Romanian deputy PM says football should be a public service like water and sewage

Romania’s deputy prime minister and development minister Paul Stanescu said on Monday, August 27, that football should be a public service for the population such as public transport, running water or sewage. He also pointed out that most of the sports infrastructure in Romania, including over 1,200 sports halls, have been made with public funds, local Profit.ro reported. He added that the Government has the objective to build a football stadium in each important city in Romania and to build or modernize 400 football pitches throughout Romania. The minister also said that the estimated investments in football facilities will amount to some EUR 100 million. The president of the Romanian Football Federation (FRF) said at the same conference that Romania has few football pitches and needs the Government’s support to develop the infrastructure. He also presented a report showing that there are some 700,000 Romanians who play football, who have a direct contribution to the local economy of EUR 183 million and an indirect one of EUR 503 million, represented by savings to the health budget. Some 218,000 football players in Romania are registered with local clubs, both professional and amateur. Steaua stadium in Bucharest to be revamped with EUR 45 mln editor@romania-insider.com