Piturca back as Romania boss

THE former Steaua Bucharest manager Victor Piturca has been re-appointed as the coach of the Romanian national team.

Piturca previously spent 16 games in charge of his country in the late 1990s but was sacked after a bitter row regarding Romania’s legendary captain Gheorghe Hagi. The conflict began when Piturca, who had successfully guided his side to the Euro 2000 finals, said Hagi should not receive full bonus payments for his role in the qualification campaign.

The 48-year-old was relieved of his duties by the Romanian FA despite never losing a competitive game during his spell in charge.