Dinamo and Popescu part company

Gheorghe Popescu has ended his contract with FC Dinamo Bucuresti by mutual consent.

Back home
The 35-year-old Romania captain returned home over the summer after 12 years abroad with PSV Eindhoven, Tottenham Hotspur FC, FC Barcelona, Galatasaray SK and US Lecce and signed a two-year contract with Dinamo. But in September Popescu reacted angrily to comments made in the press about Dinamo's match against FC Arges-Dacia Pitesti being fixed.

'I'll never come back'
He said: "I'm disgusted. During the winter I'll leave Dinamo and the Romanian championship and I'll never come back." After being injured for four games, all of which Dinamo won, he returned at the weekend for the 2-0 defeat against CS Otelul Galati. During the game the 200 supporters who went to Galati rounded on Popescu, shouting for him to leave, and, worse still, were applauded by another Dinamo player, Giani Kirital.

'I'm sorry I have to leave'
That appears to have been the catalyst for Popescu's decision to leave early. "I'm sorry I have to leave, especially because within the team there is a group of special players, who want to work hard and to achieve something special."

'It's illogical'
Popescu has played only eight games this season and will now either go abroad or retire. Romania coach Anghel Iordanescu added: "It's painful that something like that happened and it's illogical." He will, however, play his 114th game for Romania in Wednesday's friendly against Croatia in Timisoara.