RomanianSoccer.ro - Deceased players

'Players who died on the field

1963
Constantin TABARCEA
26 years
Petrolul Ploiești
In the 16th minute of the last round of 1962-63 season between first division teams Petrolul Ploiești and Dinamo Bacău, Tabarcea colapsed on the field and died despite medical help. The cause of death was attributed to an unusual activity of the timus gland, which is supposed to atrophy after the age of 16.

1993
Michael KLEIN (10.10.1959 - 02.02.1993)
33 years
Bayer 05 Uerdingen
Michael Klein died in the gym, during a fitness session. The cause of death was a cardiac disease leading to heart attack. He was one of the most capped international player with 90 matches and 5 goals for Romania. Played in the 1990 World Cup final tournament.

1999
Ștefan VRĂBIORU (18.10.1975 - 24.07.1999)
23 years
SC Astra Ploiești
In the 68th minute of debut match in the first division, during first round of 1999-2000 season, Ștefan Vrăbioru suffered an internal hemorrage and died on his way to the hospital. Later, tests revealed traces of metandienone, a steroid, in his urine. The Giulesti stadium had only one, poorly equipped ambulance. The death of Vrăbioru induced stricter regulations by FRF on providing modern medical equipment on first division stadiums.

1999
Ferenc BIRO
15 years
Nirajul Miercurea-Nir.
Died after a cross bar fell on his head during warmup.

1999
Gabriel TALPOȘ
23 years
Minerul Rodna
Gabriel Talpoș died after smashing his head on a concrete wall surrounding the football pitch, during a training session.

2000
Cătălin HÂLDAN (03.02.1976 - 08.10.2000)
24 years
FC Dinamo București
During the second half of the friendly match Șantierul Naval Oltenița - FC Dinamo București, Hâldan suffered a cerebral vascular accident and later died at a local hsopital in Oltenita. He was the captain of the "Red Dogs", having played 131 first division matches in which he scored 6 times. He was also an international player, with 8 caps and a goal. Was in the squad for Euro 2000.

2000
Daniel ORBEANU
18 years
Caraimanul Bușteni
Died because of an infection after a simple sprain. Medical investigations at four different hospital failed to correctly diagnose him.

2002
Ioan ALB
13 years
Jiul Petroșani
Became sick during a warmup session. Was transported to the emergency room in Petroșani and diagnosed with 3rd degree cerebral comotion. Died three days later.

2002
Cristian NEAMȚU (22.08.1980 - 20.02.2002)
22 years
Universitatea Craiova
The goalkeeper Cristian Neamțu was accidentally struck in the mandible by a teammate charging towards goal, Marius Șuleap, during a warmup session of Universitatea Craiova, in preparation for a tournament in Cyprus. After losing conscience, he was carried to the emergency room in Larnaca. Internal bleeding of the brain was discovered. His status gradually worsened, leading to week long coma and eventually death.

2005
Alin PAICU
32 years
Minerul Mătăsari
During the match from Divizia C between Minerul Mătăsari and Hese Jebel Timișoara (27 May 2005), the midfielder of hosts, Alin Paicu, 32-years-old, has died on the field. At a normal phase, Alin struck the ball with the head, and then he fell down. Even the doctors from the both teams tried to help him, his heart refused to beat anymore. From first informations it seems that the player has sufferred a heart attack.

2009
Mihai BAICU
33 years
-
Former striker Mihai Baicu has died on Monday evening at the age of 33. The former striker suffered a cardiac arrest after playing football on a synthetic pitch near Steaua stadium. The aforementioned source writes that Baicu sat on the bench at the end of the game then collapsed and died on the spot. Mihai Baicu retired at the age of 31. He last played in League II for Ceahlaul Piatra-Neamt (2005-2006 season). The former striker played 112 games in League I and scored 17 goals. He also played 44 games in League II, scoring 31 goals. Baicu played for FC National, Dacia Unirea Braila, Gloria IRIS Coresti, FC Arges, Chindia Targoviste, Foresta Suceava, AS Cittadella, US Cremonese, FC Brasov, FC Ghimbav, Farul Constanta and Ceahlaul Piatra-Neamt.

'Players who died off the field

1942
Petea VÂLCOV (1910 - 16.11.1943)
32 years
Venus București
Petea Vâlcov was part of the famous offensive line of Venus Bucuresti in the 1930s, together with his brothers, Colea and Volodea. Petea, was arguably the most tallented of the three, with a great header (his most feared weapon) and good anticipation in front of the goal. The exact cause of his death is unknown. He died in WWII, on the eastern front, fighting the Soviets, this being one of the reasons why not much was made public after the war.
National champion in 1932, 1934 and 1937, 150 caps in Divizia A, 99 goals.

