Rednic: “I have never seen people so passionate about football as in Arad”

ARĀDEAN JOURNAL: Mr. Rednic, let’s start with football. How do you feel as a coach at a legendary Romanian football club?

MIRCEA REDNIC: Well, if we look at the standings, I think I can only feel good. Especially since we achieved much more than we set out to do. Now that we have also beaten Iași, I am really sorry that we did not insist more with the management to obtain the license (ed. – it is about the UEFA license for participation in the European cups). It’s nothing, if we stick to our work, maybe it will be next year, who knows.

JA: Sounds like a promise.

MR: I said “maybe”, that it’s not just up to me. Don’t forget, at the beginning of the championship everyone saw us as sure candidates for the fight for relegation. It seems to me that the ranking shows something else now.

JA: Yes, UTA is the leader in the play-out standings and there is already talk in sports circles that you have practically become the referee in the fight to avoid relegation.

MR: No, referee. I was a player, I’m a coach, I’d rather be a referee. No, we watch our game, others watch theirs. There are two more stages, each team has its chances, so…

JA: Leaving football, how do you feel in Arad?

MR: Honestly, almost like home. I’m telling you with my hand on my heart, yes, that’s what was supposed to make my figure, that although I’ve been a coach in many places in the country and in many places abroad, I don’t really have people as passionate about football as in Arad seen. Here, this city lives for UTA. Everywhere you go everyone is talking about UTA. And I would even say that for sports, that I saw that the hall is full for basketball as well.

By the way, I liked that I passed one day, it was in the evening, by the sports field in front of that high school (ed. “Moise Nicoara” College) and it was a real pleasure to see a lot of young people playing basketball or soccer. Indeed, the field looks very inviting and someone showed me a picture of how it used to be, and this shows me that sport is not only important at the level of ordinary people, but also at the level of city management. And I heard that a few more sports fields are being prepared, somewhere towards the forest, which is excellent. In fact, I don’t know of many stadiums in Romania that were built through the strict efforts of the locals. Most are made with government money. Either way, this shows me that I’m not wrong when I say that the people of Arad eat football on their bread, as they say. And it seems that the people in the city management feel that too.

JA: Speaking of the stadium, how are you coming to terms with the recent transformations? We mean the lawn, but also the others.

MR: Whoa! Well, it was clear to me from the very beginning that here, in Arad, people are open to doing better things. I think I can say that we have one of the most professional playing fields. With everything you need, including maintenance facilities. What I liked was the fact that including the mayor, not just subordinates, closely followed the progress of the works.

JA: Speaking of the city management, how do you get along with the people there, with the mayor, with the others in the City Hall?

MR: Very good. You know, I’m not very good at administrative matters, but I can say that I’m pretty good at people. Either way, I tell you honestly, I had a very good opinion of Mayor Bibarț from the very beginning. Not only was I received immediately after the installation as a trainer, but I also saw in him an open and friendly way of relating to the man. You can see that it went down so well for me when he visited me in the hospital after the heart operation. How many mayors care about coaches getting sick for the city team? Not too many, I tell you. And it wasn’t just that, but also the fact that when the pitch change period had to be decided, in addition to those directly involved, Mr. Bibarț insisted that I be there as well, considering that the coach’s opinion also matters. And I ask again, how many mayors do such a thing.

JA: You said that you feel at home in Arad. What makes you feel this way?

MR: Well, first of all the people. As I told you, I have coached in many places, but nowhere has it happened to me that I cannot go or buy bread without someone asking me what we are doing in the next match or congratulating me for what I did in the last match. And what I like about Arad is that if you want a little relaxation, you really have somewhere to go. This cliff you have is something great. And someone told me that she will be even more beautiful in the future. Although, I also like to walk on the boulevard, because I see some beautiful buildings here like in Liège. Take this as a compliment, because you know that Liège is the city of my soul. All in all, it’s cool here and let’s keep up the good work here. This city really deserves it.

JA: Thank you for your time, Mr. Rednic. A final thought?

MR: Dearfully. As for a thought… I know, I would be happy to see the stadium full at the match with Craiova. It would be like a final celebration for this wonderful audience. And it would also be a gift for the people of Arada, even for Easter. And if I mentioned Easter, I would like to wish all the people of Arada a very happy Easter!