UEFA Champions League and Europa League
- Thread starter goktengri
- Start date
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QwaarJet
ESC Moderator
Good job to Celtic for qualifying. Now hope Liverpool lose tomorrow so they can get in to pot 3.
What nonsense. Celtic are responsible for some of the most famous results in the last 10 years of the CL. They also qualified for the last 16 several times. To compare them to Dinamo Zagreb is just lunacy.
What nonsense. Celtic are responsible for some of the most famous results in the last 10 years of the CL. They also qualified for the last 16 several times. To compare them to Dinamo Zagreb is just lunacy.
Farahim
Active member
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!! We are INNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Go Azerbaijan Go Qarabagh!!!
Go Azerbaijan Go Qarabagh!!!
My hopes and dreams
)
Theres no possibility to have 2 Spanish Teams in the same Group.
Steaua Bucuresti 1-5 Sporting Well, that turned out to be much easier than I expected. First half was interesting but I think that after our 2nd and specially the 3rd goal, Steaua just quit then. A shame since the match just become a bore to watch for the last 30 mins (apart from our goals).
A big surprise at the beginning of the match when it was announced that Bas Dost would be on the bench with Doumbia playing in his place. Not even 15 mins were needed to silence the critics within as Doumbia himself netted the first of the match which was a crucial goal since it was worth twice with us playing away now. As for the goal itself, not that spectacular (none were really compared to those of the last weekend, Gelson's was perhaps the best) but very important action of Mathieu up front, heading the ball into near the small area, where Acuña made a super fast and precise assist to an even faster and lethal Doumbia.
For the sake of the match, it did not take long for Steaua to draw though. Childish error from Piccini up front and then no one looks good from that blunder on. Merit to Alibec on getting past Matthieu and trying his luck. Patrício still defended with his foot but somehow Júnior Morais appeared up front and managed to put it in with the net wide open.
For the remainder of the 1st half it was a bit nerve-wrecking to follow the action. We still had the away goal lead but the team seemed not to be reacting so well to Steaua's fast answer. Despite controlling much of possession and the match, all could have changed if Steaua managed to score a 2nd goal. In terms of emotions it would have changed the quality of the match on it's entirety.
Still, the 2nd half brought promise. Or in the least hope.
That didn't last long however as soon as the 1-2 came along. Magnificent pass by Bruno Fernandes and again Acuña with the quickness, this time around touching the ball with effort in a very decisive way since it rebounded on Nita and then he was free to score his first goal ever for us. A bit of luck for the Argentinian upon the rebound but I don't mind luck when it is actively searched.
I think this is when Steaua's players started to give up, having to score 3 would not be easy at all...
Not much time after, came the goal that confirmed what already had been decided long ago and unfortunately killed the spectacle at the same time since the Steaua players just broke down entirely in terms of moral and made the remainder of the match something horrible to see in terms of emotion. I felt bad for Steaua's supporters, I think they deserved a bit more of attitude from the team even after that 3rd goal. I understand many of them leaving early, the match was decided and in my opinion the team did not even try to dignify the team for the remainder of the match.
About this 3rd goal, once again Bruno Fernandes setting up an assist and then Gelson, finally being objective for once in his career, scored the best goal of the match on a shot outside the area. This is what he really needs to do more and I hope this goal wasn't just some lone exception and rather what he'll try to start doing more from now on in order to enhance his game.
He was well in the 4th goal as well, making the assist to Bas Dost who had entered the game meanwhile. Not a breathtaking goal but I really like the fact that Bas shot at goal without dominating the ball first, and also at how he precisely aimed at the opposite far side of Nita's goal.
As for the last goal, good work by Coentrão up front setting up the cross and Battaglia did well on a first instance by ducking and letting Bas Dost have a go at goal. Nita did all he could stopping the shot at first but then Battaglia appeared in front of girl scoring with such ease that I can't help but question again the fact of the Steaua players not even trying to dignify their jerseys. After all Arena Nationala was packed...
So again 5 goals for the 2nd consecutive match and Dost did even play one half for this game. Whatever mini-crisis up front we seemed to have looks more than fixed by now and I think we're on to good things from here on. Sunday we receive Estoril at home, a win is more than expected although Estoril are having a surprisingly pretty good start of season.
As for the CL draw, of course, the easier the better in theory although we did play very well in Madrid and Dortmund last year so nothing is impossible. I'd like to see the team reaching 2nd stage at least for a change but I won't be too disappointed with a place in Europa League either. The focus is really the championship, this important hurdle is done and come whatever may all I want is that the team gives 100%, no matter if we're playing a smaller side or a "giant".
Jesus is on a high following these two matches so nevermind that firing speculation. It made some sense a week ago following the late victory against Setúbal and the rather disappointing draw at home with a great Steaua team but after these last 2 matches...nobody remember those anymore.
I'll take the Steaua from Alvalade in my memory. And a bit of the one from the first half of Arena Nationala. Much more spirited match away, at home I suppose two unexpected fatal moments dictated the pale image given in Bucharest - suffering the first goal so early on and suffering the 2nd (and the final nail in the coffin, the 3rd) after having fought back so quickly in order to tie the game.
And it's an undeniable fact that we have a superior team when it comes to individuals. The team spirit is looking great and cohesive but in terms of individual talent, siding our player to Steaua's (something I didn't want to do until tonight) I have to agree with those who said we had the duty to pass this one with a certain ease.
