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Romanian champions CFR Cluj announced on Friday they had terminated coach Eduard Iordanescu's contract after only six weeks in the wake of a disappointing Champions League qualifying result. The club have appointed Portuguese coach Antonio Conceicao for his third spell in charge of Cluj as Iordanescu's replacement. Iordanescu, 40, had replaced Dan Petrescu, who led Cluj to a fourth Romanian title in May. Iordanescu's time in charge, however, was brought to an abrupt end after he was widely criticised following the team's 1-0 home defeat by Swedish club Malmo in a Champions League qualifier on Tuesday. Iordanescu, the eldest son of former Romania coach Anghel Iordanescu, has previously managed several Romanian top flight teams, including Astra Giurgiu and was in charge of Bulgaria's CSKA Sofia for three months in 2016. The 56-year-old Conceicao led Cluj to two Romanian Cups and the domestic Supercup during his previous spells with the Railwaymen. "We are glad to announce that Antonio Conceicao is, as of today, the new coach of CFR," the club said in a separate statement to the one announcing Iordanescu's departure. "Welcome back to Cluj, Toni!" The Transylvanian club fell on hard times a few years ago, owing huge sums to the state before going into administration in 2014. Local businessman Marian Bagacean agreed to purchase a majority stake in Cluj last year before hiring former Chelsea right-back Petrescu as coach.
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