Honorary president of FC Sfantul Gheorghe Valeriu Renita accused the head of the Moldovan Football Federation (FMF) Pavel Cebanu of launching an “unprecedented campaign of denigration” against FC Sfantul Gheorghe and its leaders, chairman Sergiu Caraman and Valeriu Renita. His press statement was issued in response to the decision of the FMF Ethics Committee to ban the duo. “One of the committees subordinated to Cebanu ruled some extraordinary punishments against the club officials, unmatched in national football, to please the football lord. During his 15-year reign he got used to doing anything he wants in FMF and treating this association as a personal business”, reads the statement. Renita claims that the Committee’s decision was dictated by the FMF boss and was “an act of revenge against Renita, who, as member of FMF Executive Committee, had publicly criticized the FMF head’s actions over the last two years, which were incompatible with the organization’s status and the development of Moldovan football”. Moreover, Cebanu was annoyed by Renita when the latter, representing four National Division clubs, asked the FMF chairman to report about the questionable distribution of over €2 million, which weren’t fully received by clubs, as stipulated by the regulation, for the development of youth football”, says Renita. According to him, the information about the distribution of UEFA donation “Solidarity Payments” for the last year wasn’t published. “By trying to ban Mr. Renita from football for the next 5 years, Cebanu is cynically removing his next rival for FMF chairmanship, which is unacceptable in a law-governed state. Last year, Renita publicly announced his intention to run for FMF chairman in the elections that will take place next year. We label the forced insinuations that served as grounds for Cebanu’s decision as ordinary calumny and we’ll prove it in court”, declared Valeriu Renita. He says he will try to tackle the issue of Solidarity Payments at the next meeting of FMF’s Executive Committee, on Friday, February 24. On Tuesday, February 22, the Ethics Committee of FMF ruled that Sfantul Gheorghe’s honorary president Valeriu Renita and chairman and former coach Sergiu Caraman violated the regulations of the Moldovan Football Federation. Renita was banned from football for 5 years and Caraman for 2. The two received fines of $15,000 and $8,000 respectively.