Gabriel Tamaș

In October 2022, whilst drinking along with several Petrolul Ploiești teammates at a restaurant, Tamaș called their manager Nicolae Constantin on his phone and criticised his tactics. He also cursed chairman Costel Lazăr, sporting director Claudiu Tudor and the fans of Petrolul, and Constantin sent the recording to the leaders of supporter groups. The recording found its way into the media and Tamaș left the club the following days.

During his first spell at FC Steaua București, he was dismissed after missing a training session following a night out; manager Mirel Rădoi stated that Tamaș lied to him by claiming that his phone alarm did not ring. On 23 March 2019, during his time in Israel, Tamaș was arrested by the police after driving his car at 205 km/h, having a 0.66 mg of alcohol per liter of exhaled air. He spent a week in jail, after which he stayed in house arrest for a month and was sentenced to two months of community service.

Between 2017 and 2019, Tamaș featured for Israeli Premier League team Hapoel Haifa, where he aided to two domestic honours. During the latter year, he returned to Romania with Astra Giurgiu, and has also had spells with Universitatea Cluj, Voluntari and Petrolul Ploiești.

On 1 February 2016, Cardiff City announced that his contract was terminated by mutual consent. Tamaș then returned to Steaua București on the condition that he would address his alcohol issues and attend Church on Sundays.

On 26 August 2015, Tamaș returned to the Football League Championship with Cardiff City on a one-year contract with the option of a further year. During the first half of the season, Tamaș only appeared for the development squad and wasn't involved in the first-team trainings starting from November, resulting in his frustration and claiming he wanted to leave the Welsh capital. He eventually made his debut in a 0–1 FA Cup loss to Shrewsbury Town on 10 January.

On 17 January 2014, Tamaș continued in England by signing for Doncaster Rovers. Upon the expiry of his contract, he moved to Watford on a one-year agreement effective from 1 July 2014. After nursing a cruciate knee ligament injury for several months, he left Watford in January 2015. On 15 January 2015, Tamaș signed a two-year contract with FC Steaua București—the cross-town rival of his former club Dinamo—but only made ten league appearances in the remainder of the campaign before leaving.

In May 2013, after partying in a Bucharest nightclub, Tamaș tried to enter a block of flats for shelter. The cleaning lady denied him access, so he broke in the door, went up to the first floor and fell asleep on the stairway. He was taken to the police station, where he caused a scandal by yelling at and insulting the officers. He received an eight-month suspended sentence for his acts.

In October 2013, Tamaș was drinking in a bar in Bucharest with his national team colleague Daniel Pancu, and later that night they started fighting each other. One week later, he signed a one-year contract with CFR Cluj, but the club dismissed him shortly after he and his teammate Florin Costea caused an incident in a local pub. On the night of the 2014 New Year's Eve, Tamaș got into a fight in the lobby of a restaurant in Brașov.

In June 2011, he overslept and missed the flight for the national team's tournament in South America after partying until dawn in a nightclub in Poiana Brașov. On 11 August that year, Tamaș and his teammate Adrian Mutu were excluded from the Romania squad after they were caught drinking in a bar the previous night, while the national team was preparing for a friendly match against San Marino. Their suspension was lifted after three games.

His third stint at Dinamo was interrupted prematurely in December 2009, and he signed on loan for West Bromwich Albion on 1 January 2010. Tamaș made his debut on 8 January, in a 1–3 Football League Championship loss to Nottingham Forest. He scored his first goal in a 1–1 draw at Reading, on 27 March.

On 19 May 2010, Tamaș signed a three-year contract with the option of another year for West Bromwich Albion. On 11 September 2011, he elbowed James Vaughan in the face inside his own penalty area in a match against Norwich City; the referee gave no penalty, but Tamaș was handed a three-match ban for violent conduct. He terminated his contract with WBA by mutual consent in September 2013. The following month, he only spent a week at CFR Cluj after being dismissed because of an incident in a bar.

Tamaș played four games at the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, and scored his last goal for the national team in a 3–2 friendly loss to Ukraine in Lviv, on 29 May 2010. In the following years, he amassed eight caps at the Euro 2012 qualifiers, four at the 2014 World Cup qualifiers and two at the Euro 2016 qualifiers. His last two appearances were in 2018, being called up by his former teammate Cosmin Contra for the inaugural season of the Nations League. Tamaș played in a 2–1 away victory over Lithuania and in a goalless draw with Serbia, receiving a red card in the 44th minute of the latter game.

On 14 February 2009, Tamaș was expelled to the reserves of Dinamo București after drinking alcohol and causing a scandal in the team's training camp in Turkey. In July 2010, he got intoxicated and started a fight with the waiters at his brother's wedding. In December that year, he phisically abused his then-girlfriend in a nightclub in Bucharest after accusing her of infidelity.

A Romanian international for 15 years, Tamaș totalled 67 caps and three goals for the nation and was chosen in the squad for the UEFA Euro 2008.

On 25 March 2008, Tamaș was decorated by Romanian president Traian Băsescu for his performances in the Euro 2008 qualifiers; he received Medalia "Meritul Sportiv" – ("The Sportive Merit" Medal) class III. He featured in all three matches at the final tournament, as his nation left the competition in the group stage after two draws with France and Italy and a loss to the Netherlands.

Tamaș moved to Russian Premier League club Spartak Moscow in January 2004, but after playing 15 matches he returned to Dinamo București in the summer on a one-and-a-half-year loan. Tamaș again moved out on loan to Spanish team Celta Vigo for the 2006–07 season.

Tamaș was handed his Romania national team debut by Anghel Iordănescu on 12 February 2003, coming on as a substitute for Cosmin Contra in the 90+1st minute of a 2–1 friendly defeat of Slovakia. After appearing in five games at the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, manager Victor Pițurcă chose him as a starter in all ten matches of the successful UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers, where Romania finished first in its group. He scored two goals, one in a 2–1 away victory against Slovenia and one in a 6–1 home victory over Albania.

In October 2003, Tamaș was involved in a fight in a nightclub in his native Brașov, with the man he fought needing hospitalisation and a surgery to the face. In November 2004, he devastated a Poiana Brașov restaurant together with a group of friends after they were denied entrance. In November 2005, after playing for Dinamo București in a 1–1 draw with Jiul Petroșani, Tamaș went to party in a nightclub in Brașov and caused a scandal, nearly starting a fight.

Tamaș began his senior career in the second league with hometown clubs FC Brașov and Tractorul Brașov. He transferred to Divizia A team Dinamo București in the summer of 2002, spending a season in the capital before earning a move abroad to Turkish side Galatasaray.

Tamaș started out as a senior at FC Brașov in the 1998–99 season, and is a journeyman who has since represented seventeen other teams throughout his career. In addition to his native country, he has played in Turkey, Russia, Spain, France, England and Israel, respectively. Tamaș won seven domestic trophies combined with rival sides Dinamo București and FCSB in Romania, with which he had multiple spells, and his honours also include the Israel State Cup and the Israeli Super Cup with Hapoel Haifa.

Gabriel Sebastian Tamaș (Romanian pronunciation: [ɡabriˈel ˈtamaʃ]; born 9 November 1983) is a Romanian professional footballer who last played as a centre-back for Liga II club Concordia Chiajna.