Radio România Internațional

Author: Eugen Nasta

  • Sports weekend

    Sports weekend

    Romanian Cup in football’s group phase has drawn to a close. We already know the eight teams that have advanced to the quarterfinals. None of the first three teams of the Superleague is among them, namely Universitatea Cluj, Dinamo and FCSB. For the quarterfinals scheme to be complete, we need to know who the winners are in the two playoff fixtures, crucial for designating the winner of Group D and the second team that has got through, of Group C.

    Then in April we shall have the confrontation for a place in the Cup’s semi-finals, when CFR Cluj are pitted against Universitatea Craiova and Farul Constanţa face the losing team of the match pitting CSM Resita against Unirea Alba Iulia. Also, Metalul Buzau play Rapid Bucharest. The semifinal fight scheme includes one final confrontation: the winner of the match pitting Resita against Alba Iulia plays the winner of the playoff fixture, where Poli Iasi face FC Hermanstadt.

    Matches counting towards the 21st round as part of Romanian Football Superleague are scheduled at the weekend. It is the last round in 2024. On Friday, Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe play Universitatea Cluj. On Saturday in Sibiu, FC Hermannstadt face Farul Constanţa. Farul are fresh from a precious Romanian Cup 5-1 away win against UTA Arad, thus booking their ticket to the quarterfinals.

    FC Hermannstandt have won their last four fixtures in the Superleague and fare better, being 9th-placed, that is two notches up as compared to Farul Constanta. Also on Saturday, Gloria Buzău play Universitatea Craiova. Universitatea’s run has been quite good as of late: this past Wednesday they grabbed a 2-nil away win against FCSB, in Bucharest.

    Gloria Buzau are at the bottom of the table in the Superleague, On Sunday, Petrolul Ploiesti play a home match against Unirea Slobozia. Petrolul are 8th-placed and they have not won a single game in the last five rounds; however, they keep their hopes alive they can win the fixture against 13th-placed team, Gloria.
    21st round’s derby will be hosted by the National Arena in Bucharest, with Dinamo playing Rapid, in a confrontation that has been going on for nearly eight decades now.

    On Monday, UTA Arad play FC Botosani and Poli Iasi take on FCSB. Universitatea Cluj are the leaders in the as-it-stands table, with 36 points. Dinamo and FCSB follow suit, with 35 and 34 points, respectively.

  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week

    Football competitions in Scotland are among the world’s oldest such events. The Scottish League Cup made its debut during the 1873-1874 season. The Scottish championship’s inaugural edition was held in 1891, so tradition is reason enough for such competitions to enjoy world-level prestige, despite the fact that not all the teams vying for titles are top-flight squads.

    Scotland also has a third top-notch competition, The Scottish League Cup, the world’s oldest League Cup. Its inaugural edition was held in the 1946-1947 season. In 2024, in the Scottish League Cup final, a Romanian was on the pitch, Ianis Hagi, currently signed up by Glasgow Rangers. Rangers lost after the penalty shootout in their game against the other Glasgow team, Celtic.

    For his good run in the Rangers-Celtic final, Radio Romania International designated Ianis Hagi the Athlete of the week.

    For Glasgow Rangers, Ianis Hagi was on the pitch all throughout the game, in the 90-minute regular time and in extra time. Glasgow drew first blood late into the first half, Celtic scored twice, securing a 2-1 advantage. Rangers levelled the score but Celtic scored again. The fate of the game was sealed by Rangers’ goal on 88 minutes; the final score after 90 minutes was 3-all.

    Extra time did not bring any change so the penalty shootout followed. Celtic won, 5-4. Ianis Hagi was among Rangers’ scorers.

    Our top-notch footballer is the son of Gheorghe Hagi, one of Romania’s greatest footballers of all time. Ianis Hagi was born on October 22, 1998 in Turkey, at the time when his father played for Galatasaray. He took up football with the Gheorghe Hagi Academy in Ovidiu a locality close to Romania’s greatest Black Sea port, Constanta.

    Ianis made his debut in Romania’s top-tier league with Viitorul Constanta, a team also head-coached by his father, Gheorghe Hagi. Ianis then played for Fiorentina in Italy, for Genk in Belgium and for Glasgow Rangers.

    Ianis Hagi was on loan from Rangers playing for Spanish club Deportivo Alaves, only to be summoned back by the Scottish team. Ianis made his debut with the National team in the fall of 2018, in a League of Nations fixture against Lithuania, a game Romania won, 3-nil.

  • Active tourism in Romania

    Active tourism in Romania

    Active tourism attracts a growing number of visitors in Romania, thanks to the spectacular scenery and the diversity of the outdoor activities on offer. The Carpathian Mountains are a perfect destination for trekking, climbing and escalade, with trails marked for all levels of difficulty.

    Those who are into cycling can explore the mountain routes, Transylvania’s picturesque roads or can head towards wine cellars on two wheels. In winter, the ski resorts attract lovers of snow sports. Active tourism is also a perfect way to discover natural beauties and local traditions.

    Ana Voican creates and promotes active tourism packages in Romania. She also organizes events dedicates to all those who love active tourism.

    “ I’d say Romania is a very generous offer in the area of active tourism. Firsi off, we have an extraordinary geographical diversity enabling us to get to know active Romania all throughout the year. In thr spring, in the summer, in autumn, in winter, any time you want, there’s a lot for you to do, you’ve got a lot to choose from, while the areas you can go to are very generous to that end. Until the first snow falls, we can, as early as December 1st we can opt for cycling to Dealu Mare, for instance, nearby Bucharest, where we can visit the wine cellars.

    We can pick up an easy route, 20-kilometer long, at an altitude no highest than 200 meters, so it is suitable for adults but also for children. We can visit the objectives in the area, but we can also have a stopover at the wine cellars, to sample the wine, to enjoy the brunches and the parties together with friends and family. “

    As soon as the first layer of snow sets in, resorts are the perfect destination for those who are into winter sports. There are roughly 300 homologated ski slopes in Romania, so the offer is extremely generous.

    “As of December 1st the ski slopes are open, so we start skiing, snowboarding. We can opt for the Prahova Valley resorts, but also also for Straja, Paltinis, where usually all throughout the winter season parties are being staged, original contests open for all the people who are into doing such sports. But the best thing is that we have parties at daytime but also in the evening, for all those who, at night, want to enjoy the sight of the ski slopes.