I'm also glad there were no incidents between fans. It never looked likely, true, though Steaua's supporters created an adverse environment...at least until all hope was lost. As usual Jorge Jesus had to say something weird after yet another solid victory so when being interviewed after the match he sent some kind of internal message to our supporters, praising Steaua's fans for supporting their players even after losing by 5. My immediate thought was that he didn't saw the same match as me, the direction of the broadcast did show Steaua fans leaving the stadium at least a couple of times after all. But then I did see the players thanking some supporters at the end of the match, I suppose everyone knew (from both sides of the "barricade") that this was always going to be a hard task - though if I was a Steaua supporter and they came thanking in my way at the end of a match like that I'm sure I wouldn't have kept a cool attitude at all
Talking a bit about the player's performance tonight. On our side, Patrício had a rather calm night. Not much he could have done in the goal, the leftover is the responsibility of the defenders and the goal came from a rapid counter-attack transition anyway.
Coentrão looked decent tonight. Again involved more up front than in the defense just like in Guimarães. Seems more fit too. But I think now he'll rest for Estoril and that Jonathan Silva will play instead.
Piccini is going up in his form as well. He wasn't tested a lot defensively but up front is where he showcases more danger. Really needs to learn how to cross better.
As for the central defenders, I didn't feel them as secure as usual tonight. Matthieu was still not at 100% following last weekend's match and that might excuse him in part but Coates had some untypical blunders, specially in the 1st half.
Battaglia didn't impress me as much on this game. Sure, he scored that easy goal. But in Guimarães he had a much better performance, much more intense on the midfield.
Acuña did a better match tonight. Asides Matthieu, he is our best signing so far. That 2nd goal brought a lot of peace to all of us. Decisive in the first one as well.
Gelson was much better tonight as well as already stated. Much more objective, 1 goal and 1 assist. Stepping up his game. Hopefully no one takes him until the end of the month. William will be a great loss already.
Adrien also improved tonight even if he didn't shine out all that much. But that's how he's known as, combative midfielder with a touch of class when it comes to creativity. He fought a lot more than what he created. Sacrificed his game for the team, as expected from a captain playing in his position.
Bruno Fernandes wasn't as stellar tonight. He did make 2 assists still. But he never really aimed at goal as he did brilliantly in Guimarães. Ended up not being needed so much in Bucharest.
Doumbia was the real surprise as already said. In my view there are two reasons for this surprise. First is that being aware of the more physical game of the Steaua players, Jesus wanted a faster man up front, someone to tire up the Romanian-side defenders through pressuring. I think this turned out well. Then there's the issue that he did eliminate us while playing for CSKA Moscow in a pre-Champs round just like this not so long ago...so maybe that weighed a little - "now you're deciding for us". And he really did, early into the match.
May have also been just testing. As much as Bas Dost is a key member up front, a player of the quality of Doumbia can't be benched for the season. Can't be like a Joel Campbell 2.0. His quality asks for more than that.
As for the subs, Dost did come in and did not require much time to be influential and add yet another one to his season tally. Nuclear member of the team up front, could have scored more if on the starting 11. But again, I think Steaua's style of playing and the conditions of the pitch asked for a more mobile forward up front. The shock just comes more from not having seen him in the bench since forever. I don't know if this will happen again in the season, to be honest.
It was nice to see Petrovic coming in. Battaglia's preferred by Jesus probably because of the easier communication and the fact that he has more technique, he's a false nr. 6.
Petrovic is a classic 6, classic defensive midfielder. He entered well in the game, stopping a dangerous situation for Steaua. Personally I prefer this kind of defensive midfielders, coming from Eastern Europe all the better even. So far he did not disappoint, he was one of the best during the pre-season but newspapers are reporting he'll be loaned out again. A bit of a shame. But a nice consolation prize to have played a little today.
Finally, Bruno César has no influnece. He comes for the sole reason he's one of Jesus' favorites since his Benfica days. I don't dislike him but clearly he's on a downward spiral on his career. I think he only stays because of Jesus. Otherwise he's past his peak.
As for Steaua...it's hard to pinpoint players after such bad image left after the 3rd goal.
Nita did what he could but he was nothing else than hostage of a failing defense tonight.
Enache wasn't as intensive as in Lisbon. Both in the back and up front and that was bad for the team. From the central defenders Larie was the least bad. Júnio Morais e
bition is worthwile for the easy goal mostly.From the defensive midfielders duo, Filip performed better.
Filipe Teixeira was again one the least bad. Had his chance even. It's a bit sad to see that some of his spark has now disappeared at age of 36 but still is enough to place him a level above his counterparts (also I could not understand why he was playing with half of his short pulled all the way up tonight
Looked strange. But not as strange as those...ehm...tops...let's say it, that players use underneath their jerseys nowadays :?)Golfoca was again showcasing signs of danger today. He's quick but he needs to improve his technique. And stamina also perhaps. Or otherwise I don't understand why Dica takes one of his best units as one of the first, yet again.
Budescu seemed a bit off while he was on the pitch. Not on form, I think?
And Alibec did a much poorer e
bition than in Portugal. He was important on the goal play but that was it. Other than that just a predictable shot at goal. Nothing too fancy at all. Think he was one of the first to take down his guard. Perhaps thinking he should be playing in a better team, who knows. I hear that Romanian press is linking him to FC Porto...I suppose that wouldn't be bad for him. They are looking for a forward indeed but I think for the bench. So perhaps that wouldn't be the ideal scenario for him (though ofc he could earn the spot with time). I think it's just speculation anyway and hope that he stays at Steaua, they really need him.As for the subs, Tanase did bring a little more to the game than Budescu but bad timing. 2nd half was a disaster and not much he could do up front. As for the play in which he asked for a penalty...don't know really. Did not see clear enough. TV images weren't conclusive.
