Mircea Lucescu: I think that my entire career allows me to be glad of what I have achieved, without waiting for conformation through the title of a champion. Of course, every professional always proposes himself to win, otherwise he wouldn’t have this quality anymore.
R.J.: Shall I understand that this performance doesn’t mean very much for you?M.L.: I think it is of a special importance because first of all, since I was a child I have been close to this team. I am glad and happy that I could offer these people a title they have been waiting for three decades.
My satisfaction is double: I won a trophy as a professional and I could offer the fans a real joy.
I remember that last year when I returned to the country, a fan of Rapid told me: “If Rapid becomes a champion, I can die happily”. He was expecting much from us, so we couldn’t disappoint him. Neither him, nor the others.
R.J.: When you returned to UFC Rapid, did you continue what Mr. Nicolae Manea had started?M.L.: No, I’ve changed everything. Here we deal with a different philosophy of life. This is where the construction of a team starts. This philosophy supposes from the one who exposes himself clear instructions in regard to the education and preparation method.
Rapid hasn’t succeeded so many years not because it didn’t have good players, but because it lacked the education of a great performance.
This is what I started to do with them when I returned. I asked them to adopt a positive attitude at any moment. I started from a free assumed discipline, not an imposed one, as it wouldn’t have had any value. They must be aware that they also need an inner discipline, not only an exterior one. I always choose the people who can sustain such ideas. He who cannot self-educate, has no place at Rapid. I start from an industry, followed by a life conception and when things are well structured, results begin to appear which are continuous not at random.
At all teams I educated the players. It is not a hazard that all my “pupils” end their sportive activity very late.
R.J.: There have been doubts in regard to the arbitrage in the match Rapid-University Craiova. Which is your opinion?M.L.: I consider that the arbitrage was correct. Once with success there appear appeals. Romanians are Latinos and that brings us to the conclusion that the performance of any team cannot be supported in the same way by everybody. We miss the sense of value, which unfortunately predominates in other parts. If somebody reaches a higher level than others, he is respected. Here it is the other way round. We stone him and try to demonstrate that he used illegal means to get there. This is our fate now that we are champions. But I don’t take this into account.
I have also watched the match on television. Iencsi’s goal could have been offside as the scene developed so rapidly that it didn’t allow the referee to understand the situation. In regard to the penalty requested by the Olteniens, it’s out of the question. It is sure that Rapid lost only once in this championship and thus the evolution of the entire football year cannot be questioned.
R.J.: What changes will there be in the team?M.L.: We are a professional team, which supposes yearly changes in order to maintain the enthusiasm of the public. We shall do everything possible to create another stimulation among the players through these new entries.
The mood of a team can be stratified during one season. That means the titulars have a high moral while the reserves or the others have a lower one. Football players must find their satisfaction first of all in training and they must be aware that they help the entire team. If this doesn’t happen, we need certain changes as we live in a continuos competition. If this is absent in the team, you cannot obtain results. Therefore we try every year to bring new players. This fact also satisfies the club, but especially the fans; they want novelties all the time. If we kept the same team during several years, nothing new would come out.
R.J.: Have the negotiations for the transfers of Ganea and Nanu ended?M.L.: Two years ago I promised Nanu that we would offer him a chance to leave immediately when he has the occasion. It is normal because he is at the end of the career. A contract abroad for three years ensures him and his family the necessary for the rest of their lives. There he could win ten times more than in Romania.
Nanu fulfilled his duty to the team. We have the duty to find someone to replace him, so that the public won’t regret him. Let’s give him the opportunity to demonstrate how good he is at Arnhem Vitesse (the Netherlands).
In regard to Ganea, there was an error in his contract ever since the beginning. It is a clause that stipulates that for a certain amount of money, which any team may give, his contract with Rapid can be cancelled. He will leave for Germany.
R.J.: Whom do you hope to bring to Rapid?M.L.: There are discussions about brining to Rapid some players that will make it a better team than last year. But this doesn’t depend only on us, but also on the partners and players. Generally there are no more problems with the football players, as all dreamt of teams like Steaua and Dinamo; now the situation is reversed.
R.J.: To help you a little, is it true that you want to bring Raducioiu to Rapid?M.L.: Yes, there are chances and I hope to succeed and when he comes to us, we shall find out what happened to him all this last couple of years. The moment he comes to Rapid, I will take care of him and he will have no more problems.
R.J.: What image has gained Rapid after winning this championship?M.L.: An extraordinary one! The championship creates in the masses a positive image, which helps our sponsors and owners. And I take this opportunity to thank our sponsors, fans and shareholders. They have supported us for years, each in his own way and we demonstrate them now that we succeeded only with their help.
