Florin Cotora

Florin Cotora was born in Sibiu, Romania, on 12 December 1972. He grew up in the city and joined its main club of the time, Inter Sibiu, where he developed as a goalkeeper. He later said he had been fascinated by electronics since he was a small child, an interest that would shape his life after football. His brother, Lucian Cotora, also became a professional footballer.

Cotora made his debut in Divizia A, Romania's top division, on 25 August 1991 at the age of 18, keeping goal for Inter Sibiu in a 1-1 away draw against Electroputere Craiova. He spent the following decade with Inter, playing alongside his brother Lucian, and is listed with 134 league appearances for the club between 1991 and 2001. In a 2009 interview with Click he recalled a spell with Electroputere Craiova and said he had been honoured when the sports journalist Ioan Chirila wrote, after a strong performance against Dinamo, that he was the equal of Silviu Lung.

In 2001 he moved to Minaur Zlatna and a year later to Apulum Alba Iulia. In the 2002 to 2003 season Apulum won Divizia B and earned the first promotion to the top flight in the history of the club, now Unirea Alba Iulia; Cotora was part of that squad and remained with the team in the first division under coach Aurel Sunda. He finished his career with 55 appearances in Divizia A and 131 in Divizia B, according to RomanianSoccer.

After retiring he became a DJ, saying the move felt natural because he had always been in charge of the music in the Inter Sibiu dressing room. Starting with weddings and private parties, he built the company Cotora Sound and Lights into one of the most sought after event firms in Sibiu County, organising large events including the opening of a Metro hypermarket in Deva.

Cotora had two sons. In 2009 he said the elder was training as a goalkeeper at the CSS Soimii Sibiu sports school while the younger wanted to become a DJ like his father. That December he organised a fundraising and donation drive at Shopping City Sibiu for a care home for the elderly, a children's home and a care centre in Talmaciu, and for ten families in need in the county. A friend of 23 years, Dumitru Florin-Mugurel, remembered him for his friendship and his music.

Florin Cotora was admitted to the Sibiu County Emergency Clinical Hospital on 10 October 2026 after being taken ill. He died there on the evening of Monday 19 October 2026, aged 53. Hospital representatives said the death followed a cardiorespiratory arrest. The news was first shared on Facebook by a close friend and was reported by Ora de Sibiu, Digi Sport and Sport.ro. Unirea Alba Iulia said it was parting with sadness from a man who had helped build an unforgettable generation. Funeral arrangements were not reported at the time of writing.

Cotora belonged to the Inter Sibiu generation of the early 1990s, when the club was a regular in Romania's first division, and to the Apulum Alba Iulia team whose 2003 promotion remains a landmark for the club and its supporters. Unirea Alba Iulia said he would always remain part of its history. In Sibiu he was equally well known for his second life as a DJ and events organiser.