    In resorts across Romania we can enjoy traditions, the adorning of the fir tree, we can listen to carols, we can welcome Santa Claus. However, during the day, we can take trailing routes and thus get to know the objectives of the respective region. We appreciated a lot and promoted the packages that also offer SPA relaxation options.

    And at this point I should like to mention Herculane Spa, Govora Spa, Felix Spa, as, apart from this SPA side, with jacuzzi, therapies, they can go on a trailing route in the nature reserves, they can do bird watching, they can watch the fauna of the season, also relax through doing a bit of power walk they can of course blend into the relaxation side. “

    And, if we want to do some exercise when we are on a family holiday, Romania also comes up with offers to that end. With more on that, here is Ana Voican, a promoter of active tourism and an events organizer.

    „It is the area I hold most dear: active tourism. I should go, as we speak, to Balvanyos Resort, for instance and I should choose as there I have access to four-star facilities. However, I also access to the SPA area, indoor or outdoor swimming pools. I can also go with the family, with my two children and also make the most of the scenery in the region. We can also go sledging, we can also do outdoor activities usually staged at the time of the winter holidays. So the whole range of activities is very well-defined, actually.

    Spring is the season of the bicycle rides and of trekking, but also the season of events. TRACK „Also, we begin practicing water sports, rafting, kayak, and we can put them all together in a package, and then summer also comes. For the summer, we prepared a festival for families and children. It happens on Whitsuntide over June 6 and 9 in Buzau Mountains. For two days running, we’re going to camp, we’re going to live under the sky full of start, in tents, in caravans, we’re also going to gave glamping accommodation, little houses and we shall do lots of outdoor activities.

    We ‘re going to cut ourselves off from the hubbub of the city a little bit and we’re going to relax in the middle of nature, together with the children, where we seek connection, with nature, but also with the family, through activities boy scouts only do, we get to know nature, we survive in nature and we have fun as well.

    We shall stage creative workshops, educational workshops, we shall look at the stars and we shall see the constellations, we’re going to have campfires with live concerts. There are a great many things we can appreciate and put to good use and I think it is high time we considered such experiences as well. “

    Via Transilvanica, the road that unites, is a long-distance tourist trail, 1, 400 kilometer-long, cutting across Romania. It is destined to walking, bicycle riding or taking it on horseback. The route is signaled with painted marking signs, indicator poles, while marking each one-kilometer distance is an individually sculpted andesite milestone. They are highly likely to make the world’s longest art gallery, accompanying travelers all along their trailing route.

    Ana Voican:

    “I should like us to focus, a little bit, on a highly appreciated project, which is well worth mentioning in all these talks where experiences are highlighted. I’m speaking about Via Transilvanica, where a lot has been invested in marking the itinerary, which can be walked as a trail route, but also as a cycling route, in some of its segments. It is absolutely breathtaking and is worth visiting since it offers a complete image about Romania, which can be crossed by foot.

    I interacted with the foreign tourists. The first thing they answer, to the question why have you chosen Romania as your destination is because Romania is wild, wild Romania. They have access to animals they can see not only on TV or through, but they can see with their own eyes when they take our trails. They are literally surprised with how many things they can see, things they cannot otherwise see in the countries they come from. “

    Ana Voican, a promoter of active tourism in Romania and an event organizer, tells us most of the tourists who opt for active tourism offers in Romani come from the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany Spain and United States. In the digital era, when we are surrounded by screens, everybody appreciates the reconnection with nature.

  • Romania at the Olympic games

    Romania at the Olympic games

    Shooting sports at world level has very few top-notch performers capable of measuring up to the achievements of Romanian Corneliu Ion. The Romanian was, in turn, a world record holder as well as an Olympic and European champion. Also, Corneliu Ion walked away with medals in all major shooting sports competitions. In the rapid-fire pistol event, Corneliu Ion was two times capable of getting the maximum number of points, 600 out of 600.

    Corneliu Ion was born in Focsani on June 27, 1951. Between 1971 and 1988, he was signed up by Steaua Bucharest sports club. As early as 1974 Corneliu Ion took international rankings by storm, winning the silver medal at the World Championships. Corneliu Ion became a European Champion in Bucharest, in 1977.

    We should note, however, that Corneliu Ion’s career-best is the gold medal he won in Moscow in 1980. At the end of a cut-throat contest, Corneliu Ion outperformed his challenger from the then German Democratic Republic, Jürgen Wiefel, after no less than three play-off ties. We recall Romania came in 7th in the nations’ competition at the aforementioned edition of the Olympics, with six gold medals. Back then, an appreciable number of Western countries boycotted the Olympic Games.

    In Los Angeles in 1984, countries belonging to the then Communist Bloc boycotted the Olympic Games. Romania did not join in, in a form of protest that was masterminded by the then Soviet leaders. In the nations’ competition, Romania was the runner-up delegation, with a tally of 20 medals. In the rapid-fire pistol event, Corneliu Ion walked away with silver. In 1985, Corneliu Ion became European champion, which was his last remarkable performance as a competitor.

    Corneliu Ion graduated from the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest. In 1989 he graduated from the International shooting sports trainers School in Wiesbaden, Germany. Corneliu Ion’s specialised background as well as his business studies enabled him to be a successful holder of several management positions in the world of sports.

    Corneliu Ion retired from competition in 1988 and for 12 years he was head of the shooting sports section with Steaua Army Club in Bucharest. Between 1990 and 2001 Corneliu Ion was president of the Romanian Shooting Sports Federation. During his term, a couple of excellent sports shooters, such as Sorin Babii, got prestigious results in world-level competitions.

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  • Joint NATO-Romania exercises

    Joint NATO-Romania exercises

    Military of the US Army’s 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment in Romania have carried an exercise meant to strengthen the and antimissile integrated capabilities through the rapid deployment of the SHORAD systems. SHORAD have been specially conceived to counter the low-altitude threats and in a bid to secure NATO’s air space.

    Southern Shield 24 has been coordinated by US Army Command in Europe, jointly with the Romanian military structures. According to the US Embassy in Bucharest, the exercise ties in with NATO’s extended objectives, in a bid to promote and provide cohesion among the allied forces, at once ensuring stability and safety of NATO member states.

    Captain Kurt Blumeyer is the commander of the 1st Battalion’s Alpha Company as part of the 57th regiment. Captain Blumeyer thinks the participation, in Romania, in such n exercise is a message proving the US allies’ determination for the defense of NATO space.

