Gica admits having spied for secret police
Güncelleme Tarihi:
AP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Temmuz 03, 2009 00:00
BUCHAREST - Gheorghe "Gica" Popescu, the former captain of Romania's national football team and a former Galatasaray player, acknowledged Thursday being an informer for the country's secret police during the communist era.
Popescu's admission comes just three days after he denied the allegations, calling a newspaper report that he had been a Securitate informant "a big lie." In an interview with the daily Evenimentul Zilei on Thursday, Popescu said he wrote four notes informing on teammates and other colleagues while he was playing at Universitatea Craiova.
The defender was part of a Romanian team that qualified for three consecutive World Cups starting in 1990 and for two European Championships. He also helped Barcelona win the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1997. He also played for three years at Galatasaray from 1997 to 2000, where the Lions won successive Turkish League titles. Popescu is best known among Turkish football fans for scoring the decisive penalty against Arsenal in the UEFA Cup final in 2000.
When the allegations surfaced Monday, the 41-year-old Popescu said he had only signed a document in 1985 promising to "defend the national interests" during the regime of the late dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.
In Thursday's telephone interview he defended his actions under communism. "Even if I wrote notes, I wrote good things," he said. "I praised (those) people."
During Ceausescu's rule, the regime's security services kept tabs on Romania's athletes. Some players involved in international competitions were reportedly asked to share details of their conversations with foreigners.
Daily newspaper Adevarul reported Monday that Popescu had been an informant from 1986 until the regime was toppled three years later.
Popescu's 18-year playing career also included stints with Tottenham and PSV Eindhoven. He played for Romania 115 times, scoring 16 goals.
The defender was part of a Romanian team that qualified for three consecutive World Cups starting in 1990 and for two European Championships. He also helped Barcelona win the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1997. He also played for three years at Galatasaray from 1997 to 2000, where the Lions won successive Turkish League titles. Popescu is best known among Turkish football fans for scoring the decisive penalty against Arsenal in the UEFA Cup final in 2000.
When the allegations surfaced Monday, the 41-year-old Popescu said he had only signed a document in 1985 promising to "defend the national interests" during the regime of the late dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.
In Thursday's telephone interview he defended his actions under communism. "Even if I wrote notes, I wrote good things," he said. "I praised (those) people."
During Ceausescu's rule, the regime's security services kept tabs on Romania's athletes. Some players involved in international competitions were reportedly asked to share details of their conversations with foreigners.
Daily newspaper Adevarul reported Monday that Popescu had been an informant from 1986 until the regime was toppled three years later.
Popescu's 18-year playing career also included stints with Tottenham and PSV Eindhoven. He played for Romania 115 times, scoring 16 goals.