Lokomotiv signs FC Sheriff player for €2.6m

Razvan Cocis, 24, has played in Tiraspol, Pridnestrovie's capital, since 2004. Now Lokomotiv bought him out for €2.6m

TIRASPOL (Tiraspol Times) - Beating stiff competition from major European football clubs, FC Lokomotiv Moskva has signed striker Razvan Cocis from FC Sheriff until the end of 2009. The deal, worth 2.6 million euros, is considered a late birthday present to the Sheriff-player: On Monday this week, Cocis turned 24 years old.

Razvan Cocis started playing for FC Sheriff in the summer of 2004 and became the club's leading striker. He was Sheriff's second most succesful player, scoring just five goals below Sergei Rogachevu.

The player's agent Tiberiu Petris confirmed: "Razvan is very happy with his new club." Lokomotiv beat off competition from FC Steaua Bucuresti, Stade Rennais FC and Olympique de Marseille to secure the 24-year-old, reports UEFA.

The contract comes a day after 24-year-old Brazilian defender Rodolfo left FC Dynamo Kyiv in a similar €3.7m switch to FC Lokomotiv Moskva. For Rodolfo, Lokomotiv president Yuri Syomin and his counterpart at Dynamo Igor Surkis shook on a deal worth 3.7 million euros (£2.5m) late on Monday evening.

Rodolfo signed for Dinamo from Fluminense in 2004, and made 56 appearances in the Ukrainian league, scoring seven times, plus 15 appearances in European club competition.

The two 24-year olds arrived in Moscow for medical examinations on Tuesday. They will be joining their new team-mates on a pre-season tour of Holland, before the start of the 2007 Russian season.

Star factory in Tiraspol

FC Sheriff Tiraspol is Pridnestrovie's leading football (soccer) team, and back to back regional champion. It it is the only football club in the country which has Brazilian and African contract players. Its talent scouts have a knack for picking relatively unknowns and, while in Tiraspol, turning them into stars. UEFA-watchers call Tiraspol a "star factory" for new players. Tiraspol is the capital of Pridnestrovie (Transnistria), located between Moldova and Ukraine, and home to the Sheriff Stadium, a world class facility which won praise from UEFA and has been shown on BBC. Willie McDougall of the Scottish Football Association said: "It has facilities second to none, and they are building a five star hotel for visiting teams. I wish we had something like this in Scotland."

Razvan Cocis was with FC Universitatea Cluj-Napoca in Romania's second division when he was scouted by Sheriff and signed in 2004. He blossomed in Pridnestrovie, helping Sheriff to back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006, Super Cups in 2004, 2005 and 2006, as well as the regional cup in 2006. He also proved his class with three goals in UEFA Champions League qualifiers.

In Tiraspol, Sheriff coach Leonid Kuchuk said:
" - Cocis is a rare talent. He doesn't only score goals, he is brilliant at making them."

Better known abroad under unofficial names such as Transnistria as well as Trans-Dniestria, Pridnestrovie is one of the smallest countries in Europe with just 555,000 inhabitants, approximately the same size as Montenegro and double the number of Iceland's population. It declared independence in 1990 during the breakup of the Soviet Union, but due to a longstanding territorial conflict with neighboring Moldova, its independence has not yet been recognized internationally. It has its own flag, government, national anthem, constitution, passports and issues its own currency. Although it meets the requirements for sovereign statehood under international law, the country is still considered part of Moldova by many in the international community. (With information from UEFA.com)

See also:
» FC Sheriff Tiraspol player on contract with Denmark
» More Brazilian players signed to FC Sheriff