The Steaua players who won the European Cup in 1986 could receive merit allowances

The Senate adopted, with 89 votes in favor and 15 abstentions, a bill under which members of the Steaua Bucharest team that won the European Champions Cup in 1986 could receive merit allowances. The initiative will next be debated by the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body.

The bill, initiated by AUR and PSD lawmakers, amends Law 118/2002 on the establishment of the merit allowance. In its current form, the legislation provides for allowances to be granted to prestigious Romanian figures in the fields of science, culture and sport, without naming a specific sporting category.

The proposal explicitly adds among the beneficiaries the members of Steaua Bucharest’s football team who won the European Champions Cup in 1986. The initiators argue that the achievement represents a unique moment in the history of Romanian sport and one of the most important international victories secured by a team from Romania.

Lawmakers argue that the success in Seville brought the country exceptional sporting prestige and became a symbol of collective achievement, professionalism and dedication to sport and Romania. Approval of the bill by the Chamber of Deputies would pave the way for the allowances to be granted.