Gheorghe Popescu I
Gheorghe Popescu ( born August 8, 1919 in Bucharest, † 25 January 2001) was a Romanian football player, coach and functionary. He played 135 games in the highest Romanian football league, the Divizia A, and supervised the Romanian selection during the Olympic Games in 1952. From 1963 to 1967 he was president of the Romanian Football Federation
- 4.1 as a player
- 4.2 as coach
Career as a player
The career of Popescu began in the youth of Gloria Bucharest, where he already played the age of fourteen in the first team. At the age of 16 years he became a left winger for the Bucharest club Sportul Studenţesc in the Divizia B. In 1937 he went with his team in the top flight, the Divizia A, on. He was a regular player at a young age and as a support striker of the team. In the season 1937/38, he reached with his club as well as the following year in the league and also moved into the Cup final in 1939, but where he and his team against Rapid Bucharest 0-2 drew the short straw.
In the season 1939/40, Popescu scored the best result of his time at Sportul. With 14 goals, he finished fourth in the scoring charts and landed behind local rivals Venus Bucharest and Rapid Bucharest in third place in the league. The following season he was able to repeat his personal yield nearly 13 goals for the team, it was enough just to a placement in midfield.
Due to the outbreak of the Second World War, the game operation in Divizia A in 1941 has been set and only continued the Romanian Cup. Sportul moved into the Cup final in 1943, but it lost to CFR Turnu Severin with 0:4. Then had to interrupt his football career Popescu, since he was drafted in the Romanian army.
After his return from the front Popescu played in 1944, a short time for Carmen Bucharest, before he returned to Sportul, which was called at this time Sparta Bucharest. He missed despite ten goals in twelve games in 1946 to qualify for the Divizia A and joined again to Carmen. With his new club, he was able to win Arad and thus the best result of his career, but arrived only four goals in the season 1946/47, the runner-up behind ITA. In the summer of 1947, Carmen was dissolved by the political leadership of Romania and replaced by the newly formed Army Sports Club ASA Bucharest, to which also changed Popescu. After barely avoiding relegation had been achieved in the first year, Popescu came in the season 1948/49, hardly for the course and ended his active career.
National
Popescu played six games for the Romanian national football team. He made his debut on 10 June 1937 in a friendly match against Belgium. Then he had to wait until March 31, 1940 before the new coach Virgil Economu built on him. Popescu came in four of five international matches this year for use and was able to score his only goal in the national jersey on September 22, 1940 in the match against Yugoslavia. On 13 June 1943 he played his last international match against Slovakia.
Career as a coach
After the end of his active career Popescu was established in March 1951, the start of the season in 1951 as the successor of Francisc Ronnay coach of his former club CCA Bucharest ( today Steaua Bucharest). In the first year he won the double of league and cup. He repeated a year later, before he was replaced in August 1953 by Ronnay this success.
Already in May 1952 Popescu had also taken over the post of national coach, alongside his work for CCA. In this capacity, he was responsible for the Romanian selection during the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, but it lost to in the first game the later Olympic champion Hungary. After failing to qualify for the 1954 World Cup, he was replaced by Ştefan Dobay in the fall of 1953.
At the beginning of 1955 Popescu was again coach. In his second term, who missed qualifying for the 1958 World Cup in second place behind Yugoslavia. In the fall of 1958, he was replaced by Augustin Botescu. Previously, he had again August 1958 CCA Bucharest taken over as head coach. In contrast to his first term, he only won the championship in 1960 with a title. Then replaced him from July 1960 Ştefan Onisie.
At the beginning of 1961, Popescu was the third time coach and this year won the two matches. After he returned from March to July 1962 again as a club coach of Steaua Bucharest (formerly CCA Bucharest ) back, though could in the second half 1961/62 is no longer the championship, but win the Romanian Cup. After two more games as a coach in the fall of 1962, he finished his career.
Football official
Popescu was from January 1963 to May 1967 President of the Romanian Football Federation and the Uniunea pentru cultura Fizică şi sport. During his tenure, the foundation of the first football centers for children and young people in Romania and the appearance of the football magazine Fotbal fell. After the 1:7 defeat international match against Switzerland in the European Championship Qualifiers 1968 Popescu resigned from his post and returned to 1973 as Vice President to Steaua Bucharest. There was 1968, the Romanian championship titles from 1969 to 1971 and three times the Cupa României be won. He was also one of UEFA's, which was commissioned to host the European Football Championship. In 1973, Popescu officially withdrew from the world of football and was later only sporadically worked as a technical adviser, including 1983-1984 at Steaua Bucharest.
Achievements
As a player
- Romanian runner-up: 1947
- Romanian Cup finalist: 1939, 1943
- Rise in the Divizia A: 1937
As coach
- Participants in the Olympic Games: 1952
- Romanian champion: 1951, 1952, 1960
- Romanian Cup Winners: 1951, 1952, 1962