    Captain Blumeyer said “We’re in north-eastern Romania for a routine exercise with our Romanian partners as well as with other US army structures, first of all to prove our rapid reaction force, with an anti-aircraft battery, so we can demonstrate this capability to swiftly reach anywhere along the eastern flank and provide feasible anti-aircraft forces in combat.

    Another thing that we do is to assure our allies we are determined to defend their air space, both the Romanians and the other allies taking part in the exercise, together with the rest of NATO alliance. And everybody understands that. “ US Army captain Kurt Blumeyer went on to say.

    Matthew Eickmeyer is a sergeant first class in the US Army. He is a platoon sergeant in are the 1st Battalion’s Alpha battery of the same regiment. At present he is posted in Romania, at the Mihail Kogalniceanu Airbase in the south-east. Jointly with his platoon, sergeant Eickmeyer participates in the Southern Shield exercise for a couple of days.

    Here is what sergeant Eickmeyer said, quote, “We participate in an exercise testing my platoon’s capacity to act as a rapid reaction task force in the case of a threat. This is only a swift and brief exercise testing the abilities of our platoon. I am very proud of my soldiers; from the very moment they wake up when the day begins until the moment they lay their heads on the pillow at the end of the day. I am proud of everything they have achieved, proud of everything they accomplish day by day.

    Ever since this unit has been activated, a year ago, I was very enthused because of everything they have done and how much they have grown and how much they have achieved throughout the year. The eventual aim of this endeavor is to secure the Romanian partners and show them we defend each and every centimeter of NATO territory, not only on the ground, but also in the air. ”

    Also taking part in the Southern Shield exercise carried in Romania was the commander of the 52nd Anti-Aircraft defense Brigade stationed in Sembach, Germany. Colonel Hailey Bairu stated that everything that has been established though partnerships or joint understandings needs to be tested through such exercises. “Our leaders have spoken about how important our allies are, in the defense of Europe and what we do here, in Romania, is the implementation of this alliance.

    A partnership works only when we have proven our interoperability capacity as well as our ability to communicate, personally, tactically, but also at systemic level. Therefore, what we do here, in Romania, is to exert our ability to integrate with our Romanian allies.

    We are here on the eastern flank deploying an anti-aircraft and anti-missile system to make sure we can connect with them when the time comes and when it is needed to defend Europe’s each square centimeter, just as our leaders have said”, colonel Bairu stated.

  • The girl with the dogs

    The girl with the dogs

    She was known as the Girl with the dogs in the university years. In 2010, she pursued a programme of study with the National School of Political and Administrative Studies in Bucharest. Her name is Laura Fincu and when she ran into Sache, it was in dismal circumstances. Thrown off the window from the room of a student’s hostel, Sache, a puppy, back then, was severely wounded.

    The puppy had to be put in plaster for a good number of months. All that time, the puppy was very well taken care of by Laura and some of her colleagues. Fifteen years on, Laura Fincu recalls:
    ʺI took him to the hostel and Sache became the emblem of the hostel. Then everybody looked after the puppy and, of course, he even had more friends. Then we tried to change the reality we had to face and leave that hostel in a different way than we had found it. And we did it!

    In the beginning, that’s how we started, we didn’t have that much knowledge in the field, I read Communications and Public Relations, my life took a different course back then and didn’t know exactly what to do with the little stray animals and I began by looking after them, by keeping them alive, feeding them and then sterilizing them.

    And, in the long run, when I left the hostel, I found adoption for 15 puppies and when I left, I made sure the hostel was completely free of stray puppies. “

    Yet there was more to it than that! For Laura Fincu, Sache changed the course of her own life for good. After graduation, Laura and a colleague opted for opening a veterinary’s office; being in their twentysomething they believed they would be able to solve the problem of Romania’s stray dogs. What followed…that exceeded their expectations.

    In 2016, an association came into being and was developed…We’re speaking about Sache Vet, an association that, to this day, bears Sache’s name.

    ʺMore often than not he always meant more than just a puppy. We are very rational beings; we are a medical team connected to reality, yet Sache generated a lot of magic around him and I think that literally the most beautiful moment is the one when it dawned upon me that he brought together, around him, a huge team of people who dedicated their entire lives and skills to the service of the good. Yet there’s more to it than that! He saved several tens of thousands of animals.

    All things considered, he is a memory or a symbol, prompting us to wake up in the morning full of motivation. From one single veterinarian in the beginning, here we are, there’s six of us, we have a medical staff of 16 people, 100,000 little animals sterilized in 8 years, thousands of animals undergoing treatment each year and now we’re speaking about the construction of a social hospital. “

    80% of Romania’s families with pets cannot afford the provision, for their animals, of adequate veterinarian care. For that, the costs are high, even for average-income people. As for the stray animals, a lot fewer of them are the lucky ones because they were taken by rescuers, with most of the daily dramas remaining unknown.

    Yet the Sache Vet Association offers treatment for any animal, free-of-charge, or from a vulnerable family. Sache Vet goes at all lengths to expand its capacity to help the four-legged animals in need, building Romania’s first social veterinary hospital.

    Located in the commune of Tartasesti, Dambovita County, the Sache Veterinary hospital for major emergencies, will offer free-of-charge assistance for stray animals, but also for those that come from underprivileged families. For the rest of our clients, it will offer services for social fees, in a bid to support the programme, free-of-charge: more than 90 % of the profit will be invested back in the cause, while the rest of the profit will go to improvements.

    ʺThere also is a category of people who are capable of much violence against animals, and it’s for those animals we exist, for the mist vulnerable ones, for those that need us so they can live one more day. After three years of fighting, yes, it is almost ready, works for 90% of the hospital have been completed, we’re in the stage of working the interiors, where the job is extremely minute, yet our satisfaction is growing as we see it has taken shape and it does exist, and, literally, it is a dream come true.

    We’re that close to getting it started, and start doing what we’re been doing already, yet in an enhanced manner, 90% of our work relies on surgery, we perform free-of-charge sterilizations for eight years now, we heavily rely on prevention, and it is crucial for us to reduce the number of stray little animals. Apart from surgery, the hospital will have a laboratory, X ray, and suchlike, as well as a training center for veterinarians and for students, since it is of utmost importance for us to share what we know. “

    The demand is very high, so the concept of social veterinary medicine is more than necessary. With details on that, here is Laura Fincu once again:

    ʺWe’re also a social enterprise, we’re also an NGO, it was very important for us to bring this concept into veterinary medicine. That is absolutely necessary, the demand is huge. A growing number of veterinarians should try to function like that, as it is incredibly satisfying and we assure them many more people than they can ever imagine will join them in their efforts. “

    All things considered, such stories are not only about animals, but also, and perhaps over and above anything else, they are about people, about pity, compassion, empathy, about responsibility, humanness…Imagine what it’s like to be all alone, not being able to speak, with no one to tell what ails you! Imagine what it’s like to love but you cannot provide any help, whenever you witness suffering! It is Sache Vet’s urge.