Gnohorèrè (is it like this?) also couldn't do much by the time he came in. I think risked too late. And frankly, if he is one of the team best scores why bench him? Specially on a game like tonight's, where Steaua desperatly needed goals. Alibec alone up front seems not enough. If this African player is really decent I think he could have given some headaches to our defense and open up more spaces in which Alibec could appear.
As for the kid with adult's name, Dennis Man...not much that could be seen. Again, the match was already one-way only by the time he came in.
Last note to William Amorir...I remember there was such a fuss about naturalizing him and at least on matches against us he was just some bench figure. Charm worn off?
So all is left to say is that I'm crossing my fingers for the draw now. I hope we can get an accessible draw, or if not, at least play in some interesting places. Think it'll be impossible since we'll both be in the same pot but I would have liked to play Maribor again.
As for Steaua, best of lucks for the new journey in Europe League now, I'll be rooting for one of the remaining Romanian teams. And also good luck on the championship, you can have them all until Otelul is back on the top tier
Nah, actually I'd like some diversity. But this year could be theirs.P.S. I hear Coman is going to Steaua after all? Might be good for him. I read a lot of things about Romanian football these days...I think Gigi said something like "I set up his selling clause at 100M. That's how much he'll be worth in 2 years if he stops smoking"
P.S. 2 A lot of players were missing, heh? Was Benzar injured?
Btw, on the best selling newspaper around here came a delicious article on Gigi Becagli that I thought it'd be nice to translate
So here it goes:
The eccentric (or worse) that gives 120 thousand euros to each Steaua player for eliminating Sporting
Gigi Becali was born from deportees for affiliations with the nazis and was a pastor. Made fortune thanks to 150 thousand euros that Hagi lend him. Became some sort of a Trump, went to Steaua to become famous
Before Steaua's players traveled to Lisbon for the first leg match of the play-off of the Champions League, their president revealed to them:
- If you pass the play-off I have 120 thousand euros for each of you that plays and 100 thousand euros for the others.
The president is Gigi Becali - in him lies an even more eccentric Donald Trump than the real Donald Trump. You won't imagine what through here will be told about him - about what he already achieved in football, in politics, on television (and even in prison...).
When Hitler already spread nazism throughout Germany, at the same time in Romania there was the Garda de Fier - The Iron Guard did not hid it's purposes.
- We are ultranationalists and anti-communists, we promote the orthodox faith, we want an anti-semitic state.
It's no surprise then, that, during WWII they always stood by the nazis. Hilter lost, Romania became communist and one of the first measures of it's government was to deport to the steeps of Baragan people connected to the Garda de Fier. These dedicated themselves mostly to "sheppard business" (the world fails me now and I'm sure if they mean sheppards or religious sheppards. Dual meaning in Portuguese) - and it was in a family like such that in June of 1958 was born George Becali. He grew as a sheppard, quickly football became his passion, but back in those days he wasn't a Steaua fan (the team of the communist militarists) rather a Dinamo Bucharest fan (which he never tried to hide) - but little by little he started to switch his devotion to the other sidel, to the team of the yellow star. And, from a moment to another, his life also changed.
Protest in Timisioara on the first days of December 1989 was dispersed through the use of bullets by the army and the Securitatea - the political police. An the protests towards Nicolae Ceaucescu spread, like a match, all the way to Bucharest. Understanding that the soldiers had removed support from him, the dictator tried to escape through an helicopter, while ponting a gun to he head of the pilot. However, the later simulated mechanical failure and landed on the base of Targoviste, giving the dictator away to the soldiers that decided, on Christmas day, to condemn him to death for the genocide of 60 thousand Romanians, shooting him immediately on the yard of the "barracks"
With the abrupt end of communism in Romania, George Becali, that everyone called Gigi, asked for 150 thousand euros to a friend. The friend was a friend of Steaua, Hagi - and with that money he bought land that belonged to the army. The sudden inflation transformed Gigi in a millionaire (Actually, in more, much more than that...).
Ioan Becalli, the cousin, was the agent of Hagi - and also became the agent of other Romanian stars (it was him who brought Niculae to Sporting and Sapunaru to FC Porto) - and Gigi Becalli jumped all the way up to Steaua's shareholders counsel, after Valentin Ceausescu, that after his father demise had stopped being their president. In 2003 he got more than half of the shares of the the team - he became it's owner, it's extravagant owner.
- "I became rich through the gift of God, for having God illuminating my businesses and when a man becomes rich he also becomes famous. For that reason, I bought Steaua and I don't know if there is, now, someone more famous than me in Romania..."
In order to candidate himself to the presidential elections of 2004 he created the New Generation Party. He would not get more than 2% of the votes, but it didn't take long for him to get a seat in the parliament, a seat in the European parliament - and his speech adorned of a religious-nationalistic mystique (and politically incorrect ideas) put him in a centerfold position on TV, always polemic, outspoken. In television and not only. For example, having taken ownership of Steaua he forbid that in his stadium people listened to what had became a ritual: the entrance of the players on field to the sound of "We are the champions" by Queen - since he thought Freddy Mercury "was the devil". The devil? Why - he was askd. And he replied, with no hesitations:
- "Because he was an homosexual!"
(No, it was not only that. He also thought that in the spears of the stadium religious music was more appropriate to be played).
In his New Generation Party he did something even more amazing: knowing that one of the party's directors had expressed his wish to do a penis augmentation surgery, he fired him immediately - and the justification was:
- "God made some of us with bigger parts, others with shorter parts. To go against that is the idea of the devil, which can't be tolerated in a party where the sacred principle is christian democracy."
