He was close to qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, finishing the qualification group in second place behind Netherlands but above Turkey, Hungary, Estonia and Andorra.[2][34] Thus they reached the play-off where they lost 4–2 on aggregate to Greece.[2][34] He started with two victories against Greece and Finland, and a draw against Hungary in the Euro 2016 qualifiers.[2][34] Subsequently, he left the team to go to Saudi Arabia, but Romania still managed to qualify for the final tournament by utilizing many of the young players Pițurcă had promoted.[2][46] He has a total of 96 games from his three spells at the national team, consisting of 53 victories, 23 draws and 20 losses.[2][34]

On 16 October 2014, Pițurcă signed a two-year deal with Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia.[2][4][47] In January 2015, he was heavily criticized for excluding Al-Ittihad's top stars Mohammed Noor and Hamad Al-Montashari due to disobeying training procedure.[48] He was dismissed in June 2015 because the club's officials were unsatisfied that the team finished the season in fourth place.[4][49] He was replaced by László Bölöni, but came back to the club in December the same year only to leave again in July 2016.[2][4][50]

Pițurcă signed a contract with Universitatea Craiova on 22 August 2019, but resigned in January 2020 because he was unsatisfied that the club's officials did not want to transfer the players he desired.[3][4][51][52] He has a total of 204 matches as a manager in the Romanian top-division, Liga I, consisting of 116 victories, 43 draws and 45 losses.[51][53]

Controversy

[edit]

In 1981, Pițurcă and other people were arrested in Târgu Jiu for playing barbut, an illegal dice game during the communist regime.[2][3][7][54] He was sentenced to six months in prison, but eventually was released after about two months as his club Olt Scornicești insisted that there be a re-trial.[2][3][7][54]

In May 2008, Gigi Becali, the owner of Steaua, had promised €1.7 million to the footballers of Universitatea Cluj so that they would not succumb to CFR Cluj.[3][55][56][57] He sent one of his men with the money in Cluj-Napoca, where he ended up detained by the National Anticorruption Directorate.[3][55][56][57][58] A few days later, Becali claimed the money was to buy a plot of land and presented a sales-purchase contract that he claimed was signed on 15 April, one of the signatures belonging to Pițurcă.[55][56][59] In 2013, Pițurcă received a one-year suspended sentence in the case, being found guilty of perjury in favor of Becali.[3][55][56][57][60]

Personal life

[edit]

At Steaua București and Universitatea Craiova he coached his son, Alexandru, who was a striker.[61] Pițurcă is the cousin of Eugen Neagoe who was also a footballer and a coach.[62] Another one of his cousins, Florin Pițurcă, was a footballer who played for Drobeta-Turnu Severin in Divizia C, dying in December 1978 at age 20, shortly after playing a game.[63]

Pițurcă was nicknamed Satana ("Satan") by the press, something he called "remarkable".[2][51][64]

Honours

[edit]

Player

[edit]

Pandurii Târgu Jiu

Steaua București

Individual

[edit]

Manager

[edit]

Steaua București

Individual

[edit]

Managerial statistics

[edit]
As of 22 December 2019
Team Nat From To Record
G W D L Win %
Steaua București Romania 8 March 1992 21 June 1992 23 14 5 4 060.87
FC Universitatea Craiova Romania 29 August 1994 30 June 1995 37 23 4 10 062.16
Romania U21 Romania 1 June 1996 31 May 1998 10 8 0 2 080.00
Romania Romania 1 June 1998 1 December 1999 21 11 8 2 052.38
Steaua București Romania 7 July 2000 7 June 2002 75 39 17 19 052.00
Steaua București Romania 27 October 2002 3 June 2004 61 32 21 8 052.46
Romania Romania 10 December 2004 9 April 2009 46 27 7 12 058.70
Steaua București Romania 20 June 2010 6 August 2010 3 2 1 0 066.67
FC Universitatea Craiova Romania 26 August 2010 14 January 2011 16 7 3 6 043.75
Romania Romania 14 June 2011 16 October 2014 35 17 10 8 048.57
Al-Ittihad Saudi Arabia 17 October 2014 12 July 2015 23 12 4 7 052.17
Al-Ittihad Saudi Arabia 15 December 2015 10 July 2016 26 14 5 7 053.85
Universitatea Craiova Romania 1 September 2019 4 January 2020 16 8 3 5 050.00
Total 392 214 88 90 054.59


