Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pavel Cristian Balaj (born August 17, 1971 in Baia Mare) is a Romanian football, referee and former player. As a player, Balaj represented FC Baia Mare and Pécsi Mecsek FC. He became a referee in 1994 and entered Romania's Liga I in 2000. Balaj was nominated 2008 for best Romanian Referee. Romanian. Association football, commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball. At the turn of the 21st century, the game was played by over 250 million players in over 200 countries, making it the world's most popular sport.