Among some of his other characteristics, when choosing his political slogan he picked a sentence inspired in one of the founders of the Iron Guard:
"- I, Gigi Becali, swear to all Romanians and to God that I will make Romania shine as the sacred sun of the skies..."
And no, the accusations linking to the fascist movement did no bother him. It was around that time, sometime around 2005, that various newspapers revealed that he had ordered a painting inspired by the Last Supper of Leonardo da Vinci in which he appeared in Jesus' place, with the manager and eleven players of Steaua in the place of the disciples - but that he denied:
"- No, I did not order that painting, the painting was offered to me by a Steaua supporter who knows well my position with the team, the role that I want to have in the team."
"Pongolle? A good Christian but he is black!"
When Cluj stole him the 2007/2008 championship, the revenge of Gigi Becali was done through the goosebumps of his principles: he went there to pick António Semedo. the Semedo that before shining in Romania had already exploded in Estrela da Amadora - and he did not stop to admit:
"I don't like blacks, but I could not do another thing, he is too good for us to let him stay with Hungarians and masons of Cluj..."
Whatever the reason, Semedo was only there for a season - and sometime around 2012, Sporting tried to send Steaua Florent Sinama-Pongolle. Because the common perception was that his salary was too high considering what he achieved on the field, the idea was to release him without costs. When knowing about the chance, Nicolita, that had been his team mate at St. Etiénne got excited, but Gigi Becali stopped his euphoria right away:
"- An agent proposed the business, Nicolita told me that Pongolle is incredible, that he does what he wants with the ball. But here nobody does what they want, they do what I want! He even told me he was a Christian, a good Christian, but he is black, so I don't want him..."
From the built churches to the destroyed casino...
When a Spanish journalist if he really was what Romanian journalists said he was, the most eccentric president in football, Gigi Becali answered him:
"- And what to they say? Well, they can say whatever they want! I only say what I think and I have no problems with that".
Ironic, he admitted to another journalist:
"- Yes, I admit that yes, that I'm not a civilized man."
Troublemaker he is indeed. In a TV program he threw a glass of water to the face of an interviewer and with pride revealed:
" - One time I destroyed a casino because I lost a lot of money there."
During his first times at Steaua, he did, solemn, the promise:
" - By each match won on the European competitions, I'll order the building of a church."
He kept his word. He ordered that some were built for those reasons, others for the most varied reasons and because of all this there's people who say:
"He already surpassed the mark of Saint Steven, the Big, when it comes to building churches."
In 2005, seeing the country drowned in terrible floods - he gave to those who suffered the most from the disaster more houses than the government itself.
Extravagant was what he did right after: as Steaua went to play in Valencia, he rented an Airbus 380, filled it up with guests for the match, spending 62 thousand euros in that, thinking that such amount was just spared money to him. And it was.
He had his fortune valued in 2000 millions of dollars - and he himself revealed somewhere in 2009:
" - The financal crisis left me with maybe 200 millions of euros..."
It was around that time that the court condemned him for the first time to jail - condemned him for having ordered to his bodyguards to kidnap and torture 3 men that he suspected had stolen him one of his many luxury cars.
100 thousand dollars to take Carlos and Steaua transformed in FCSB
Because of the name of the team, the process in which seven millions of judged were called and even the pope
He's fired managers, going to the bench himself. It was what happened with one of the icons of the team, Marius Lacatus, that in 1986 took Steaua to the victory of the Champions Cup - and Gigi in 2006 did something that before no one had done: Steaua had lost 1-4 to Real in Madrid and he thought that happened because of a bad ebition by Carlos, that went beyond Boavista, being the goalkeeper of the national team of Angola at the time:
- "If some team wants to take Carlos, I offered 100 thousand dollars so that they do it now..."
Similar thing he did with Tiago Gomes following a loss to Brasov
Yes, he kept doing it - and less than 2 years ago, in Europa League, Rosenborg beat Steaua 3-0 and what happened?
Gigi run, furious, looking for journalists in the mixed zone of the stadium and as soon as he saw them he exploded:
"I'll cut on the salaries of everybody. But more. Tadé will leave. Tahar will leave. I don't want any money for Tadé or Tahar. If somene offers me 50 thousand euros I refuse. I am giving them away."
Two tears before, in May of 2013, he was sentenced to two years in prison for corruption and abuse of power involving illegal trade of land, the military land that started him on the fortune that he holds. They caught him in the airport, while attempting to defect to Israel and his reaction was:
" - I never thought that something like this could happen. To destroy a family like this because of some land trade. Is this the country of Christ? No, this is the country of the devil".
He'd make Steaua champion again - and was at another war at the same time, restlessly.
The Defense Ministry found itself on the right to use for itself the name and the symbol of the team that they had founded in 1947 - and when losing in court, Gigi Becali decided:
" - FCSB will be the continuation to Steaua. Who wants can even call it Steaua, even though the license now is, starting now, in the name of FSCB. Seven thousand millions of judges, the pope in Rome, the forces of NATO may oppose, but they can not change this background situation..."
We were already in March, March of 2017, when the federation approved the change of the name of the team from SC Fotbal Club Steaua Bucuresti SA to Fotbal Club FCSB SA.
Becali was also able to maintain the UEFA ranking - and the conquests of the past to his Steaua. FCSB, we mean.
In 2015, he had lost the right to use the traditional stadium, the Ghencea - and the Defense Ministry announce the creation of a new football team, obviously named Steaua.
It will be registered in the fourth division - and for it's manager Marius Lacatus has been chosen...