  • Culture and Cultures

    Culture and Cultures

    The Designers, Thinkers, Makers Association has created a program labelled “Culture and Cultures”. Its eventual aim is to highlight Romania’s cultural heritage. The program also seeks to revitalize Romanian culture, with special emphasis on promoting UNESCO sites and the local values, more often than not less well-known to the public.

    Initial steps have already been taken, to that effect, with the completion of the audio tour of Biertan.

    Architect Alexandra Mihailiciuc is the Association’s cultural programs coordinator Here she is, telling us where they started from and what the stages of the programs were.

    “This program, “Culture and Cultures”, we thought it out as some sort of cultural revitalizatio we have built in a bid to protect and capitalize on the values of Romania’s cultural heritage. It somehow speaks about culture, about the various ethnic cultures, but also about culture in its basic accepting, connected to the ground, that is about the territories around the house, the manor house, the village.

    Which means it’s equally about the care for our nearest but also about the care for the farthest, since they are tied by an umbilical cord. And the ultimate purpose of such a program, actually, is to use as many means as possible for the creation of a good climate, good for culture, and, at long last, good for the quality of life. Besides, one of the key components of this program is the education for heritage. We realized it matters for al social layers and for all ages.

    And I won’ t be mincing my words, saying that from our point of view, it is one of Romanian society’s emergencies. We see, around us, how much is being destroyed, how little the communities take responsibility for the heritage, how little it is loved and understood and how little it is capitalized on.

    This program has several cultural projects. The project we’ve carried this year, “Heritage Lab. Connecting the Dots”, is just one of the projects of this programs, which also has three streams: education, research and design.

    Architect Alexandra Mihailiciuc, the Designers Thinkers Makers Association’s cultural programs coordinator also gave us details on their work:

    “This year we have sought to think out the program which special emphasis laid on the cultural heritage of Transylvania’s Hills, especially of the UNESCO village of Biertan and the village of Chirpar, in a bid to highlight this valuable cultural heritage of the region and get the lay public acquainted with all that is unknown yet valuable, so, in a way, with everything that somehow exists yet it is not capitalized on. And we thought it would be better to begin with a UNESCO site, since UNESCO sites are the spearhead of world heritage, humankind’s most cherished treasures. And yet, with us, in our country, they haven’t just as yet been appropriated by the collective mindset. “

    A summer school followed, themed “Heritage Lab”, a school with a theoretical component whereby students surveyed the UNESCO sites, wrote about them, made their drawings, created interpretation materials, yet the school had a practical component as well, that of working with their own hands, where they learned how the traditional historical plastering is made, with lime, with sand, how the correct brick-based masonry is being made, architecture students needing these labs, these construction sites, so they can be prepared for their professional future.

    Alexandra Mihailiciuc once again:

    “ We have created two audio tours for the Biertan site and the village of Chirpar, bi-lingual, Romanian and English, and here we are, we even succeeded to launch the digital tour of UNESCO Biertan’s fortified church, with a program which, I believe, is multifarious, including the presentation of the project, going through the stations for the area’s relevant projects, but also an organ concert.

    The space was flooded by Transylvanian music of various timeframes, belonging to the Romantic period, somehow in tune with the age of the organ in the fortified church. But the novelty of it all was the fact that that organ concert actually turned into a musical workshop or into a musical living room, just like that, revolving around the organ, where we’ve been explained the working system and where little sound incursions have been performed, into the multiple qualities of this instrument.

    Those who came could go through the rest of the stations scattered all around the village, since that’s exactly the underlying idea, for us to invite tourists to discover not only the fortified church, but also everything around it, considering Culture and Cultures.

    And that is how they can take the journey, visiting one station after the next, about UNESCO and the sister churches about the village apothecary, which seems to be the first such store in rural Transylvania, about customs and traditions, about the multiculturalism of the place, about decorations, about, why not, Via Transilvanica cutting through the centre of the village. “

    Then an exhibition follows, about the precious Chirpar ceramics, the Stork Culture Workshops in Bucharest, a string of exhibitions, of film screening evenings, of architecture and craftsmanship and of workshops, also related to cultural heritage.

  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week

    Among Italy’s Serie A footballers who this past weekend put on an excellent run on the pitch, there was Romania midfielder Dennis Man. Man drew first blood for Parma, the team that grabbed a 3-1 win in their home game against Lazio. Man scored in the 6th minute, taking advantage of an error in Lazio’s defensive game.

    Romania’s Sports Gazette quoted Tutto Mercator Web as writing that “He was at right place the very moment Rovella made his mistake and kept his cool when he and goalie Provedel faced each other, sending the ball into the net. Tutto Mercato Web journalists wrote Dennis Man did quite a job in the game against Lazio Rome, and assess his performance with a 7. Of Parma’s line-up, it was only the scorer of the third goal, Enrico Del Prato, who got a better mark, 7.5.

    For Radio Romania International, Dennis Man is the Athlete of the week.

    Dennis Man was born on August 26, 1998 in western Romania’s Arad County, He took up football with the local club, then he was signed up by Atletico Arad’s juniors’ team. Eventually, Dennis Man played for his region’s lead team, UTA Arad. In seniors’ competitions, Dennis Man made his debut in 2015, three days after he turned 17, in a second-league game against Gaz Metan Medias, when UTA Arad sustained a 1-2 defeat.

    In 2016 Dennis Man made his debut in the Super League, playing for FCSB, in their match against Universitatea Craiova, a confrontation FCSB won, 2-1. Since 2021 Dennis Man has been playing for Italian team Parma. We recall in 2024 Parma got through to Serie A.

    In the ongoing season in Italy, Man was on the pitch for all 14 games Parma have played so far. He scored four goals and provided three assists.

    Dennis Man made his debut with the national team in March 2018, in a friendly game against Sweden. He boasts 30 caps for the national squad, scoring 8 goals.

  • The Old Orhei Museum Compound

    The Old Orhei Museum Compound

    The Old Orhei, Orheiul Vechi, in Romanian, is a museum compound on the valley of river Raut, a right-hand side tributary of river Dniester, in Republic of Moldova. The Old Orhei cultural-natural reserve enjoys a special status and is Republic of Moldova’s most important site. Currently a process is ongoing, for the Old Orhei to be included on UNESCO’s World heritage List.

