Romanian national football team coach detained

Victor Piturca, the national football team coach, was taken into custody on Thursday afternoon by the anti-graft prosecutors and the Police. Piturca was subpoenaed in the „Suitcase” file, but refused to present himself to the hearings. The case refers to an incident at the end of the 2007-2008 championship, when several businessmen close to the Steaua Bucharest financial supporter, were found carrying over one million euros, allegedly a „motivational” bribe for the players at Universitatea Cluj to win the game against CFR Cluj and thus make Steaua champion.

Piturca is accused of signing as witness a false document that would prove that the money was in fact for buying a real estate property in Cluj, thus helping the main suspect in the case, Gigi Becali. Becali was recently declared the richest Romanian.