The condition of legendary football coach Mircea Lucescu has worsened, as the 80-year-old has been placed in an induced coma following a heart attack, while his son has left the team's derby match to be by his side.
The coach, who stepped down as Romania coach just days ago, has been battling severe arrhythmia, a condition that involves irregular heart rhythms and can be life-threatening.
According to reports, he suffered a heart attack on Friday morning, less than a week after resigning from his duties with Romania after collapsing during a team meeting.
On Friday, a statement from the university hospital in Bucharest described his condition as "stable," but recent reports in Romania say he may only have a few days to live.
Family members have rushed to be by his side - his wife Neli and granddaughter Marilu are in the hospital, while his son, Razvan Lucescu, PAOK coach, left the team during the derby with Panathinaikos to be by his father's side.
Mihai Stoichita, the technical director of the Romanian national team, visited him in the hospital and said he has not been able to communicate with him.
"I stood next to him for about five minutes, he's not responding at all, which is normal. Let's hope he'll be okay, God willing. He can't talk. He's probably in an induced state to help him," he said, adding that he couldn't give predictions because he's not a doctor.
Initially, there were hopes for recovery, as Lucescu had undergone heart surgery and had a fifth stent placed to keep his arteries open and improve blood flow.
It was even said that he had begun to talk and sit up, but his condition has worsened in recent hours.
Mircea Lucescu had a long career as a player, playing 64 matches for Romania, while he began his career as a coach in 1979.
He first managed the national team from 1981 to 1986 and then coached major clubs such as Inter, Galatasaray and Besiktas.
In recent years he has managed Turkey (2017–2019) and Dynamo Kyiv (2020–2023), while returning to Romania in 2024.
Meanwhile, the match between PAOK and Panathinaikos is expected to take place on Sunday at 17:00, but without their coach on the bench due to this serious family situation./Express newspaper/
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