Gigi Becali
George "Gigi" Becali is a Romanian businessman, writer, politician and former convict, mostly known for his ownership of the FCSB football club.
Becali was a Member of the European Parliament between June 2009 and December 2012, and a Member of the Romanian Parliament from December 2012 up until his conviction in May 2013. In 2024, Becali was elected a member of the Chamber of Deputies for the AUR party, but left in March 2025 due to chairman George Simion's decision of collected signatures for a female presidential candidate.
Early life
Becali was born in Vădeni, Brăila County, to an Aromanian family which had been deported to the Bărăgan Plain by the Communist authorities because of their associations with the pre-World War II fascist party Iron Guard.Entrepreneurship
Real estate business & Army deals
Becali became a millionaire through various business exchanges with the Romanian Army, he used his position as an influential Pastoralist to provide the army with abundances of dairy products and other goods and commodities, gaining large amounts of influence over the leadership in the shady commerce affairs that characterised post-communist Romania. The most notable of these dealings was a land swap with the army - dubbed by the Romanian press as suspicious, as the Army did not need the land it received and the land he received in exchange was worth much more.The deal consisted of Becali giving the Army a 21.5-hectare plot in Ștefăneștii de Jos in exchange for a 20.9-hectare plot in Băneasa-Pipera, in Northern Bucharest. As the real estate prices skyrocketed in the capital, he sold the land to some companies that built residential areas.
In 2007, it was revealed that in 1998, when Becali sent the offer to the Romanian Army, he was not the owner of the property in Ștefăneștii de Jos, buying it only after it was clear that the deal would be signed. Also, the Army was not legally allowed to give away the Pipera plot, because it was claimed by former owners.
The affair was investigated in 2006 by the National Anticorruption Directorate. In July 2007, the NAD started to investigate a transaction between Becali and the daughter of Defence Minister Victor Babiuc, involving land in Pipera which was sold for US$300 per square meter.
Ownership of FCSB
Becali joined the General Shareholders' Council of the Steaua București football team at the end of the 1990s, during the presidency of businessman Viorel Păunescu. Step by step, he tried to eliminate other possible candidates and gather all the club's shares. He obtained 51% of the shares on 6 February 2003 and he bought another 15% toward the end of the year 2003.On 17 October 2005, his entire fortune was impounded by the National Fiscal Authority for debts totaling US$11,000,000. However, Becali sued the ANAF and won the trial, and subsequently the order of seizure was lifted. He was however able to avoid paying the taxes by transferring the assets of Steaua to a newly formed company, AFC Steaua București, allowing the old association to go bankrupt. As of 2007, Becali detains no official link to the club, as he gradually renounced his shares in favour of his nephews.
In 2005, the papers wrote that he commissioned a painting inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper, in which he holds the place of Jesus, while the eleven players and the coach hold the place of the disciples. Becali denied the story, claiming that he received the painting from an admirer.
Managing FCSB
Becali was often criticised for interfering with his managers' work, frequently calling for subs at half time or deciding on the starting XI. Becali admitted this as much, stating that the players are brought with his money, so it is his right to decide who plays and how. Since he was released from prison in 2015, Becali shifted towards appointing puppet managers, without experience, oftentimes close acquaintances or former FCSB icons such as Nicolae Dica, Mirel Radoi, Vergil Andronache, Dinu Todoran and Anton Petrea, oftentimes his main criteria being their religiousness or willingness to be "bossed around" by Becali. One encounter, told by Becali himself, was when Dinu Todoran was considered as manager for the second team. When Becali called him to inform him of the possibility of taking this job, Todoran replied to call him later, stating he is in church. Becali was deeply impressed by the piousness of Todoran that he immediately appointed him manager for the first team. Todoran himself admitted that Becali was managing the team for him, stating that it was no secret who decides the starting XI and the subs, which can be reflected by the fact that he was receiving the lowest salary of any manager in the Romanian League. After a bad spell of form and criticism from the media for his approach, Becali sacked Todoran and decided to not involve himself in football matters anymore, hiring Edi Iordanescu, the manager who won the previous title. Edi immediately turned the team around, and achieved a 9-game undefeated streak, including a 6–0 win over bitter rivals Dinamo Bucharest, in spite of a COVID outbreak at the club. Becali remained silent for a few months, however he started to voice his displeasure at the quality of the game, stating that his team must always have the possession, and that a result based approach is not what interests him. Tensions arose at the club, and ultimately Edi and Becali parted ways on 14 November 2021, after winning eight games, drawing two and losing two and taking the team to second place. Becali announced his intention to return to the team, appointing Pintili as caretaker since he does not have a coaching badge.Other business activities
Becali announced in 2008 that he intends to open his own bank, named "Becali Bank", intended to be used "only by millionaires", with an initial investment of €30 million. Nevertheless, the Administration Council of the National Bank of Romania rejected the plan of creation without giving a public reason. Cotidianul notes that the National Bank can reject the creation of a new bank if they suspect that the new bank would not respect the laws or that they won't have solid and prudent investment policies.In reply to this decision, Becali named Mugur Isărescu, the governor of the National Bank, "a buffoon, a frustrated and envious person" and announced that he intends to sue him.