The attack to the player that was said to be gay and the threat to Jorge Costa
To the Portuguese manager he replied with name that spread fear, one of his bodyguards
During one of his electoral campaigns, Gigi Becali had put half of Romania (at least...) in awe by exclaiming:
"- I don't understand why there are more homosexuals by the day around here, so I will give 5 million dollars so that through a referendum we can end with them for good".
The least homophobic he has said, was said about marriage between people of the same sex:
" - If they want to marry in the prefecture, they can do it everyday, 10 at a time. But in a church, never!"
In 2010, Steaua had all arranged to sign the Bulgarian Ivan Ivanov, but, when realizing of the news that he player might be gay, he threw the chance away immediately:
" - I don't admit that any homosexual plays in my team."
Ivanov denied the news. Gigi kept to himself. The National Counsel of Opposition to Discrimination adverted Steaua - and Becali repeated:
" - I have the right to hire who I want and I don't want to work with gays, what's the problem? Get this in your heads: my life is guided in the first place by the Sacred Scriptures and only then by the law of men..."
No, he's not only an assumed homophobe, he's also an assumed xenophobe. For instance, in 2007, he accused Cluj of being financed by the "Hungarian masonry", saying, without fears:
" - We need to win them the championship to avoid that Romania becomes the laughing stock around the world for having it's championship won by Hungarians...".
Cluj really becamea champion that season and for years later , when Jorge Costa became manager of the team, Becali released again, a timeless number of times, his pet hatred for the team, considering that Cluj was in the first place because of the referees.
Upset, Jorge Costa didn't hold himself down and called Gigi "parrot". Gigi replied with a serious threat:
" - I don't answer to alocholics and mentally retarded people, but I will only remember you that, with me, who takes care of cases such as this is Fane."
Fane was the most famous of his bodyguards, famous for various "deeds" he had spread around Romania.
That's it. Perhaps not so interesting in English, sounds more natural when written in Portuguese. For those reading out of context, this is a transcript from a newspaper. The Portuguese used by who wrote it (António Simões, former Benfica player and icon) is rather old so that is why the text might sound a bit weird. Also I'm simply exhausted at this point, so there's that too
So here it goes:
The eccentric (or worse) that gives 120 thousand euros to each Steaua player for eliminating Sporting
Gigi Becali was born from deportees for affiliations with the nazis and was a pastor. Made fortune thanks to 150 thousand euros that Hagi lend him. Became some sort of a Trump, went to Steaua to become famous
Before Steaua's players traveled to Lisbon for the first leg match of the play-off of the Champions League, their president revealed to them:
- If you pass the play-off I have 120 thousand euros for each of you that plays and 100 thousand euros for the others.
The president is Gigi Becali - in him lies an even more eccentric Donald Trump than the real Donald Trump. You won't imagine what through here will be told about him - about what he already achieved in football, in politics, on television (and even in prison...).
When Hitler already spread nazism throughout Germany, at the same time in Romania there was the Garda de Fier - The Iron Guard did not hid it's purposes.
- We are ultranationalists and anti-communists, we promote the orthodox faith, we want an anti-semitic state.
It's no surprise then, that, during WWII they always stood by the nazis. Hilter lost, Romania became communist and one of the first measures of it's government was to deport to the steeps of Baragan people connected to the Garda de Fier. These dedicated themselves mostly to "sheppard business" (the world fails me now and I'm sure if they mean sheppards or religious sheppards. Dual meaning in Portuguese) - and it was in a family like such that in June of 1958 was born George Becali. He grew as a sheppard, quickly football became his passion, but back in those days he wasn't a Steaua fan (the team of the communist militarists) rather a Dinamo Bucharest fan (which he never tried to hide) - but little by little he started to switch his devotion to the other sidel, to the team of the yellow star. And, from a moment to another, his life also changed.
Protest in Timisioara on the first days of December 1989 was dispersed through the use of bullets by the army and the Securitatea - the political police. An the protests towards Nicolae Ceaucescu spread, like a match, all the way to Bucharest. Understanding that the soldiers had removed support from him, the dictator tried to escape through an helicopter, while ponting a gun to he head of the pilot. However, the later simulated mechanical failure and landed on the base of Targoviste, giving the dictator away to the soldiers that decided, on Christmas day, to condemn him to death for the genocide of 60 thousand Romanians, shooting him immediately on the yard of the "barracks"
With the abrupt end of communism in Romania, George Becali, that everyone called Gigi, asked for 150 thousand euros to a friend. The friend was a friend of Steaua, Hagi - and with that money he bought land that belonged to the army. The sudden inflation transformed Gigi in a millionaire (Actually, in more, much more than that...).
Ioan Becalli, the cousin, was the agent of Hagi - and also became the agent of other Romanian stars (it was him who brought Niculae to Sporting and Sapunaru to FC Porto) - and Gigi Becalli jumped all the way up to Steaua's shareholders counsel, after Valentin Ceausescu, that after his father demise had stopped being their president. In 2003 he got more than half of the shares of the the team - he became it's owner, it's extravagant owner.
- "I became rich through the gift of God, for having God illuminating my businesses and when a man becomes rich he also becomes famous. For that reason, I bought Steaua and I don't know if there is, now, someone more famous than me in Romania..."
In order to candidate himself to the presidential elections of 2004 he created the New Generation Party. He would not get more than 2% of the votes, but it didn't take long for him to get a seat in the parliament, a seat in the European parliament - and his speech adorned of a religious-nationalistic mystique (and politically incorrect ideas) put him in a centerfold position on TV, always polemic, outspoken. In television and not only. For example, having taken ownership of Steaua he forbid that in his stadium people listened to what had became a ritual: the entrance of the players on field to the sound of "We are the champions" by Queen - since he thought Freddy Mercury "was the devil". The devil? Why - he was askd. And he replied, with no hesitations:
- "Because he was an homosexual!"
