Ioan Chirila
Ioan Chirila was born on the 25th of October 1925 in Ismail, a city in Southern Besserabia, now a territory of Ukraine. When he was 15 he moved, along with his family to Brăila, Romania, following the taking of Besserabia by the Soviet Union. He then moved to Bucharest and graduated from the Law School of the University of Bucharest. He became interested in sports from an early age, playing football at ‘Cetatea Ismail’ and ‘Dacia Galaţi’ as well as volleyball and tennis during university.
He started writing for ‘Sportul Popular’ in 1951 and became a radio sports commentator in the 70s. After the Romanian Revolution he became CEO of ‘Gazeta Sporturilor’ and senior editor of ‘Pro Sport’.
He is regarded as Romania’s greatest sports writer and journalist. He was a very prolific writer, writing more than twenty seven books and hundreds of newspaper articles in thirty four years.
“Fotbalul a început în Insulă,ca o bătălie între două jumătăți de oraș,grămezi uriașe,ca la rugby,când toți încercă să îndepărteze mingea de câlți spre casele "celorlalți",cât mai departe de casele lor...Olandezii au moștenit și ei gustul pentru fotbalul-încăierare...La fel,danezii...Sigur că între timp moravurile s-au mai limpezit,dar engezii au ramas cu gustul încăierării,mutând grămezile în tribună,unde se înfruntă suporterii,dupa ce va fi curs și ultima picatură de whisky din sticlele îndrepate spre cer ca trompetele...”