Political career
At the 2000 Romanian legislative election, Becali was a candidate of the "League of Italian Communities in Romania" for the seat in the Chamber of Deputies reserved for the Italian minority. He received 16,266 votes countrywide, of which 7,677 in Ilfov County. Nevertheless, he lost to Ileana Stana-Ionescu, who got only 2,943 votes in one constituency. Becali contested the results, but according to Romanian election law, for national minorities, it is not the total number of votes that matters; the individual who gains the largest percentage in one constituency wins the seat reserved for that national minority.He has led the New Generation – Christian Democrat Party since January 2004, being its candidate in the 2004 presidential election, receiving 1.77% of votes cast.
In his 2004 electoral campaign, Becali used clips of the movie Mihai Viteazul movie, whose main character was played by Amza Pellea. Amza's daughter, Oana Pellea, sued Becali for using Amza Pellea's image without permission and won 35,000 lei in damages.
He often had disputes with Corneliu Vadim Tudor, another extremist politician. These disputes, usually consisted of exchanges of insults between the two. He had another dispute with Prime Minister Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu whom he named a "cockroach-politician" and a "Very Important Papagal".
In December 2006, he promised that his party would generate a "Cultural revolution" in Romania.
At the elections for the European Parliament, held in November 2007, his party obtained 4.86% of the popular vote, just under the 5% needed for admission in the EU governing body. The same happened in the December 2008 elections, which came as a surprise to many people.
At the June 2009 European Parliament election, Becali ran on Vadim's Greater Romania Party ticket and won a seat in the European Parliament. However, on 9 June, Romanian judges upheld a travel ban on Becali for the duration of an illegal incarceration investigation by police, banning him from taking his seat in the EP; Becali retorted that he intended to take his seat in Brussels and dared the justice system to arrest him in Belgium. Eventually, the Romanian supreme court lifted all restrictions on him.
He also ran in the 2009 presidential elections where he got 1.91% of the vote.
In 2012, he was selected as a candidate of the Social Liberal Union for a deputy mandate in Bucharest, Sector 6, at the National Liberal Party's side. He negotiated the coalition of PNG-CD with PNL, but the majority of the liberals did not agree with this measure. On 19 October 2012, Becali joined PNL, with the support of the party president, Crin Antonescu. He won the election in the 25th uninominal college with 65% of the votes. Becali requested to be a member of the Judicial Commission of the Chamber of Deputies and received assurances that he will be appointed. He resigned from PNL after receiving penal condemnation. On 29 May 2013, the Chamber of Deputies decreed the end of Becali's term as a parliamentarian. In May 2024, news media reported on negotiations between Gigi Becali and AUR politician Mihail Neamțu to finance the latter's campaign for the 2024 European Parliament election in Romania.
In December 2024, Becali was elected a member of the Chamber of Deputies for the AUR party, but left on 14 March 2025 due to chairman George Simion's decision of collected signatures for a female presidential candidate Anamaria Gavrilă, stating:
Simion reacted by stating "We are in the Easter fast, it's good to be good Christians, to turn the other cheek". On 23 March, Becali claimed that Simion had called him to apologise, allegedly telling him "Uncle Gigi, forgive me, I was wrong".