(No, it was not only that. He also thought that in the spears of the stadium religious music was more appropriate to be played).
In his New Generation Party he did something even more amazing: knowing that one of the party's directors had expressed his wish to do a penis augmentation surgery, he fired him immediately - and the justification was:
- "God made some of us with bigger parts, others with shorter parts. To go against that is the idea of the devil, which can't be tolerated in a party where the sacred principle is christian democracy."
Among some of his other characteristics, when choosing his political slogan he picked a sentence inspired in one of the founders of the Iron Guard:
"- I, Gigi Becali, swear to all Romanians and to God that I will make Romania shine as the sacred sun of the skies..."
And no, the accusations linking to the fascist movement did no bother him. It was around that time, sometime around 2005, that various newspapers revealed that he had ordered a painting inspired by the Last Supper of Leonardo da Vinci in which he appeared in Jesus' place, with the manager and eleven players of Steaua in the place of the disciples - but that he denied:
"- No, I did not order that painting, the painting was offered to me by a Steaua supporter who knows well my position with the team, the role that I want to have in the team."
"Pongolle? A good Christian but he is black!"
When Cluj stole him the 2007/2008 championship, the revenge of Gigi Becali was done through the goosebumps of his principles: he went there to pick António Semedo. the Semedo that before shining in Romania had already exploded in Estrela da Amadora - and he did not stop to admit:
"I don't like blacks, but I could not do another thing, he is too good for us to let him stay with Hungarians and masons of Cluj..."
Whatever the reason, Semedo was only there for a season - and sometime around 2012, Sporting tried to send Steaua Florent Sinama-Pongolle. Because the common perception was that his salary was too high considering what he achieved on the field, the idea was to release him without costs. When knowing about the chance, Nicolita, that had been his team mate at St. Etiénne got excited, but Gigi Becali stopped his euphoria right away:
"- An agent proposed the business, Nicolita told me that Pongolle is incredible, that he does what he wants with the ball. But here nobody does what they want, they do what I want! He even told me he was a Christian, a good Christian, but he is black, so I don't want him..."
From the built churches to the destroyed casino...
When a Spanish journalist if he really was what Romanian journalists said he was, the most eccentric president in football, Gigi Becali answered him:
"- And what to they say? Well, they can say whatever they want! I only say what I think and I have no problems with that".
Ironic, he admitted to another journalist:
"- Yes, I admit that yes, that I'm not a civilized man."
Troublemaker he is indeed. In a TV program he threw a glass of water to the face of an interviewer and with pride revealed:
" - One time I destroyed a casino because I lost a lot of money there."
During his first times at Steaua, he did, solemn, the promise:
" - By each match won on the European competitions, I'll order the building of a church."
He kept his word. He ordered that some were built for those reasons, others for the most varied reasons and because of all this there's people who say:
"He already surpassed the mark of Saint Steven, the Big, when it comes to building churches."
In 2005, seeing the country drowned in terrible floods - he gave to those who suffered the most from the disaster more houses than the government itself.
Extravagant was what he did right after: as Steaua went to play in Valencia, he rented an Airbus 380, filled it up with guests for the match, spending 62 thousand euros in that, thinking that such amount was just spared money to him. And it was.
He had his fortune valued in 2000 millions of dollars - and he himself revealed somewhere in 2009:
" - The financal crisis left me with maybe 200 millions of euros..."
It was around that time that the court condemned him for the first time to jail - condemned him for having ordered to his bodyguards to kidnap and torture 3 men that he suspected had stolen him one of his many luxury cars.
100 thousand dollars to take Carlos and Steaua transformed in FCSB
Because of the name of the team, the process in which seven millions of judged were called and even the pope
He's fired managers, going to the bench himself. It was what happened with one of the icons of the team, Marius Lacatus, that in 1986 took Steaua to the victory of the Champions Cup - and Gigi in 2006 did something that before no one had done: Steaua had lost 1-4 to Real in Madrid and he thought that happened because of a bad e
bition by Carlos, that went beyond Boavista, being the goalkeeper of the national team of Angola at the time:- "If some team wants to take Carlos, I offered 100 thousand dollars so that they do it now..."
Similar thing he did with Tiago Gomes following a loss to Brasov
Yes, he kept doing it - and less than 2 years ago, in Europa League, Rosenborg beat Steaua 3-0 and what happened?
Gigi run, furious, looking for journalists in the mixed zone of the stadium and as soon as he saw them he exploded:
"I'll cut on the salaries of everybody. But more. Tadé will leave. Tahar will leave. I don't want any money for Tadé or Tahar. If somene offers me 50 thousand euros I refuse. I am giving them away."
Two tears before, in May of 2013, he was sentenced to two years in prison for corruption and abuse of power involving illegal trade of land, the military land that started him on the fortune that he holds. They caught him in the airport, while attempting to defect to Israel and his reaction was:
" - I never thought that something like this could happen. To destroy a family like this because of some land trade. Is this the country of Christ? No, this is the country of the devil".
He'd make Steaua champion again - and was at another war at the same time, restlessly.
The Defense Ministry found itself on the right to use for itself the name and the symbol of the team that they had founded in 1947 - and when losing in court, Gigi Becali decided:
" - FCSB will be the continuation to Steaua. Who wants can even call it Steaua, even though the license now is, starting now, in the name of FSCB. Seven thousand millions of judges, the pope in Rome, the forces of NATO may oppose, but they can not change this background situation..."
