Mircea Lucescu was rushed to the hospital after fainting during the Romanian national team's training this morning. Panic ensued when the coach collapsed, and he was urgently transported to the hospital. Sources indicate that he may have suffered a cardiac arrest. "The coach's condition is stable at the moment," the Romanian Football Federation (FRF) assured minutes ago. According to the FRF, Lucescu, who has had health issues since the beginning of the year, "felt unwell during the technical meeting that preceded the last training session before the trip to Slovakia." Medical staff provided first aid before two SMURD teams arrived at the scene following an emergency call. "To eliminate any risk, Mircea Lucescu was transported to a hospital unit in the capital for further investigations and specialized monitoring," added the federation officials. In this context, it is highly unlikely that the coach will travel to Slovakia, where the national team has a friendly match scheduled for Tuesday night. This would be the last game of the experienced coach's tenure. The trip is set for tonight at 6:00 PM. Current information indicates that the delegation will depart without the coach. "We are shocked," is the message from the FRF. Mircea Lucescu has been hospitalized several times earlier this year. In February, he traveled abroad for a second opinion on his health, and the subsequent decision, made in conjunction with the FRF management, was to continue collaboration for the World Cup qualifying play-off. Before the play-off against Turkey, in an interview with The Guardian, Lucescu admitted that he would have stepped aside if there had been an alternative coach to lead the team, arguing that he was not "in the best shape": "When the doctors told me I could continue training, I focused on what I had to do for Romania. I spoke with the Federation, and they told me they couldn't find a solution for this situation. I'm not in my best shape, so I would have stepped down if there had been another option available."
Mircea Lucescu Romanian Football Federation remains central to this story.
Mircea Lucescu Romanian Football Federation remains central to this story.
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