Nicolae Rainea

Nicolae Rainea ( born November 19, 1933, Brăila ) is a former Romanian football referee.

Career as a player

Rainea played in his active career until 1956 at the unterklassigen clubs Laminorul Brăila, Piatra Neamt and Metalul Constructorul Birlad.

Career as a referee

Rainea began in 1959 to conduct first game as a referee. Three years later he was accepted into the circle of the League referee. From 1965 he whistled Games Divizia A and from 1967 he was FIFA referee. In total he officiated in nearly 1,000 Romanian league games, including 267 in the first division, as Impartial. He worked from 1982 to 2009, when he was overtaken by Sorin Corpodean, the referee with most Erstligaeinsätzen.

Rainea launched 115 international matches, including the finals at the European Football Championship in Italy in 1980 and the European Cup of Champions 1982/83 in Athens. He participated as a referee at three World Cups ( 1974 in Germany 1978 in Argentina and in Spain in 1982 ). Overall, he allowed five Games of conduct and showed 13 yellow cards.

1984 ended his career as a referee Rainea, but remained within the framework of the Romanian Football Federation as a referee observer active. Rainea was a member of the Central Referees Committee ( Comisia CENTRALA a Arbitrilor ) of the Romanian Football Federation, from which he retired in 2003 and whose honorary president he later became.