Gheorghe (Gica) Popescu, the former captain of Romania's national soccer team, finally admitted to having been an informer for the country's secret police during the communist era.
Popescu's admission comes just three days after he denied the allegations, calling a newspaper report that he had been a Securitate informant "a big lie"-- a big lie followed by bigger evidence.
Romania's star soccer player Gheorghe Hagi, who is related to Popescu through marriage, came to his defense, saying sports had brought glory to Romania in the communist era. "We [sportsmen] were the ambassadors for Romania. They should look elsewhere" for Securitate agents, he said. Hagi, of course, maintains that he did not inform-- or, at least, that no one has evidence to the contrary.
It seems to me that such unselfish, noble athletes love to be looked upon by cheering crowds only to blush modestly when one attempts to look at how they really served their countries under communism. In case no one taught Popescu and Hagi how to be "good sports", here's a quick lesson: When you get caught cheating, at least have the honor to admit what you did without adding all those apparatchik-inspired excuses.