    The compound is made of several dozens of hectares of Orhei medieval town. Orhei is a settlement of the 13th and the 16th centuries. It is known as Old Orhei. We recall initially the settlement was deserted and a new city was established in a different location, bearing the same name, today’s Orhei, a town in Republic of Moldova’s Orhei district.

    Part of the compound are two large promontories, Pestere and Butuceni. Added to them are three smaller adjoining promontories, Potarca, Selitra and Scoc. On the territory of the promontories the ruins of several fortifications can be found, as well as dwelling places, baths, worship sites, that including cave monasteries, dating from the Tartar-Mongolian period, the 13th to 14th centuries, but also from the Moldavian period, 14th to 16th centuries.

    The Old Orhei Compound is a system made of cultural and nature elements, such as a natural archaic landscape, biodiversity, an exceptional archaeological environment, historical-architectural diversity, a rural traditional habitat and ethnographic originality.

    The medieval settlement of Old Orhei saw its heyday several times. During the 12th to the 14th centuries, the period before the Tartar-Mongolian invasion. In the early days of the medieval settlement, the wooden and earth citadel is believed to have been erected in that period of time. The Golden Horde Age of the 14th century, the period the stone fortress dates from. Between the 14th and the 16th centuries, the settlement was included in the Moldavian state, for the town, it was a period of transformation, from an Oriental settlement into a Moldavian town.

    During Stephen the Great’s reign (1438-1504) the stone fortress was repaired, and strengthened. In the 60s of the 15th century, the Orhei citadel was erected. It was a defense centre of the country’s eastern borders against the Tartar invasions. The Tartar invasions in the summer of 1469 prompted Stephen the Great to take measures, in a bid to strengthen the country’s defence capacity along Dniester River, initiating important works, carried in order to build a strengthened citadel in Orhei.

    The archaeological excavations that made possible the discovery of the citadel’s foundation speak about those events. Similarly, the official documents of that time speak about that as well. So, in Stephen the Great’s charter of April 1st, 1470, for the first time the mention is made of a burgrave, that is a military commander of the Orhei citadel. We recall at that time the burgrave had military but also administrative responsibilities of the Orhei district.

    The period of decay begins in mid-16th century and lasts until the early 17th century, when the inhabitants abandon the Old Orhei, moving into the new settlement, today’s Orhei. The stone citadel is destroyed.

    Stefan Chelban is the Reserve’s Head of Archelogy and Ethnography Service. We sat down and talked to Stefan Chelban about the history of the Old Orhei:

    „The Old Orhei is a nature cultural reserve set up in 1968, yet, in time, it has been going through several restructuring and reorganizing processes. The reserve is made of several localities and its purpose is to preserve the region’s natural heritage, but also its cultural heritage.

    Actually, it was one of the main reasons why the reserve was set up. Arguably, it is one of the areas with the biggest number of assets part of the archaeological and ethnographic heritage, but also of assets of the immaterial heritage and such like. So, it is a region where the cultural heritage has been acceptably well preserved, to this day. “

    The Old Orhei’s cave monasteries are part of a cave remains compound. They are located in the lime rocks on the Raut River valley. The compound is extremely attractive in terms of tourism; it includes roughly 350 cave remains, of which around 100 are man-dug rooms, while the remaining 200 are karstic formations, grouped in six compounds. They include well-defined monasteries, underground churches, galleries and cells.

    Here is Stefan Chelban once again, this time speaking about the cave monasteries and about the reserve:
    Track: ”This is likely to be the central point for many, yet the reserve has a lot more to offer. For instance, the ruins of the Tartar city, a city that used to be here in the 14th century, albeit for a short period of time yet worth visiting all the same, that including the ruins of an old mosque which, judging by its surface area, it was allegedly South-east Europe’s biggest mosque.

    Ștefan Chelban also told us something about the Old Orhei museum compound:

    “The Ethnography Museum is a model of traditional architecture, specific for the late 19th century and the late 20th century. This house has been restored, refurbished with EU funds, using only traditional material and techniques.”

    Here is Ștefan Chelban once again, giving us further details on the monastic life of the Cave monastery in the Old Orhei:

    „We understand initially the monastery was inhabited by 12 monks since there are 12 cells by means of which we can tell each cell was individual, so there were 12 monks. We do not know exactly the year when it was built, yet that happened somewhere between 14th to 15th centuries. ”

  • Sports weekend

    Sports weekend

    FCSB football team’s Europa League home game against Greek challengers Olympiakos Piraeus ended in a blank draw this past Thursday. Holders FCSB in the last half hour of the game were one man shy on the pitch since Daniel Birligea got twice yellow-booked. We recall in 2023 Olympiakos Piraeus won Europe’s third-tier competition, Conference League.

    Olympiakos had the upper hand all throughout the final part of the match, yet FCSB put on an excellent defensive game and eventually took a step further to advancing to the Europa League’s next phase. As we speak, three rounds ahead of the final part of the group stage FCSB are 10th-placed. We recall the first eight teams advance straight to the League’s round of 16.

    25th- to 36th-placed teams as well as the defeated teams in the playoffs will be eliminated from competition. On December 12 in Germany, FCSB play Hoffenheim. Then on January 23rd, FCSB play Azeri team Qarabag. FCSB will then play Manchester United on January 30, at home.

    Also in news from football, matches counting towards the Romanian Super league’s 18th round are scheduled at the weekend. On Friday, FC Botoşani go against Farul Constanţa, while Rapid Bucharest are pitted against Petrolul Ploieşti. In Clinceni on Saturday, Unirea Slobozia face Hermannstadt Sibiu, then in Buzău, the local side Gloria take on Politehnica Iasi. Alao on Saturday, Dinamo play a home match against Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe.

    On Sunday in Craiova, Universitatea play CFR Cluj. Round 18’s last two fixtures are scheduled on Monday, when Universitatea Cluj are pitted against UTA, while Oţelul Galaţi face FCSB. Universitatea Cluj are at the top of the table with 30 points. With 28 points, Universitatea Craiova, CFR and Dinamo follow suit.

    In the Champions League in men’s handball, on Thursday Dinamo Bucharest sustained a serious 25 – 34 defeat by Sporting Lisbon. For Dinamo, it was the fourth consecutive defeat in the ongoing season. After nine rounds and on a par with 4th-placed team, Fuchse Berlin, with 10 points, Dinamo are 5th-placed according to the rankings of Group A.

