Gheorghe Hagi, widely regarded as the greatest Romanian footballer of all time and one of the first choices to replace Edward Iordănescu as head coach of the national football team, has declined the proposal. 

Hagi, the coach of the Farul Constanța club, called the decision "one of the most difficult in his entire career," arguing that he wants to continue the project started at Farul, "where I want to build a strong club," according to Biziday.ro.

"For this reason, I have decided that I cannot accept, at this moment, the proposal of the Romanian Football Federation to be the national team coach," he said.

The Romanian Football Federation (FRF) said in an official reaction that it understands the reasons behind his decision and respects it.

"FRF wishes him further success in the Farul Constanța project, having full confidence that Gheorghe Hagi will continue to contribute significantly to the development of Romanian football, as he has done throughout his entire career," reads FRF's statement.

"Surely, sooner or later, Mr. Hagi will lead the Romanian national team from the bench to new successes. His ambitious spirit, dedication, and passion for football are essential values ​​that will surely, at the right time, bring immense benefits to the national team."

The FRF also said it is to decide soon on the best option for the position of Romania's football team coach.

Edward Iordănescu's contract expires at the end of July, and he announced earlier this month that he has decided not to extend it. Under his lead, the Romanian national team played 28 matches and won 10 of them. They also faced 8 defeats and ended 10 matches in a draw.

After a campaign in the Nations League in 2022, which represented a stage of preparation for the preliminaries for EURO 2024, the FRF decided to continue the collaboration with Edward Iordănescu. In the qualification campaign for the final tournament in Germany, the national team finished in first place, undefeated, and with only 5 goals received in the 10 games.

Their excellent journey also continued at the final tournament of EURO 2024, where, under the leadership of Edward Iordănescu, Romania won the group, overcoming Belgium, Slovakia, and Ukraine. Moreover, in the first match of the final tournament, the tricolors achieved the most decisive victory in the history of participation in the final, world, and European tournaments, defeating Ukraine with a score of 3-0.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Frf.ro)