Iskra-Stal Rybnitsa was withdrawn from the National Division and will start the next season in Division B. Such a decision was taken in the meeting of the Moldovan Football Federation’s Competitions Committee on May 7, following the team’s refusal to play the national championship matches against FC Costuleni and Sheriff Tiraspol. The players expressed thus their dissatisfaction with the nonpayment of salaries to them.

Iskra-Stal manager Marin Livadaru said he was to pay all the money before the match against Sheriff, but it is coach Veaceslav Rusnac and a group of players who are to blame for the created situation.

“Captain Verbetski manipulated the players. We fired Juric, Gorodetski, and Casian as well as Veaceslav Rusnac. The coach should have convinced the players to go out onto the field to play against Sheriff as I was going to the match with the second tranche of money, but was late about 15 minutes,” Livadaru said in a news conference on May 7.

In 2009, Iskra-Stal ranked third in the National Division, in 2010 it won silver, while in 2011 it obtained Moldova’s Cup.