    A new edition of the European women’s Handball Championship kick-started on Thursday. Romania has been included in Group B, alongside Montenegro, Serbia and the Czech Republic. Romania will play all its fixtures in Debrecen. On Friday, Romania is pitted against the Czech Republic.

    On Sunday, Romania plays Montenegro, while on Tuesday, our national squad takes on Serbia. Competing in the final tournament are 24 teams, distributed in six groups, The first two teams in each group advance to the mainstage, where they will then be distributed in two groups of six teams each.

  • Sports flash

    Sports flash

    In women’s volleyball, on Wednesday CSO Voluntari sustained a 1-3 defeat by German side Allianz Stuttgart, in a a Group E Champions League fixture. In the group’s other game, Italian side Savino Del Bene Scandicci defeated Polish opponents Bielsko-Biala, 3-nil. Scandicci are at the top of the table, with 9 points. With three points each, the other teams in the group follow suit. CSO Voluntari’s next scheduled fixture is the game against Bielsko-Biala on December 11, away.

    In the first leg as part of the Challenge Cup’s round of 16, CSM Târgovişte a grabbed a 3-2 away with against Slovenia’s Nova Gorica.The secon-leg match is scheduled on December 11 in Targoviste. Also in the Challenge Cup, this past Tuesday Lugoj Municipal Sports Club sustained a nil-3 defeat by Greek opponents Olympiakos Piraeus, also in the round of 16’s first leg. The return leg of the tie is scheduled on December 11 in Lugoj.

    In EuroCup Women, women’s basketball competition, CSM CSU Constanţa this past Wednesday wasted the opportunity to advance to the round of 32. In Group F’s last round CSM CSU Constanta were defeated by Belgian opponents Castors Braine, 74-78, and now depend on the other results in the competition.

    Advancing to the round of 32 are the first two teams in each group and the best 3rd-placed four teams, but also the four teams that have been 4th-placed in the women’s Euro league.

    In the National ice hockey Championship, Sport Club Miercurea Ciuc and ACSH Gheorgheni have both won their home confrontations. Sport Club secured a 4-3 win against Fenestela 68, while ACSH Gheorgheni secured their win against defending champions Corona Braşov, also 4-3. For Corona, it was their first defeat in the domestic championship’s ongoing edition.

  • Romania’s vulnerable communities and their problems

    Romania’s vulnerable communities and their problems

    Rroma girls and women make some of Romania’s most vulnerable and most neglected groups. More often than not, the authorities’ prejudices and the abuses that are not considered proper abuses by the families, leave those women and girls without protection.

    Romania still is the EU country with the biggest number of underage mothers. The state institutions do not carry a centralized collection of data regarding forced marriages. No data, no such issue on the agenda. No data, no clear-cut knowledge of the causes of forced marriages. It is the opinion of Măriuca-Oana Constantin, a university lecturer with the National School of Political and Administrative Studies, an opinion voiced as part of the awareness-raising campaign carried by E-Romnja — Romania’s only NGO dedicated to Rroma girls and women.

    Carmina is a 10-year-old girl. She graduated from the 4th grade when she was married to a 14-year-old boy as the outcome of a marriage arranged by the parents, Two years later, Carmina gives birth to a child. The authorities took note of that regarding the case, yet the case was eventually dropped, the reasoning for that was something like “the victim consented to having sexual relationships, approved of by the parents” or “the Rroma tradition encourages such relationships”. No research on parents was conducted.

    Carmina’s story is only one of the five stories presented as part of a campaign running like “In the Name of Tradition?”. It was launched by E-Romnja, the NGO that seeks to debunk the myth whereby the marriage between children is a matter exclusively concerning the Rroma communities. It is one of those obnoxious prejudices justifying cases of violence against vulnerable persons.

    How do we know the problem exceeds the Rroma community? Because demographic data on premature deliveries confirm it. It is the idea of Cerasela Banica, State Secretary with the National Council for Combatting Discrimination.

    Roxana Oprea is E-Romnja’s equal opportunities expert. Here is what the answer was, to the question why the issue of forced marriages was of no interest for the institutions.

    “It is very simple and there is glaring evidence for that, I daresay, since there is a lot of racism in institutions. People relate to the phenomenon as a cultural practice specific to the Rroma community alone, yet the reality is different. Something like that, we’re not the only ones to say it, the E-Romnja Association, there are also other institutions and international bodies saying it.

    So for this very reason, it never has been a priority for institutions and decision-making bodies. Therefore, since it is not something affecting the entire population, it is viewed as a cultural practice and, because of the bias and the prejudice, you do not intervene. “

    ‘
    Carmina’s story, a story we have presented above, is one of the hundreds such stories we will never know. One of the many stories that really happens, as, more often than not, we keep viewing children as being their parents’ property, not recognizing them as individuals having their own rights and needs. As for the forced marriages, most likely, the biggest mistake of those who want to help (social assistants, teachers, psychologists, NGO staff, judicial professionals and suchlike) is they go and talk with the parents, thinking the problem can and must be solved in the family or in the community. Actually, more often than not, parents are the abusers. Roxana Oprea.

    “We just cannot help considering this normalizing area; the moment you, as an institution, as a school, as the General Social Assistance Direction, the moment you noticed those things happened and you did nothing about it, then what is the signal you give to parents ? That what they do is okay. So you, practically, validate adults’ abuses on their own children.

    It is a vicious circle and, if we do not strengthen that kind of approach, whereby we no longer choose to point our finger at the Rroma community alone and lay the blame on the Rroma community, we cannot be in line with the international standards. We will continue to be on the shameful list of the countries allowing child marriage. “

    The Criminal Code has a legislative void on forced marriage, the legislation does not view forced marriage as a self-contained criminal act. In the rare circumstances when such cases are brought to court, they are tried as sexual crimes. E-Romnja has raised another key problem: the use, by the authorities of the phrase “consensual union” when they refer to the marriage between two persons, of which at least one is younger than 16.