We were already in March, March of 2017, when the federation approved the change of the name of the team from SC Fotbal Club Steaua Bucuresti SA to Fotbal Club FCSB SA.
Becali was also able to maintain the UEFA ranking - and the conquests of the past to his Steaua. FCSB, we mean.
In 2015, he had lost the right to use the traditional stadium, the Ghencea - and the Defense Ministry announce the creation of a new football team, obviously named Steaua.
It will be registered in the fourth division - and for it's manager Marius Lacatus has been chosen...
The attack to the player that was said to be gay and the threat to Jorge Costa
To the Portuguese manager he replied with name that spread fear, one of his bodyguards
During one of his electoral campaigns, Gigi Becali had put half of Romania (at least...) in awe by exclaiming:
"- I don't understand why there are more homosexuals by the day around here, so I will give 5 million dollars so that through a referendum we can end with them for good".
The least homophobic he has said, was said about marriage between people of the same sex:
" - If they want to marry in the prefecture, they can do it everyday, 10 at a time. But in a church, never!"
In 2010, Steaua had all arranged to sign the Bulgarian Ivan Ivanov, but, when realizing of the news that he player might be gay, he threw the chance away immediately:
" - I don't admit that any homosexual plays in my team."
Ivanov denied the news. Gigi kept to himself. The National Counsel of Opposition to Discrimination adverted Steaua - and Becali repeated:
" - I have the right to hire who I want and I don't want to work with gays, what's the problem? Get this in your heads: my life is guided in the first place by the Sacred Scriptures and only then by the law of men..."
No, he's not only an assumed homophobe, he's also an assumed xenophobe. For instance, in 2007, he accused Cluj of being financed by the "Hungarian masonry", saying, without fears:
" - We need to win them the championship to avoid that Romania becomes the laughing stock around the world for having it's championship won by Hungarians...".
Cluj really becamea champion that season and for years later , when Jorge Costa became manager of the team, Becali released again, a timeless number of times, his pet hatred for the team, considering that Cluj was in the first place because of the referees.
Upset, Jorge Costa didn't hold himself down and called Gigi "parrot". Gigi replied with a serious threat:
" - I don't answer to alocholics and mentally retarded people, but I will only remember you that, with me, who takes care of cases such as this is Fane."
Fane was the most famous of his bodyguards, famous for various "deeds" he had spread around Romania.
That's it. Perhaps not so interesting in English, sounds more natural when written in Portuguese. For those reading out of context, this is a transcript from a newspaper. The Portuguese used by who wrote it (António Simões, former Benfica player and icon) is rather old so that is why the text might sound a bit weird. Also I'm simply exhausted at this point, so there's that too
Group A:
Benfica
ManU
FC Basel
ZSKA
Group B:
Bayern
Paris
Anderlecht
Celtic
Group C:
Atletico
Chelsea
Roma
QarabaQ
Group D:
Juventus
Barcelona
Piräus
Sporting
Group E:
Spartak
Sevilla
Liverpool
Maribor
Group F:
Schachtjar
ManCity
Napoli
Feyenoord
Group G:
Monaco
Porto
Besiktas
Leipzig
Group H:
Real Madrid
Dortmund
Tottenham
Nicosia
Benfica
ManU
FC Basel
ZSKA
Group B:
Bayern
Paris
Anderlecht
Celtic
Group C:
Atletico
Chelsea
Roma
QarabaQ
Group D:
Juventus
Barcelona
Piräus
Sporting
Group E:
Spartak
Sevilla
Liverpool
Maribor
Group F:
Schachtjar
ManCity
Napoli
Feyenoord
Group G:
Monaco
Porto
Besiktas
Leipzig
Group H:
Real Madrid
Dortmund
Tottenham
Nicosia
QwaarJet
ESC Moderator
Terrible draw for Celtic to qualify, but best draw possible for Europa League after Christmas. Will take it.
Here is my predictions for qualifiers.
Group A
Man Utd
Benfica
Group B
Bayern Munich
PSG
Group C
Atletico Madrid
Chelsea
Group D
Juventus
Barcelona
Group E
Liverpool
Sevilla
Group F
Napoli
Manchester City
Group G
RB Leipzig
Porto
Group H
Real Madrid
Borussia Dortmund
Here is my predictions for qualifiers.
Group A
Man Utd
Benfica
Group B
Bayern Munich
PSG
Group C
Atletico Madrid
Chelsea
Group D
Juventus
Barcelona
Group E
Liverpool
Sevilla
Group F
Napoli
Manchester City
Group G
RB Leipzig
Porto
Group H
Real Madrid
Borussia Dortmund
Wow... Lots of Surprises in the EL-Quali:
Red Star Belgrad beats FK Krasnodar 2:1 and 2:3
Vardar Skopje beats Fenerbahce 2:1 and 2:0
Rosenborg Trondheim beats Ajax 1:0 and 3:2
Tiraspol beats Warszaw 1:1 and 0:0
Östersunds beats Saloniki 2:0 and 1:3
Red Star Belgrad
beats FK Krasnodar 2:1 and 2:3Vardar Skopje
beats Fenerbahce 2:1 and 2:0Rosenborg Trondheim
beats Ajax 1:0 and 3:2Tiraspol
beats Warszaw 1:1 and 0:0Östersunds
beats Saloniki 2:0 and 1:3 Dinamo Kyiv 3-1 MarítimoAfter the surprising 0-0 in Funchal, record was set straight in the Ukraine. Should have been 5-1, 2 disallowed goals actually seemed legal to me. The Ukrainian 2nd goal is a total miss from Marítimo's goalkeeper, hope this will bring him back down to planet Earth.
