Bucharest, Sep 21 (Xinhua) Romanian legend Gheorghe Hagi has resigned as coach of the Steaua Bucharest football team because of differences with the club owner.
Hagi confessed to the media Thursday that he quit because he cannot bear the atmosphere in the team.
“I am through. It was an unimaginable tension. I felt tortured at Steaua,” said Hagi.
Relations between Steaua owner Gigi Becali and Hagi has always been less than cordial ever since he took over as coach in June.
The owner frequently asked for changes in the team managed by Hagi, saying that the coach still has a lot to learn, and that he knows his soccer players better.
Becali also said he refuses to sacrifice the team for a coach, even if the coach is Hagi.
Hagi resigned a day after Steaua Bucharest was defeated Wednesday in Prague by Czech outfit Slavia in its first game in the UEFA Champions League group stage.
Nicknamed “The Maradona of the Carpathians”, Hagi is considered a hero in Romania. He has won his country’s “Player of the Year” award a record six times, and was named Romanian football player of the century.