Influential Ionescu dies at 78

Romanian football yesterday lost Mihai Ionescu, one of its most influential figures, who died at the age of 78 after a heart attack. Ionescu had been a player, trainer and esteemed journalist as well as a Romanian Football Federation (FRF) official.

Hard times
Born on 25 May 1925, the son of a businessman, he graduated in 1944 from the most famous of Romania's military high schools, Manastirea Dealu, in the town Targoviste, the alma mater of the country's former monarch, King Michael I. Because of his schooling and his father's successful business career, Ionescu's family suffered during the communist era, however, and it was not until 1969 - long after he had hung up his boots - that he was able to complete his studies at the History-Geography University.

Distinguished career
He began his football career playing in the town of his birth for Prahova Ploiesti and then went on to ASA Bucuresti, the forerunner to FC Steaua Bucuresti. When he finished his playing career in 1950, Ionescu worked as youth-team coach at Steaua between 1959 and 1965 and then had a 15-year spell as a journalist on the daily sports paper Sportul.

Nurturing talent
From 1982-88, he was general secretary of the FRF, responsible for nurturing young talent in the country. He helped found the Bucharest-based Luceafarul football school which centralised the footballing education of the youth and junior national teams, discovering such stars as Gheorghe Hagi, Ioan-Ovidiu Sabau and Romulus Gabor.

Prolific writer
Ionescu's next role, between 1988 and 1990, was as president of the FRF disciplinary committee, a body he later served as vice-president. A year later he returned to writing but remained an active member of various commissions and committees at the FRF and the Romanian Professional League (LPF) until the time of his death. Ionescu published 14 books and was on the verge of completing the most eagerly awaited of all, a colourful account of his life in Romanian football.