    Consent for marriage CANNOT be demanded from a minor person, younger than 16, it is stipulated in the Intervention Guide for cases of marriage between children/forced marriages, published at the beginning of the year. It was also Cerasela Bănică who explained for Radio Romania International criminal investigation files do not consider this lack of consent but rather they choose placement based on such reasoning as “parents agree”, “they had been living together for long”, “they have already had sexual relations” or “it is a habit of the Rroma community”. Something like that leaves the victim completely defenseless. “

    Asked how the authorities viewed the campaign, here is how Roxana Oprea answered:

    ” The campaign is viewed with interest, but what is the standpoint it is viewed from? From the standpoint whereby Romania is somehow compelled, legally, to eliminate such a practice, being a signatory party of several international conventions on preventing and combatting gender violence. We have Directive no 1385 of the European Parliament and the European Council issued on May 15, 2024, stipulating EU member states had a three-year period of grace, starting with the date the directive came into force, to transpose the regulations into domestic law.

    Therefore, we somehow have some pressure at European level so Romania may comply with those international standards. There is also the Grevio report, assumed by Romania Government which, similarly, urges the state to take measures and criminalize such a practice. “

    Roxana Oprea also stated the issue was not viewed as one pertaining to the gender violence, and, even though such an issue were viewed as a gender violence issue, whenever violence targets a Rroma woman, is it no longer viewed as belonging to society.

    “ I think it is so normalized that, were we to speak about violence as a general phenomenon, it is normalized in all communities. We have reports revealing Romanians are tolerant regarding verbal, sexual violence that rape is justified if the woman looks somehow provocative. There are judicial reasonings compiled by Romanian women and men judges, specifying an 11- or a 12-year-old girl enticed a man or gave her consent for rape. “

    At the pressure of the European Union, Romania has until 2027 to take action against such a phenomenon.

  • Soviet prisoners in Romania

    Soviet prisoners in Romania

    Romania took sides with Germany in World War Two. On June 22nd, 1941, jointly with Germany, Romania began military operations against the Soviet Union. However, we need to say the Soviet Union had been the aggressor state, the year before. In June 1940, in the aftermath of two cession ultimatums the Soviets issued to the Romanian government, the Soviet Union occupied Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina, Romanian territories of the east and the north. Among other things, just as it would happen in any military operation, there also were prisoners.

    Over June 22nd, 1941 and August 23rd, 1944, the Romanian Army captured 91,060 Soviet soldiers. Of them, 90%, that is 82, 057 military, were sent to Romania, in 12 concentration camps. According to the dictionary compiled by historians Alesandru Duțu, Florica Dobre and Leonida Loghin “The Romanian Army in World War Two”, of those who were detained in concentration camps,13,682 who were of Romanian origin from Bessarabia and Bukovina were released. Other 5,223 died, while 3,331 escaped.

    On August 23rd, 1944, Romania pulled out of the alliance with Germany and on Romanian territory there were 59, 856 Soviet prisoners, of whom 2, 794 were officers, while 57, 062 were NCOs and soldiers. Considering the prisoners’ ethnic origin, 25, 533 were Ukrainians, 17,833 Russians, 2,497 Kalmuks, 2,039 Uzbeks, 1,917 Turks, 1,588 Cossacks, 1,501 Armenians, 1,600 Georgians, 601 Tartars, 293 Jews, 252 Polish, 186 Bulgarians, 150 Ossetins, 117 Azeri, as well as other several dozens of ethnic groups, in smaller numbers.

    Documents reveal the Soviet prisoners in Romania were treated in accordance with the existing international legislation. Early into the war the living conditions were dire, and it was because of such conditions that most of the deaths were reported. Yet they improved rapidly, the reports compiled by the Romanian Army’s control commission mentioning the progress.

    The Soviet prisoners were confined in concentration camps, accommodation, food, hygiene and medical assistance conditions were provided for them, they were interrogated and were given the chance to work.

    Colonel Anton Dumitrescu took part in the act of August 23rd, 1944, himself and four NCOs being the ones who arrested Marshall Ion Antonescu and vice-Prime Minister Mihai Antonescu.

    In a 1974 interview stored in Radio Romania’s Oral History Center, he recalled how, prior to his arresting Antonescu, he was sent to gather intel on the center of Soviet prisoners in Slobozia. The Romanian intelligence service had found out the Germans prepared that center as a launching site of the operations against the Romanian army, should the latter defect.

    ”In Slobozia there was a big centre with Russian prisoners. The Germans had garnished the entire camp with Vlasov troops. The Vlasov troops were the Russians who, led by general Vlasov, had taken sides with the Germans. And, in German uniforms, fought against the Russians. However, from the intelligence I had, the Germans wanted to be sure about that center should something happen with us, with the Vlasovs taking sides with the Russians and fighting against us.

    I had been in contact with the Vlasovs in the Caucasus when, indeed, those people in no way wanted to surrender because the Soviets would have killed them. They were dead set on fighting. The entire region there was teeming with refugees from Moldavia and from Bessarabia and I did not see any Vlasov whatsoever.”

    Engineer Miron Tașcă used to work in Braila, at the French-Romanian plant, with a mixed, civilian and military production. In 1995, he reminisced the Soviet prisoners who worked at the Braila-based plant and what happened with them, after the Soviets reached Romanian territory.

    ”We, during the war, at the factory in Braila, also worked with a series of prisoners. They were treated very well, they did not work on the machines, they did manual jobs, downloading and uploading stuff, and cleaning. Those prisoners, the Soviets set them free, took them and brought them back to Russia. The moment they were taken, they also knew they had to leave.

    One of them, who told me he was an Uzbek, said he no longer wanted to return to the USSR. He asked me to go at all lengths to keep him there, he was a hard-working, silent and quiet boy. Of course, something like that was not possible. Prisoners were investigated, numbered, completely taken over, and that’s when he also left, the poor thing. But he was the one who under no circumstances wanted to return. Others did not want to return either, likeminded people, that is. Perhaps they did not know what was in store for them, but he, from the very beginning said he did not want to return. “

    A student of the military school during the war, Catrinel Dumitrescu, in 1998 said that, prior to seeing Soviet military after 1944, he had also seen them as prisoners:

    ”I had seen Russians before, they were prisoners. There were, in our country, about 10-20 Russian prisoners who were free to work. They were accommodated with the gendarmes post and worked in the cleaning of roads, of roadside ditches, they called in at private residences and did menial jobs there, they received food and suchlike. After August 23rd, 1944, the first ones to flee, not to the East but to the West, were those Russians! ‘Cause they knew what was going to come. “

    Soviet war prisoners in Romania are a less well-known chapter in Romanian modern history. It is that kind of chapter that still takes its time to reach public consciousness.

  • Romanian recent award-winning film productions

    Romanian recent award-winning film productions

    Clara is a feature-length film directed by Sabin Dorohoi. A fresh production, with a strong impact, focusing on a major and necessary topic, Clara has been recently launched in theatres across the country. The film tells the story of millions of Romanians who have no choice other than go abroad to provide for their families at home, in a bid to help them have a better living standard.