Braga 3-2 FHVery deceiving result. FH were on top for most of the match. Great entries, both in the 1st and the 2nd half. Braga were lucky to win. The last goal was lucky and a total blunder from the Faroese goalkeeper. Nevertheless FH should be proud, they played two great games and put Braga on the verge of elimination.
As for Braga, yet again, got lucky with a "theoretically inferior" team after the matches against AIK. There's a lot of work to be done with that team. Judging by the start of their season I don't envision very positive campaigns for both Braga and V. Guimarães in the Europa League.
As for the CL draw..
Group A:
Benfica Manchester United FC Basel CSKA MoscowFavorable draw for Benfica, they can't complain. Manchester are of course the favorites even though they haven't convinced me yet. I'd say CSKA are the team that will fight for the 2nd spot rather than Basel. We (Sporting) played against Basel in the pre-season, they did win over us but their squad did not seem that impressive. CSKA already have experience against Swiss sides after knocking out Young Boys from Bern so they know the formula of how to win in Switzerland already.
I'd love to see Benfica flop obviously, but we'll see.
Group D:
Juventus Barcelona Olympiakos Sporting[MENTION=4387]lucian-crusher[/MENTION] want to switch places?
The most difficult group for us. Pot allocation didn't help of course. Barcelona are the clear favorite to go through and the toughest match we'll have will be obviously at Camp Nou. Critics suggest Barcelona aren't in their best form but Barcelona even in their worst days should have enough quality to get through.
Juventus is the other favorite of course, but despite last season's campaign I'll still place them below Barcelona.
Anything else than these two qualifying will be seen as a shock and if there's a team who can do it, that's my team. We can really surprise Europe...it will depend on how our form is by the time we play these big 2.
As for Olympiakos, they're always a side to watch. We'll probably end up fighting with them for 3rd place if we aren't able to surprise the giants. And I'd say we have an advantage when it comes to that. The Greeks have players like Diogo Figueiras (ex-Sevilla) and André Martins (our ex eternal delayed midget promise who is now what...28?
). They also have a former player from Braga, the Colombian Pardo. All due to respect to Greece and the Greeks, which I love as a people, but Olympiakos is a level down from our side, I'd say. Might be wronged on D day but Olympiakos is seen as the "trampoline" team for managers around here. Leonardo Jardim first had international success there. Marco Silva, the same.My dream would be us and Barça through. Don't really care for Juventus.
We should be ready for adversity as many in our squad played in Madrid and Dortmund last season. Sure, Barcelona and Turin are a step above (at least Barcelona) but we performed well last season in the big stages (really very unlucky loss at Madrid in the final 10 minutes) so that leaves me with some hope.
Group G:
Group G:
Monaco Porto Besiktas LeipzigIt's the most leveled group. Sure, it is way easier than ours. But in retrospect all of these teams are kind of well balanced in terms of overall quality. Monaco is the clear favorite, they seem to be keeping the form they ended last season in so far. Porto are growing domestically but I have yet to see what Sérgio Conceição can do with his side at an international level. Besiktas are a dangerous team always. I think they did not start too well in the Super Cup but they have many talented players. They have Pepe now, I think it's the first time he'll play against Porto since departing.
RB Leipzing could be said to be the underdog if one is not aware of their campaign on the Bundesliga last season and their corporative background. They have some good young talents (Bruma, Forsberg, Werner still in?) and have all the chances to surprise in Europe.
Here are my qualification predictions with some wishful thoughts on the side:
Group A:
Man Utd CSKAGroup B:
Bayern PSGGroup C:
Atletico ChelseaGroup D:
Barcelona SportingGroup E:
Spartak Moscow SevillaGroup F:
Shakhtar FeyernoordGroup G:
Monaco PortoGroup H:
Dortmund APOEL (please )
JSSArcos
Well-known member
Here is my predictions for qualifiers.
Group A
Benfica (Please)
Manchester United
Group B
Bayern München
Paris SG
Group C
Atletico
Chelsea
Group D
Barcelona
Juventus
Group E:
Sevilla
Liverpool
Group F
ManCity
Napoli
Group G
Monaco
Porto
Group H:
Real Madrid
Dortmund
Group A
Benfica (Please
)Manchester United
Group B
Bayern München
Paris SG
Group C
Atletico
Chelsea
Group D
Barcelona
Juventus
Group E:
Sevilla
Liverpool
Group F
ManCity
Napoli
Group G
Monaco
Porto
Group H:
Real Madrid
Dortmund
lucian-crusher
Well-known member
UEFA Champions League, Play-Off:
Steaua Bucharest - Sporting CP 1 - 5 (1 - 5 agg.)
I think that 1 - 3 would've been much close to reality!
UEFA Europa League, Play-Off:
Red Bull Salzburg - Viitorul Constanta 4 - 0 (7 - 1 agg.)
And only Steaua left!
Steaua Bucharest - Sporting CP 1 - 5 (1 - 5 agg.)I think that 1 - 3 would've been much close to reality!
UEFA Europa League, Play-Off:
Red Bull Salzburg - Viitorul Constanta 4 - 0 (7 - 1 agg.)And only Steaua left!
Farahim
Active member
Group C: Chelsea , Atlético Madrid , Roma FC , Qarabagh FC
, Atlético Madrid , Roma FC , Qarabagh FC
lucian-crusher
Well-known member
[MENTION=13185]Edward[/MENTION], yes! Florinel Coman is Steaua's player now. Benzar didn't play against Sporting, because he played for Viitorul against APOEL Nicossia in the previous round.