Cluj clash abandoned after players brawl
Reuters - Wednesday 09 May 2012, 08:15
A mass brawl forced the
abandonment of a crucial Romanian league derby late on Tuesday,
at an embarrassing time as the country prepares to host the
Europa League final.
League leaders CFR Cluj had notched a first-half penalty to
take the lead when Mircea Bornescu, goalkeeper for local rivals
Universitatea Cluj, ran after the scorer Cadu as he celebrated
and pushed him to the ground.
That started a fight between players of both teams and
Bornescu and Cadu were both sent off. CFR's coach Ioan Andone
refused to allow his players back on to the pitch because of
concerns for their safety.
CFR may now be awarded a 3-0 win for the abandonment, which
would edge them closer to the league title.
"It was normal that the match did not continue and we
receive a 3-0 win because we did not have assurances of safety
on the way to the changing room," CFR president Iuliu Muresan
said.
Romanian football is beset by eccentric club presidents,
crowd violence and financial difficulties and was hoping to
enjoy a brief respite from the unhappy routine when it stages
the final between Spanish sides Athletic Bilbao and Atletico
Madrid on Wednesday.
CFR are three points ahead of Vaslui at the top of the table
with four games remaining, going for their third title in five
seasons, with the big Bucharest sides Steaua, Dinamo and Rapid
trailing.