    The production has come out as an absolute first in Romanian film-making industry: it is the first feature-length film tackling the topic of migration from the standpoint of the social problem posed by the children that were left behind in Romania, to stay with their grandparents or with relatives.

    The film tells the story of Clara, a teacher acting as a baby-sitter for the little girl of a family in Germany, also looking after their house, in much as the same way as millions of Romanian women support their folk at home working abroad. When her son, left in his grandfather’s care, disappears from home, in a childish attempt to reach his mother, Clara returns to her native village in Romania where she must face her failure as a mother and try to regain her son’s trust. Sabin Dorohoi.

    “The topic of the film was born a long time ago. The idea of tackling this topic came to mind in 2012, or thereabouts, when migration turned intense and I could see the phenomenon was spreading, at that time, in northern Romania as well. Also, at that time I read in the press about the case of a little boy who committed suicide because he badly missed his parents. I found that piece of news terrible, it affected me so much and I thought I should make a film about that. And that is how the short reel titled The Danube Road premiered in 2013. Then I felt the need to develop the story of the Danube Road and that’s how the feature-length film’s screenplay was born, written by Ruxandra Ghițescu.”

    „Clara” saw its world premiere in 2023, at the Cottbus International Film Festival, where it also scooped the public’s award. Awards and nominations followed, positive criticism and a warm welcoming from the regular pubic of international film festivals, such as the Kolkata International Film Festival India, South East European Film Festival Los Angeles, Internationales Donaufest Ulm/Neu-Ulm, Ceau Cinema of Timișoara, Romanian Film Evening and Bucharest International Film festival.

    Here is one of the producers of “Clara”, Dan Burlac.

    ”It is a film posing an important problem. Yet in no way did we intend to push it, to sadden people with the story in Clara, or to make a film that could get people shed tears for nothing. We sought to focus upon a key problem, a problem that has become more and more important worldwide, and not only in Romania not only in Europe. Proof of that stands the reaction Clara triggered at its premiere in India, where almost 1,000 spectators, who attended the premiere, reacted with a lot of empathy and perceived this film as a personal experience.

    That’s why I say Clara’s story is in no way linked to a certain place, it doesn’t depend on it, it is the story of all those who experience that condition and have no choice other that travel far from home, irrespective of their being from Latin America, Europe or India. I believe what’s most valuable about this film is the fact that it succeeded to remain sincere, honest, all along, and tackle a key issue with utmost attention. Since it is a key issue, we also wanted to trigger as many reactions as possible in a bid to find solutions to a problem that concerns us all.

    Since the issue of migration also takes its toll on the society we build, here it’s all about the future generation that will build Romania. It is a problem that even concerns us all, parents, grandparents, children, it is an important problem for the entire community. It is not an issue touching one level alone, it touches, as I said, all layers in society. It is our problems.

    After the gala launch in Bucharest, the film crew embarked upon a national caravan that included special screenings, where authors and actors sat down and talked to spectators, in Q&A sessions. At some of the screenings pedagogy and psychology experts took part as well, via a relevant partnership between the film crew and the Save the Children, and organization supporting the social debate “Clara “initiated, on the occasion of its launch in theatres. Sabin Dorohoi.

    ”At the screening we had in Timisoara, it was deeply touching, because I practically arrived at home. As you know, most of the actors hail from Timisoara and, broadly speaking, from Banat, save for Ovidiu Crisan, Clara’s father and Ionut’s grandfather in the film, who is from Cluj. In Timisoara, at the screening but also as part of the talks we had afterwards, the hall was packed with people, which made us very happy, while no less happy were we because of the spectators’ reactions and their otherwise very astute questions.

    However, the most interesting questions, even disputes, constructive, interesting disputes and debates, were hosted by the city of Iasi. And that did not happen by accident, since Moldavia is worst-hit by migration in Romania. Like I said, that was reflected in the large number of viewers, but also in the talks, which were very interesting. “

    The screenplay of the film was written Ruxandra Ghitescu, the director of photography was Lulu de Hillerin. The set design was signed by Anca Miron and Sonia Constantinescu. The editor was Mircea Lăcătuș, while the original movie soundtrack was written by Eduard Dabrowski. Lead role actors are Olga Török (Clara), Ovidiu Crișan (Nicolae), Luca Puia (Ionuț) and Elina Leitl (Johanna).

  • Sports weekend

    Sports weekend

    Romania’s men’s handball team Dinamo Bucharest on Thursday sustained a 29-38 away defeat by German opponents Fuchse Berlin, in a fixture counting towards Champions league’s Group A. Fuchse got their revenge in the wake of their seven-goal defeat three weeks ago in Bucharest, 31-38.

    According to the as-it-stands table, Dinamo are 4th-placed, with 10 points in 8 games played, Holders Dinamo’s next scheduled fixture on November 28 is the away game against 3rd-placed team Sporting Lisbon.

    Romania’s national women’s handball team later this week play its games in the Golden League friendly tournament, hosted by Denmark. On Thursday in their first match in Randers, The Netherlands trounced Romania, 41-26. Florentin Pera’s trainees will next play Denmark and Norway.

    The European Championship kick-starts next weekend, with fixtured in Hungary, Austria and Switzerland. In Group B, Romania will be rubbing shoulders with Montenegro, Serbia and the Czech Republic and will play its fixtures in Debrecen.

    Later this week in Bucharest, Romania’s national rugby squad are pitted against Uruguay, in a test-match. We recall the Romanian national rugby team won both friendlies they played this fall. Two weeks ago, David Gerard’s trainees defeated Tonga, 25-15, also defeating Canada this past Saturday, 35-27.

    Matches counting towards the domestic football championship’s 17th round are scheduled at the weekend. On Friday, Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe play Gloria Bistriţa , while Farul Constanţa face Oţelul Galaţi. On Saturday in Sibiu, FC Hermannstadt face Universitatea Cluj, while CFR Cluj play a home game against Rapid Bucharest.

    On Sunday, FCSB on the National Arena in Bucharest go against Unirea Slobozia, while in Ploiesti, Petrolul play Dinamo Bucharest. The 17th round’s last two fixtures are scheduled on Monday, when FC Botosani take on Poli Iasi, while UTA play Universitatea Craiova.

    Universitatea Cluj are at the top of the table with 30 points, followed by CFR Cluj, with 27.