Gica Popescu, a key defendant in Romania's once gold generation football team, who once used to play for PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands), Tottenham Hotspur (England). FC Barcelona (Spain) and Galatasaray (Turkey), was accused of collaborating with Securitatea, Romanian Intelligence. Popescu denies the accusations.

"I have quite a lot in the press for the last 20 years, but never something this false and tough like today's news, according to which I collaborated with the Securitate. This information was supplied to several daily publications by someone and I will find out who it was in the coming days. It is, perhaps, related to my intention to run for Romanian Football Federation (FRF) elections. If, up until now, i wasn't 100% convinced to run, after what happened I'm seriously thinking of running".

These are the most important declarations Gica Popescu made:

  • There was one person trying to question me on all sorts of issues. That person was in my studio flat. They had their means, they could have entered my apartment in my absence, but never with my consent. I haven't met that person since '89. I was called by the Securitate before playing against Monaco. I only signed a paper then, according to which I took on defending the national interest.
  • There was a notice allegedly written by me. The writing was similar to mine, but I am sure I have never written anything like that. I met the person who told me to sign collaboration with the Securitate before playing against Monaco on the streets many times. I was crossing the street. I could not stand that person.
  • Don't forget I refused going to Dinamo (Romanian First League team). They used military guards to get me to sign with Steaua, but I refused. My conscience is clear and these press materials lead me to believe someone is trying to denigrate me. It is weird that something like that is published when I announced my intention to run for FRF. I wasn't probably considered to be this dangerous for the first FRF leadership elections. I was and will remain a guy that cannot be blackmailed under any circumstance.
  • In the coming days, I will request to see that dossier. I haven't felt like this since 1994, after the match against Sweden. I'm extremely sad.
  • I'm ashamed to face my friend Emil Sandoi. Who knows what he's thinking now? I hope he understands what happened.
  • I believe that, on those days, the Securitate agents wrote notices in my name because they had nothing from me. There are too many notices n that dossier that I don't recall writing.

"Ex-international Gica Popescu worked for the Securitate in 1986-1989" is the shock news about one of Romania's most beloved gold generation football players. According to an article published by Adevarul, Popescu holds a penal dossier, accused of collaborating with the Intelligence. The 32 pages dossier is archived with The National Council for the Study of the Securitate Archives.

According to the data in the dossier, Gica Popescu was recruited at the age of 19 "to defend and protect the members of Universitatea Craiova team. (...) Through his behaviour and way of acting, Popescu Gheorghe is the guarantee of an honest collaboration with the security authorities."

Popescu's conspiracy name was Petrescu. His mission was to bring information from the matches the team had, especially against international teams. Popescu's house was used for secret meetings by Securitate officers.

Gica Popescu denied any collaboration with the Securitate.