References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Victor Pițurcă at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar "Pițurcă: 62 de ani între înger, la Steaua, și Satana, la… general! Video" [Pițurcă: 62 years between the angel, at Steaua, and Satan, in... general! Video] (in Romanian). Fanatik.ro. 8 May 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Victor Pițurcă" (in Romanian). Fanatik.ro. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab "O PERSONALITATE PE ZI: Victor Pițurcă, fost fotbalist şi antrenor al echipei naţionale a României" [A PERSONALITY PER DAY: Victor Pițurcă, former footballer and coach of the Romanian national team] (in Romanian). Agerpres.ro. 8 May 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
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  7. ^ a b c d e "Legătura strânsă pe care Victor Pițurcă o are cu municipiul Târgu Jiu" [The close connection that Victor Pițurcă has with the municipality of Târgu Jiu] (in Romanian). Gorjonline.ro. 30 January 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
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    "Meciul DE AUR al generatiei de la Sevilla! Cum a ratat Steaua finala SUPREMA cu Real Madrid. Gica Popescu a ucis visul" [The GOLDEN match of the generation from Sevilla! How Steaua missed the SUPREMA final with Real Madrid. Gica Popescu killed the dream] (in Romanian). Sport.ro. 6 April 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
    "Victor Pițurcă. Champions League 1987/1988". WorldFootball. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
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    "Gol cu ceafa marcat de Victor Pițurcă în meciul Galatasaray - Steaua" [Goal with the back of the head scored by Victor Pițurcă in the match Galatasaray - Steaua] (in Romanian). Adevarul.ro. 9 September 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  21. ^ "Episodul 5: Finala Cupei Campionilor 1989. Steaua a driblat mai mult la 0-4 cu AC Milan, dar a făcut doar 10 faulturi și a fost ucisă pe contraatac!" [Episode 5: Champions Cup Final 1989. The star dribbled more at 0-4 with AC Milan, but only committed 10 fouls and was killed on the counter-attack!] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 24 May 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  22. ^ "Dinamo Bucuresti in 1985–86". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
    "Dinamo Bucuresti in 1986–87". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
    "Dinamo – FCSB, în Cupa României! Bilanțul all-time, cele mai clare victorii, cei mai buni marcatori și meciul cu cele mai multe goluri" [Dinamo – FCSB, in the Romanian Cup! The all-time record, the clearest victories, the best scorers and the match with the most goals]. Prosport.ro. 30 October 2024. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  23. ^ "Victor Pițurcă a dezvăluit ce mare echipă l-a ofertat după ce a câștigat CCE cu Steaua. "Aveau echipă incredibilă!"" [Victor Pițurcă revealed what great team offered him after winning the CCE with Steaua. "They had an incredible team!"] (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  24. ^ "Cele trei transferuri pe care Steaua le-a făcut cu ajutorul lui Valentin Ceaușescu: "El le-a aprobat!". Cum a ratat Victor Pițurcă plecarea la Anderlecht pe bani foarte mulți" [The three transfers that Steaua made with the help of Valentin Ceaușescu: "He approved them!". How Victor Pițurcă missed going to Anderlecht for a lot of money] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
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  31. ^ a b c d e "Cum a aratat Romania U21 la Euro 1998! Cine a castigat competitia si cine au fost vedetele acelui turneu final" [How Romania U21 showed at Euro 1998! Who won the competition and who were the stars of that final tournament] (in Romanian). Sport.ro. 5 October 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  32. ^ a b c d "TRAGERE LA SORTI EURO U21. Duelul capitanilor U21: Lutu 1998 vs. Ionut Radu 2018. "Lutu nu ne tinea discursuri mobilizatoare in vestiar"" [EURO U21 DRAW. U21 captains duel: Lutu 1998 vs. Ionut Radu 2018. "Lutu didn't give us mobilizing speeches in the locker room"] (in Romanian). Sport.ro. 23 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  33. ^ a b c "Mai ții minte? Cum arăta și ce a făcut naționala României U21 la singura calificare la European. 8 fotbaliști din lotul actual nici nu erau născuți!" [Do you remember? How it looked and what the Romanian U21 national team did in the only European qualification. 8 footballers from the current team were not even born!] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 12 September 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  34. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Victor Pițurcă manager profile". European Football. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  35. ^ a b "Cifrele lui Pițurcă: cel mai longeviv selecționer şi singurul care a calificat România la două ediții ale CE" [Pițurcă's figures: the longest-serving coach and the only one who qualified Romania for two editions of the EC] (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  36. ^ "#Dordesport Euro 2000: Franța, Campioană mondială și europeană. Ultimul turneu jucat de Hagi" [#Dordesport Euro 2000: France, World and European Champions. The last tournament played by Hagi] (in Romanian). Eurosport.ro. 8 April 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
