From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad21 Dec 2026
Somália keeps the receipts
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” FCSB may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Tempers go at FCSB
Rafael Carioca was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad21 Dec 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match10 Dec 2026
The wait goes on for FCSB
5 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Market14 Dec 2026
Valentin Creţu has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around FCSB they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad14 Dec 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FCSB this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match10 Dec 2026
AZ take the points off FCSB
Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad14 Dec 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Florin Tănase, and the manager let it.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.62, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad14 Dec 2026
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Luciano Lollo will call it something else in private.
Squad14 Dec 2026
Getting past Ştefan Târnovanu has become the hardest job in the division
7 clean sheets and counting. Forwards used to back themselves here; now they shoot early, shoot wide, and look for somebody to blame.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad7 Dec 2026
64 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Tempers go at FCSB
Rafael Carioca was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad7 Dec 2026
The manager makes an example of Joakim Nilsson
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match30 Nov 2026
FCSB are in among the leaders
Position 2 and 27 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Market30 Nov 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at FCSB, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Lukáš Zima: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” FCSB have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Player ratings30 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 24. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match26 Nov 2026
The wait goes on for FCSB
4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad30 Nov 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FCSB this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad30 Nov 2026
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; FCSB are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Player ratings30 Nov 2026
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 18 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad30 Nov 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match18 Nov 2026
FCSB bow out of the cup
Pandurii go through and FCSB go home, 0‑1 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.
Player ratings23 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 27. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Tempers go at FCSB
Rafael Carioca was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Boardroom23 Nov 2026
Nobody left the FCSB dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
Squad23 Nov 2026
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Lukáš Zima knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Ofri Arad asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match14 Nov 2026
11 unbeaten for FCSB
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 11 matches without defeat is a foundation FCSB did not have in the autumn.
Market16 Nov 2026
Valentin Creţu has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around FCSB they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Player ratings16 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Tempers go at FCSB
Florin Tănase was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match14 Nov 2026
A 2‑2 draw with Dinamo Bucharest leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Player ratings16 Nov 2026
There was no pressure on him and nowhere he had to be. FCSB lost a goal to a decision that took half a second and will be discussed all week.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Getting past Ştefan Târnovanu has become the hardest job in the division
7 clean sheets and counting. Forwards used to back themselves here; now they shoot early, shoot wide, and look for somebody to blame.
Squad16 Nov 2026
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at FCSB pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
Squad16 Nov 2026
A window away with the national side, and a shirt at FCSB that briefly doubles as an advertisement. A call-up flatters the player and the club that built him in the same breath.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad9 Nov 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 9 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Match7 Nov 2026
10 unbeaten for FCSB
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 10 matches without defeat is a foundation FCSB did not have in the autumn.
Squad9 Nov 2026
96 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Player ratings9 Nov 2026
Defensive actions: 24. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Tempers go at FCSB
Rafael Carioca was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings9 Nov 2026
A masterclass from Manoel
Marked 9.32 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings9 Nov 2026
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 21 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Loan watch9 Nov 2026
“I watch every FCSB game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Levadiakos runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Player ratings9 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match2 Nov 2026
FCSB are in among the leaders
Position 2 and 25 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Market2 Nov 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at FCSB, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match31 Oct 2026
8 unbeaten for FCSB
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 8 matches without defeat is a foundation FCSB did not have in the autumn.
Player ratings2 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 24. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad2 Nov 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FCSB this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings2 Nov 2026
Marked 8.42 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings2 Nov 2026
A performance of 8.20 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad2 Nov 2026
The manager makes an example of Mihai Lixandru
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad2 Nov 2026
No place for Manoel on the big day
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at FCSB pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 36 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 25 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad26 Oct 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FCSB this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match24 Oct 2026
Still nobody has beaten FCSB
The unbeaten run reaches 7. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
A performance of 9.37 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match24 Oct 2026
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Darius Olaru. 3‑1 against Voluntari, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Match22 Oct 2026
It finished 1‑0, and it was Florin Tănase’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to FCSB.
Squad26 Oct 2026
No place for Luciano Lollo on the big day
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at FCSB pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad19 Oct 2026
A one-man rearguard from Lukáš Zima
There were 9 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Market19 Oct 2026
Only the photograph left for Valentin Creţu
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Valentin Creţu will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around FCSB the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad19 Oct 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FCSB this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
A performance of 8.46 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 15. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad19 Oct 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Risto Radunović, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad12 Oct 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” FCSB may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad12 Oct 2026
131 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Tempers go at FCSB
Rafael Carioca was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings12 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 21. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad12 Oct 2026
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Lukáš Zima knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Loan watch12 Oct 2026
“I did not go to Levadiakos to sit and watch. I want to come back to FCSB and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Player ratings5 Oct 2026
Defensive actions: 34, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Match5 Oct 2026
FCSB are in among the leaders
Position 2 and 19 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Market5 Oct 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what FCSB can pretend not to have heard.
