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Reports point to Costin Curelea departure from Romania U21 after Euro 2027 exit
Romanian outlets report that Costin Curelea’s contract will not be renewed after Romania U21 missed Euro 2027, while the federation has investigated a reported incident involving staff in Ibiza.
Photo credit
Selecționerul României U21, Costin Curelea, secundul acestuia, Ionuț Stancu, dar și cei din staff-ul administrativ: directorul sportiv Marius Niculae și team-managerul Iulian Oțelea, la masa organizată de Nicu Gheară la Ibiza / Foto: Instagram-@nicugheara
Photo: Instagram-@nicugheara · Reports point to Costin Curelea departure from Romania U21 after Euro 2027 exit · Instagram-@nicugheara · Cropped for display
According to Digi Sport, the Romanian Football Federation has decided not to extend Costin Curelea’s contract as Romania U21 coach. Fanatik quoted Horia Ivanovici saying the coach had three weeks remaining on his agreement. The reports describe his expected departure following the end of the qualifying campaign.
Romania U21 finished third in their qualifying group with 16 points and will miss Euro 2027. The team had qualified for four consecutive youth European Championships, beginning with the 2019 tournament. The latest campaign ended that sequence.
Digi Sport listed Romania’s final qualifying results as a 2-0 defeat to Finland and a 7-1 defeat to Spain. Fanatik also linked the decision over Curelea’s contract to the heavy loss against Spain and the failure to qualify.
Digi Sport and GSP reported on photographs of an Ibiza gathering involving members of the coaching staff at Nicu Gheara’s residence. The coverage named Curelea, Iulian Oțelea, Marius Niculae and Ionuț Stancu. These details are attributed to the outlets’ reporting about the incident.
GSP reported that the FRF announced an internal inquiry and described leaving official programmes without authorisation as a disciplinary breach. The outlet also reported Marius Niculae’s account that the gathering occurred before the match against Spain.
Curelea succeeded Daniel Pancu as Romania U21 coach in July 2025. Pancu had led the side at the 2025 European Championship. The coverage also described Curelea’s earlier career: nearly 100 domestic goals as a player and work as an assistant at CFR Cluj, where he won two league titles.
