Andrei Stocker

Andrei Stocker (born 22 November 1942) is a Romanian former footballer who played as a central defender and a referee.

Andrei Stocker

Personal information
Date of birth	(1942-11-22) 22 November 1942 (age 82)[1]
Place of birth	Aninoasa, Romania[2]
Height	1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)[2]
Position	Central defender[2]
Youth career
	Minerul Aninoasa
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
	Minerul Aninoasa
1965–1976	Jiul Petroșani[a]	271	(8)
1976–1977	Minerul Lupeni
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

Stocker, nicknamed "Keke", was born on 22 November 1942 in Aninoasa, Romania.^[1][2][3] His parents were Transylvanian Saxon miners, and because of their German origins, they were deported by the Soviets in 1945 to perform forced labor for a few years in the Donbas region.^[2]

Stocker started playing football at Minerul Aninoasa.^[2][3] There, he was noticed by coach Eugen Mladin who brought him to his team, Jiul Petroșani.^[2][3] In his first season at Jiul, he helped the team gain promotion to Divizia A.^[2][3][4] He made his debut in the competition on 21 August 1966 under coach Ștefan Coidum in a 7–0 victory against Steagul Roșu Brașov.^[2][3][5] After playing one and a half years as a right midfielder, Stocker started to play alongside Gogu Tonca in the central defense.^[2] Subsequently, they became known for their tough playing style, with some considering them the most aggressive defensive duo in Divizia A's history.^[2] His first performance with The Miners was reaching the 1972 Cupa României final, where coach Eugen Iordache used him the entire match in the eventual 2–0 loss to Rapid București.^[2][6] Stocker eventually won the competition two years later after a 4–2 victory against Politehnica Timișoara in the 1974 final, as coach Traian Ivănescu used him the full 90 minutes, helping Jiul win its first trophy.^[2][7] Afterwards he played in both legs against Dundee United in the first round of the 1974–75 European Cup Winners' Cup which was lost with 3–2 on aggregate.^[2][8] In May 1975, during a Jiul – Politehnica Iași home game, the wooden stand of the stadium started to burn due to a cigarette thrown into a pile of seed husks.^[2] Stocker, along with teammates Tonca and Petre Libardi jumped in to help the firefighters extinguish the fire.^[2] He appeared in 271 Divizia A matches and scored eight goals for Jiul.^[2][3]

In 1976, Stocker joined Minerul Lupeni, ending his career one year later.^[2]

Refereeing career

After he retired from his playing career, Stocker became a referee, officiating in Divizia C and serving as a linesman in Divizia B and Divizia A.^[2][3]

Personal life

In 1986, he emigrated to Sweden where he settled in the city of Malmö with his family.^[2][3]

Honours

Jiul Petroșani

• Divizia B: 1965–66^[2]
• Cupa României: 1973–74, runner-up 1971–72^[6][7]

Notes

1. The statistics for the 1965–66 Divizia B season are unavailable.^[3]