Romanian football has been rocked by the news of their recent men's national team manager Mircea Lucescu dying, less than a fortnight after trying to guide them to this summer's World Cup. Lucescu's death at the age of 80 at the Bucharest University Emergency Hospital was announced by the Romanian Football Federation (FRF) on Tuesday. The week before on March 26, Lucescu was unable to guide Romania past Turkey in their World Cup play-off semi-final - as the visitors lost 1-0 in Istanbul. During his playing days as a winger he won seven league titles and the Romanian Cup for Dinamo Bucharest. 'European and world football have lost an exceptional figure whose influence, stature and legacy will endure for generations to come,' said UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin.

Source: Daily Mail April 08, 2026 08:20 UTC