Player ratings5 Oct 2026
Defensive actions: 29, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Mamadou Thiam: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” FCSB have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Player ratings5 Oct 2026
Defensive actions: 27, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Juri Cisotti in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FCSB this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings5 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 21. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad28 Sep 2026
Tempers go at FCSB
Rafael Carioca was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.14, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match26 Sep 2026
Three points for FCSB, 2‑1 the final word against Viitorul in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad28 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to André Duarte, and the manager let it.
Squad28 Sep 2026
One booking too many, and Florin Tănase sits out. FCSB lose him for the sort of avoidable reason that makes a manager's week longer.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad21 Sep 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 9 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 28. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market21 Sep 2026
Valentin Creţu has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around FCSB they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad21 Sep 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FCSB this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Defensive actions: 23. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Defensive actions: 23. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.89, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match19 Sep 2026
Astra take the points off FCSB
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Match17 Sep 2026
It finished 1‑0, and it was Mamadou Thiam’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to FCSB.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match12 Sep 2026
The longest week starts now for FCSB
Beaten 1‑2 by Dinamo Bucharest in the one fixture that is never just a fixture. Work, school, the corner shop — there will be no getting away from this one.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 27. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad14 Sep 2026
Manoel in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FCSB this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.67, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad14 Sep 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad14 Sep 2026
Juri Cisotti finally opens his account
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. FCSB have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Squad14 Sep 2026
At 38 he has made the position his own, and the man he took it from has to find something to say about it. FCSB have a decision that made itself.
Market14 Sep 2026
The André Duarte story refuses to die
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until André Duarte signs something — a contract at FCSB or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Market14 Sep 2026
The window shut and Daniel Graovac is still in the building
FCSB spent a month trying to move him and nobody rang back. He trains with a squad that has told him where he stands, and both sides start counting down to the next one.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match7 Sep 2026
FCSB up to position 1
13 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.
Market7 Sep 2026
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Market7 Sep 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at FCSB, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad7 Sep 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FCSB this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market7 Sep 2026
Pandurii pay $240.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad7 Sep 2026
The manager makes an example of Manoel
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match5 Sep 2026
Pandurii left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
Doors closed at FCSB
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market31 Aug 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at FCSB, and it is not being withdrawn.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 24. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Tempers go at FCSB
Rafael Carioca was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 21 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 20 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad31 Aug 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
A defender's afternoon for Ofri Arad
Defensive actions: 18. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Match29 Aug 2026
Point won or two lost for FCSB?
Ninety minutes, no goals, and the argument started before the car park emptied: a point gained, or two thrown away against Botosani? Both sides of it will still be going on Thursday.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Mihai Popescu asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Market24 Aug 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at FCSB, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match22 Aug 2026
FCSB cannot stop winning
4 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 26 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Market24 Aug 2026
Petrolul come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and FCSB did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Juri Cisotti in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FCSB this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
A performance of 9.45 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match22 Aug 2026
It finished 1‑0, and it was Mihai Lixandru’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to FCSB.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.25, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Market24 Aug 2026
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Mihai Popescu has his answer from FCSB; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 41 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 9 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
A defender's afternoon for Ofri Arad
Defensive actions: 34. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Match15 Aug 2026
FCSB cannot stop winning
3 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Tempers go at FCSB
Juri Cisotti was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad17 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Florin Tănase, and the manager let it.
Market17 Aug 2026
The interest is real enough to have reached print. FCSB have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
Marked 8.62 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Market10 Aug 2026
FCSB sell their best player to KAA Gent
$8.2M is a serious amount of money and it does not play centre-forward. Everybody in the dressing room knows who used to be looked at when it went wrong.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
A defender's afternoon for Ofri Arad
Defensive actions: 40. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad10 Aug 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Ofri Arad and FCSB agree another 4 years.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Tempers go at FCSB
Juri Cisotti was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.16, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match8 Aug 2026
Petrolul made FCSB work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.38, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad10 Aug 2026
The manager makes an example of Darius Olaru
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
A defender's afternoon for João Paulo
Defensive actions: 30. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
Defensive actions: 27, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Market3 Aug 2026
The name of Daniel Bîrligea has come up in conversations FCSB were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad3 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Juri Cisotti and FCSB agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Juri Cisotti in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FCSB this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad3 Aug 2026
The manager makes an example of Ofri Arad
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match1 Aug 2026
FCSB get the job done against CFR Cluj
A 1‑0 win over CFR Cluj, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
A performance of 8.49 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Market3 Aug 2026
24 months and counting on Juri Cisotti
Still no offer on the table, and Juri Cisotti’s deal keeps shrinking. In boardroom language, silence this long stops being an oversight and starts being an answer.