1979
Aurel RĂDULESCU 13.10.1953 - 04.07.1979)
25 years
Sportul Studențesc
Born in 1953 in Constanța, where he debuted for Farul. Moved to Sportul Studențesc in 1973, after entering college. Shy and quiet, Aurel was only noticed for his shear talent. Placed 3rd with the youth team at the Viareggio tournament in 1973, as part of a group of players often called the "lost generation" (Ciocârlan, Unchiaș, Poratki, Viorel Mureșan, Batacliu, Purima, Costas Amarandei, Sabados). A string of unlucky events stalled his promising career, right at the time when he was supposed to move up to the senior squad. Hepatitis and a leg injury sidelined him between 1976-77, when he was much needed in the campaign for Argentina. Fully recovered, has a sensational season (1977-1978), when Sportul Studențesc berely misses the national title. Called up to the national team, he enters as a susbstitute in the second half of the game against Yugoslavia for the Euro 1980 qualifiers and, together with Dobrin and Sameș, masterminds a famous 3-2 win. The 1978-79 domestic season is equally successful. Aurel, at his peak, leads Sportul to the Romanian cup final. A week later, he dies foolishly when he attempts to jump off a moving train in München.
Played 6 international matches, without scoring a goal, and 171 matches in Divizia A, with 28 goals.

1982
Dan COE 08.09.1941 - 08.09.1982)
41 years
ex. Rapid București
Dan Coe was of Aromanian descent. His father, Duce Coe, played for the Sportul Studențesc team that won promotion to Divizia A in 1937. Left wing in that squad, coached by Cibi Braun Bogdan, was Gheorghe Popescu, the youngest player ever selected to the national team, at the age of 17. Together with Nelu Nunweiller of Dinamo and Bujor Hălmăgeanu of Steaua, he was one of the most solid defensive players in the national team. Placed 5th at the 1964 Olympic Games and was regularly among the best in the successful qualification campaign for Mexico 1970 World Cup. One of his most unforgettable performances came in Lausanne, when together with Alexandru Boc and Rică Răducanu formed and inexpugnable defensive triangle. Surprisingly, he did not play a single minute in Mexico, where Cornel Dinu of Dinamo was preferred in his stead. Playing for Rapid, he was part of the team that won the first ever championship for the "Grant Bridge" team in 1967. The defensive line Răducanu-C.Lupescu-Dan Coe-Motroc-Greavu was one of the best in the league. He later immigrated clandestinely to West Germany, where he had several unsuccessful attempts in a coaching career. A man of intransigent nature, Coe could not bear failures and hanged himself on his birthday in the attic of his home in Köln. Unofficial sources claim that his mysterious death was in fact the works of the Romanian Securitate, but what actually happened will most likely never be found.
Played for Rapid Bucharest between 1959 and 1971, later for Antwerpen (Belgium) and FC Galați. Played 214 matches in Divizia A, scoring 12 goals, and 41 games for the national teams, with 2 international goals.

1992
Bogdan BĂNUȚĂ and A.NĂSTASE
FC Inter Sibiu
Died on 19 April 1992 in a road accident. The bus carrying the members of FC Inter Sibiu crashed on its way to Bistrița, where they where meeting Gloria Bistrița, in the 24th round of the first division.

1996
Bogdan LIȚĂ and Cristian IGESCU
CF Chindia Târgoviște
Died in a car accident, after their Volkswagen went off the road, smashed into a tree and caught fire. The charred bodies of the two players were found inside the car. The two could have had a better fate, had they not refused to return home with the rest of the team by bus after a league game in Craiova, instead of going on their own.

1999
Mario BUGEANU (15.01.1975 - 22.03.1999)
23 years
FC Gloria Bistrița
The Rapid player, on loan to Gloria Bistrița, died in a bizarre incident, intoxicated with exhaust gas in his garrage, where he and his girlfriend were making love during the night.

2001
Ovidiu IACOV (18.07.1981 - 22.12.2001)
20 years
FC Steaua București
Died in a car accident, after his Volkswagen crashed into a concrete sidewall near Valea Voievozilor (Târgoviște). Iacov was established to have been driving under the influence of alcohol, without licence, late at night. Three other players from Chindia Târgoviște were riding with him on the back seats, but they all escaped with minor injuries. The driver's girlfriend, on the passenger seat, also died.
He debuted in Divizia A on 9 June 2000, in Mediaș, scoring a goal in a 3-1 win for his team, Steaua. This was to be his only goal scored in Divizia A, in 4 matches played.

2003
Gelu DASCĂLU (1983 - 08.01.2003)
20 years
Ceahlăul II P.Neamț
Midfielder Gelu Dascălu played for Ceahlăul II Piatra-Neamț, the satellite of the first division club. A promising young player, he was planning to move up to the main squad in the second of half of he 2002-2003 season. On December 28, 2002 Dascălu was found unconscious in his appartment by his parents. Brought to the County Hospital in Piatra-Neamț in a profound coma, it was established that he was intoxicated with an unidentified noxious substance. Following a cardio-respiratory arrest, he needed artificial breathing. A tomography revealed massive damage to his brain and liver. Transferred to the emergency room of Floreasca Hospital in Bucharest, he died after suffering another heart attack and a nine day coma.

