Romanian football authorities hand down severe penalties in third-tier match-fixing case
2026-07-29
Source: Global Gaming Insider
The Romanian Football Federation has issued lengthy suspensions and heavy fines to club officials and players for match-fixing in the third league, while a broader scandal in the Czech Republic led to 32 charges.
The Romanian Football Federation (FRF) has imposed extensive bans and fines following an investigation into match manipulation for betting purposes at third-division club FC Vulturii Fărcăşeşti. The probe targeted a network involving club executives, coaching staff, and players.
The stiffest punishments were meted out to club president Robert Mihai Dumitru, delegate Robert Fănuţ Vlăduţoiu, and head coach Alexandru Opriţa, each receiving two-year suspensions and sporting fines of up to RON 200,000. Six players—Samson Nwabueze, Horațiu Peia, Ionuț Alexandru Mainerici, Robert Mădălin Bubuioc, Gabriel Marin Oita, and Răzvan Florentin Vulpe—were handed one-year bans plus identical RON 200,000 fines.
In a related case, FC Jiul Petroşani president Erika Preda was given a one-month suspension and a RON 10,000 fine. Referee Iuliana Demetrescu and match observer Alina Mihoc received formal warnings without further sanctions.
These actions are part of the FRF’s broader campaign to safeguard the integrity of Romanian football against betting-related corruption. Separately, a larger match-fixing scandal emerged earlier this year in the Czech Republic, where authorities charged 32 individuals—including players, officials, and referees—with corruption, fraud, organized crime, and money laundering following an operation by the National Centre Against Organised Crime in March. The alleged fix affected top-tier and lower-division matches.