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    "Romeo Pădureț:"Gigi voia să scape de Pițurcă. De-aia m-a dat afară pe mine"" [Romeo Pădureț:"Gigi wanted to get rid of Pițurcă. That's why he kicked me out"] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 3 April 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
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    "Romania - Olanda 1-0. Victoria unei generatii!" [Romania - Netherlands 1-0. Victory of a generation!] (in Romanian). Hotnews.ro. 13 October 2007. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  43. ^ a b "Piturca socheaza inainte de EURO 2008" [Piturca shocks before EURO 2008] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 30 November 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  44. ^ a b "EURO 2008: "Haiducii" lui Pițurcă n-au supravieţuit în "Grupa Morții"" [EURO 2008: Pițurcă's "Hajduks" did not survive in the "Group of Death"] (in Romanian). Adevarul.ro. 30 May 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  45. ^ "Piți taie în carne vie! Cei 3 jucători care nu vor mai fi chemați la națională și ce SURPRIZE pregătește noul selecționer" [Piți cuts into living flesh! The 3 players who will no longer be called up to the national team and what SURPRISE the new coach is preparing] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 14 June 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
    "Pițurcă revine cu planuri mari:"Să nu credeți că nu voi încerca să calific naționala și la EURO 2012"" [Pițurcă returns with big plans:"Don't think that I won't try to qualify the national team for EURO 2012"] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 15 June 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
    "Pițurcă va pleca de la națională indiferent de soarta calificării. Are deja o ofertă pe masă" [Pițurcă will leave the national team regardless of the fate of the qualification. He already has an offer on the table] (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 15 August 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  46. ^ "Cei 8 MAGNIFICI care ne duc la Euro 2016: "Matel, Chiriches, Torje, Pintilii, Grozav si mai sunt!" Ce spune Mircea Sandu despre reconstructia echipei nationale" [The 8 MAGNIFICENTS who will take us to Euro 2016: "Matel, Chiriches, Torje, Pintilii, Grozav and there are more!" What Mircea Sandu says about the reconstruction of the national team] (in Romanian). Sport.ro. 16 December 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
    "Povestea ultimei calificări a României la un turneu final. Cum a fost drumul tricolorilor spre EURO 2016" [The story of Romania's last qualification to a final tournament. How was the tricolors' road to EURO 2016] (in Romanian). Eurosport.ro. 17 November 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
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  48. ^ "SCANDAL la Al Ittihad! Pițurcă a dat afară două legende ale clubului" [SCANDAL at Al Ittihad! Pițurcă fired two legends of the club] (in Romanian). Libertatea.ro. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  49. ^ "L-au demis! Presa arabă anunţă că Victor Piţurcă a fost dat afară de la Al Ittihad. Cine i-ar putea lua locul" [They fired him! The Arab press announces that Victor Piţurcă was fired from Al Ittihad. Who could take his place] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 6 June 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  50. ^ "Arabii insistă. "Victor Pițurcă revine la Al Ittihad. A pus condiții speciale pentru a își recupera datoria de peste un milion euro"" [The Arabs insist. "Victor Pițurcă returns to Al Ittihad. He set special conditions to recover his debt of over one million euros"] (in Romanian). Libertatea.ro. 6 December 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
    "Pițurcă și-a reziliat contractul cu Al Ittihad, dar nu este lăsat să plece din Arabia Saudită" [Pițurcă terminated his contract with Al Ittihad, but is not allowed to leave Saudi Arabia] (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  51. ^ a b c "Victor Pițurcă, după plecarea din Bănie:"Eu nu stau ca să mă bată Gigi Becali!"" [Victor Pițurcă, after leaving Bănie:"I don't stay to be beaten by Gigi Becali!"] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 4 January 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
