Whoa, sit down or I'll knock you down! I found out something that made me put my beer down at Fane's. A lad from Iasi, Gabriel Mihuleac, 28 years old, just got promoted to the elite squad of Liga 1 referees. That means he'll be blowing the whistle in the SuperLiga, bro! The second youngest center referee debutant, after Istvan Kovacs - the one who also whistles in the Champions League. And I'm not kidding, he's the president of the Iasi County Referees Commission. So this guy, besides blowing the whistle, also runs the whistle-blowing school. That's how it's done, not like in our Berceni, where the neighborhood boss is Mitica, who doesn't even know the rules.
How did he get here? Simple, bro: he went through a Development Program for young talents, organized by the Central Referees Commission. From March last year until now, he refereed SuperLiga and Liga 2 matches, got good grades and boom - into the elite. "Promotion to the Liga 1 referees squad is an important moment in my career and I want to thank everyone who contributed to my training. It's a big responsibility and I'm aware that from now on the demands will be even higher," he said for Liga2.ro. Listen, the guy is aware, not like some of ours who think they're hotshots after a lucky win.
And he's not the only one who praised him. Sorin Boca, president of AJF Iasi and referee observer at CCA, said: "Gabriel Mihuleac's promotion to the Liga 1 referees squad is an important achievement for Iasi football and for the entire refereeing family in Iasi County. We're talking about a serious and hardworking young man who grew gradually and confirmed through his performances that he can make the step to the highest level. Talent is not enough. You need training, character, discipline, and resistance to pressure." Bravo, man, that's how it's done! Not like in Gorj, where mining is dying and football is on its last legs.
But what impressed me the most was what Vlad Ciobanu, international futsal referee and former head of CJA Iasi for 12 years, said: "For me, Gabriel Mihuleac's promotion is a personal joy and a confirmation of work started many years ago. Iasi refereeing has grown through consistency, selection, training, mentoring, and the trust given to young referees. The fact that today Iasi County has 30 divisional referees is an outstanding result. It's a record number." Thirty referees, bro! Iasi produces referees like hotcakes! What do you know, in our Constanta, besides water parks and beaches, I don't know how many referees come out per capita.
Now, get this: this 28-year-old guy, who's also the president of CJA Iasi, took the baton from Ciobanu and carried it forward. And just like that, good projects have continuity. Not like here, where we change coaches like socks. If Romanian refereeing were like this, maybe we wouldn't see so many VAR mistakes. But hey, at least we have a new hopeful whistle-blower. Cheers, Gabi! Hold your ground, because in the SuperLiga it's no joke. And if you see any Dinamo fan causing a ruckus, blow the whistle fast, like at referee school!
