Galățian Gabriel Manolache, university professor at “Dănărea de Jos”, former selector of the national junior teams, believes that there is a need for additional funding at the level of children and juniors in our city.
– How do you assess the season so far made by Oțelul in the first league, after two successive promotions?
– The course of Steel is to be appreciated. You can’t help but appreciate a team, a group, that managed to climb from League III to the first echelon. And he coped brilliantly, through the coordination of Dorinel Munteanu. Even if some of the supporters criticize the fact that there are not more Galatians in the first “eleven”, we must understand that such a strategy is realized over time. Dorinel deserves all the praise for what he has done at the Steel so far.
– What should Oțelul do to succeed in increasing the number of Romanian players from the first “eleven”, but especially from Galaţi?
– In Galați, the great performances were always made with a core of local footballers, even if there were also additions with athletes from other areas. Galatium had a tradition in football. It was, as a performance cycle, about once every 10-15 years a generation of scope for Galați football. It is important that when a player grows here, a greater desire for victory appears. I think the Steel should respect this tradition. The new regulations lead us to this goal. Even in football at the highest level, these aspects have started to be valued again. We look at Arsenal, which at one point had no Londoner in the first “eleven”, no important player from its academy. Now, Saka, perhaps the team’s most important footballer, has been pushed from behind and here he has succeeded. They also have other players from their own academy who are finding their place in the team. The same applies to more and more of the biggest clubs.
It’s a shame that there are regulations that allow Galați not to have a Galățian in the first “eleven”. But these regulations are starting to change here as well. On a local level, we need a strong center for children and juniors. To be able to do this, you need suitable financing for this area. It is about at least 200,000 euros per year that a club must allocate to children and juniors. There are already clubs in Romania that have centers with budgets even higher than 400,000 euros.
– From the point of view of sports facilities, how necessary would a new stadium be?
– We were talking a few years ago, when the team was in the 3rd League, that we need a new stadium before Oțelul reaches the first division. Here, the team has done its duty and reached the first stage of Romanian football, but a new stadium is also needed now. It would mean a lot for Galați football as an image, as an attraction. There are many young people who are passionate about football and the Steel, and this must be properly integrated. Through a new stadium in Galati and with Oțelul at this level of the first league, an important pole of power would certainly be created here.