2003
Mihai SERBĂNOIU (1979-2003)
23 years
Pandurii Târgu-Jiu
On June 2, 2003, defender Mihai Șerbănoiu, of the second division team Pandurii Târgu-Jiu, and his family were involved in a serious car accident. He died three days later. His heart, however, is still beating. As an organ donor, Mihai Șerbănoiu helped another man survive. A local doctor performed a successful transplant to another patient, Mihai Stăniloiu, a doctor himself.

2003
Cezar DINU (30.08.1975 - 16.03.2003)
27 years
Unirea Focșani
On February 21, 2003, the Volkswagen Golf driven by his teammate from Unirea Focșani, 20 years old Ionuț Botezatu, at speeds estimated at above 150 km/h, crashed into a supermarket wall after the driver tried to avoid a construction site on the road. Seated on the passenger side, 27 years old Dinu's body was mangled into the contorted pieces of metal. He underwent surgery at the emergency room in Bucharest, but died of multiple cranial and toracic wounds after several days of coma while in intensive therapy.

2008
Ibrahim Dossey (24.11.1972 - 09.12.2008)
36 years
FCM Târgoviște
Ghanese goalkeeper Ibrahim Dossey died Monday night in Bagdasar Arseni Emergency Hospital in Bucharest, Ionut Dragomir, player for the Romanian team Minerul Lupeni. "His wife called me and told me Dossey died. I am stupefied. He should have probably been removed from the hospital. Our campaign for him, which raised RON50,000, was in vain", Dragomir said. Ibrahim Dossey was severely injured in an accident which occurred on September 13, in the locality Breaza, near Bucharest, southern Romania. He was in a coma following the head injuries he suffered in the accident. In the accident, a child aged 9 and his parents were also injured. Aged 36, Dossey did not have his contract extended with Romanian team Pandurii Targu-Jiu after it expired in summer, citing his age and medical problems. Dossey had also played for FC Brasov, Rapid Bucharest and Unirea Sanicolau-Mare. A few days before the accident, he had signed a two-year contract with FCM Targoviste.

2009
Alexandru Iatan (15.04.1990 - 02.09.2009)
19 years
Astra Ploiești/Dunărea Giurgiu
The nineteen-year-old goalkeeper Alexandru Iatan died, during his first training session with his new team, Dunarea Giugiu. The causes of this tragic event are yet unknown. Alexandru fell down after being hit in the belly by a ball, while practicing penalty shots during the training session, the coach of the team Dunarea Giugiu announced. The ambulances arrived immediately; nonetheless, the goalkeeper died on his way to the hospital. "He jumped and caught the ball, stood up after the second shot, jumped twice in the box and then fell down. He was a gifted child, we wanted to use him in every game", declared coach Marin Barbu. The footballer was brought from Astra Ploiesti to Dunarea Giurgiu this week.

2011
Andrei Mutulescu (05.04.1988 - 11.04.2011)
23 years
Juventus București
Andrei Mutulescu (23), one of the players of second tier team Juventus Bucharest, suffered a cardiac arrest while playing football with his friends in a park, realitatea.net informs. Doctors struggled for one and a half hours to resuscitate the young man but to no avail. "He simply collapsed. He fell without anyone hitting him, without anyone touching him. He collapsed. He had a similar problem two months ago", one of Andrei's friends stated. Andrei Mutulescu fainted during a friendly game that Juventus Bucharest played against Sageata Navodari on February 15. This time however the doctors were unable to help him. "We performed advanced resuscitation maneuvers. The patient was ventilated; he was given the appropriate medication, we used electric shocks. Unfortunately, despite our efforts that lasted for well over one and a half hours his heart did not resume beating", Dr. Iancu Florenta explained. After the February incident the player was hospitalized several days within the intensive care unit of the "Bagdasar Arseni" Hospital in Bucharest and was told to avoid sustained physical effort for three months, period at the end of which he was set to undergo a new series of medical investigations. The aforementioned source also writes that Mutulescu's heart problems were discovered as far back as 2010 when he was playing for Farul Constanta. The club sent him to the Bucharest-based National Institute for Sports Medicine. There the player received a medical green light. Farul Constanta canceled his contract during the mid-season break, Mutulescu coming to Bucharest where he underwent trials for Juventus Bucharest. The February 15 incident took place during those trials. Marian Rusen, President Juventus Bucharest: "Because of the problems he had during the friendly against Sageata Navodari in February, Mutulescu was yet to sign for us. I told him he could continue to play football, he could play for us, the moment he comes with a green light from the doctors. From what I know after the problems he had in February the doctors told him to take a 3-month break and then to repeat the medical tests. It seems that when you love something, even football, you disregard other people's advice. He was a very good boy, he was polite, and a very good player. May God rest his soul!"

RomanianSoccer.ro - Deceased players