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  54. ^ a b "Câți bani avea Victor Pițurcă la el când a fost arestat pentru că juca barbut. S-a descoperit şi că fostul selecționer ținea acasă, sub calorifer, o mică avere" [How much money did Victor Pițurcă have on him when he was arrested for playing the game of barbut? It was also discovered that the former selector kept a small fortune at home, under the radiator] (in Romanian). Adevarul.ro. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
    "Victor Pițurcă, arestat și dus la pușcărie după ce a fost judecat și condamnat în regim de urgență. Povestea uitată a fostului selecționer al României" [Victor Pițurcă, arrested and taken to prison after being tried and sentenced in emergency mode. The forgotten story of the former Romanian coach] (in Romanian). Playsport.ro. 13 February 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
    "Victor Pițurcă dezvăluie cum a făcut două luni de pușcărie: "Nu vă dau niciun ban! Condamnați-mă!" + cine i-a spus primul "Satana"" [Victor Pițurcă reveals how he spent two months in prison: "I won't give you any money! Condemn me!" + who called him "Satan" first] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 10 November 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  55. ^ a b c d "Victor Pițurcă, un an de închisoare cu suspendare în "Dosarul Valiza"" [Victor Pițurcă, a year in prison with suspension in the "Suitcase Case"] (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
    "Victor Pițurcă a fost condamnat în dosarul "Valiza" și a făcut închisoare înainte de 1989" [Victor Pițurcă was convicted in "The Suitcase" case and spent time in prison before 1989] (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 30 January 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
    "De ce a fost trimis după gratii Victor Pițurcă înainte de 1989" [Why was Victor Pițurcă sent behind bars before 1989] (in Romanian). Sport.ro. 30 January 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  56. ^ a b c d "Gigi Becali, condamnat definitiv la trei ani de închisoare cu executare în dosarul "Valiza"" [Gigi Becali, definitively sentenced to three years in prison with execution in the "Suitcase" file] (in Romanian). Zf.ro. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  57. ^ a b c "Citește istoria completă a "Cazului Valiza"" [Read the full story of "The Suitcase Case"] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 19 December 2008. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  58. ^ "Teia Sponte şi Gigel Coman reținuți la Cluj!" [Teia Sponte and Gigel Coman detained in Cluj!] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 8 May 2008. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  59. ^ "Cum a ajuns Pițurcă să fie condamnat în Dosarul Valiza. Dialogul dintre selecționer și Gigi Becali" [How Pițurcă came to be convicted in the Suitcase Case. The dialogue between the coach and Gigi Becali] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 12 June 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  60. ^ "Ziua valiZa in fotbalul romanesc! Judecatorii au decis: Becali, CONDAMNAT la 3 ani de inchisoare cu executare! Piturca, un an cu suspendare!" [ValiZa day in Romanian football! The judges decided: Becali, SENTENCED to 3 years in prison with execution! Piturca, a year with suspension!] (in Romanian). Sport.ro. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
    "Gigi Becali a primit trei ani cu executare în Dosarul Valiza. Steaua riscă să fie exclusă din Europa" [Gigi Becali received three years with enforcement in the Suitcase Case. The star risks being excluded from Europe] (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 3 June 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
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    "Alexandru Piţurcă, program separat de pregătire: "Tata e dur cu mine"" [Alexandru Piţurcă, separate training schedule: "My father is ruff with me"] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
    "SPECIAL Situaţie de gradul I în Liga 1. Ce a realizat Silviu Lung jr. prin câştigarea titlului cu Astra. De la fraţii Vâlcov, la fraţii Costea şi familia Piţurcă" [SPECIAL First grade situation in Liga 1. What Silviu Lung jr. accomplished by winning the title with Astra. From the brothers Vâlcov to the brothers Costea and the Piţurcă family] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 9 May 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
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    "Tragedia care a născut multe semne de întrebare. Controversatul deces al vărului lui Victor Pițurcă" [The tragedy that gave birth to many question marks. The controversial death of Victor Pițurcă's cousin] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 20 September 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
    "Misterul din jurul morții fotbalistului Florin Pițurcă de la FC Drobeta. Dramă în familia selecționerului Victor Pițurcă" [The mystery surrounding the death of footballer Florin Pițurcă from FC Drobeta. Drama in the family of the selector Victor Pițurcă] (in Romanian). Adevarul.ro. 12 October 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
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