Crisis emerges in Romania, the national team's World Cup opponent

The Turkish National Football Team, which finished second in Group E in the World Cup qualifiers, will continue its journey against Romania in the play-off stage. The team that wins this critical match will face the winner of the Slovakia-Kosovo match away from home to keep its World Cup dream alive.

On the Romanian side, it is not yet clear whether experienced coach Mircea Lucescu will be on the bench for the upcoming match. The 80-year-old Lucescu, who did not get the desired results from his treatment in his home city of Bucharest, sought a second medical opinion in Brussels in recent days. Although his health is improving, whether he will be at the helm of the national team has become a subject of debate.

Giovanni Becali, from Lucescu's inner circle, made the following statements to the Romanian press: "He wants to be in charge of the team for the play-off matches, but now everything depends on the doctors' response. I heard that Lucescu's condition is improving. His check-ups will continue. His family is pressuring him to stay home. I think he is on the right track. He was very optimistic when replying to my messages."

"HIS HEALTH CONDITION HAS NOT CHANGED"

Romanian Football Federation President Razvan Burleanu also provided information about the decision Lucescu will make in the coming weeks. Burleanu said, "We had a meeting with our coach. His health condition has not changed since Friday. Therefore, the situation is the same; he will go abroad for a second medical opinion, and by February 20, we will decide whether he will be in charge of the team for the matches in March. I cannot go into details, but Lucescu felt much better today. However, considering his age and all these unpleasant medical situations he has experienced, he needs to get a second medical opinion to feel safer. But we agreed with him that we could make a definitive decision by February 20. That is, to ensure that we have a head coach who is in the most suitable conditions to prepare for these matches, which are very important for the Romanian National Team..."

Burleanu also emphasized that they are ensuring the team is prepared for any scenario in case of any negativity, and that they will not proceed unless Lucescu's health condition is reported positively by doctors both locally and internationally.

On the other hand, according to reports in the Romanian press, the federation has also made an offer to Gheorghe Hagi, who has left significant marks on Turkish football, in case Lucescu cannot be on the field before the critical matches. However, it was stated that Hagi does not want to take on such an important responsibility in such a short time.