That 1.7 million’s Not a Bribe! It’s for Chocolate and Candies!

By: Daryl | May 8th, 2008

Cluj vs Steaua Hats off (if you’re wearing one) to Romanian champions CFR Cluj. The team won Romania’s Liga 1 yesterday, beating Universitatea Cluj 1-0 to claim the first championship in the club’s history and the first team from outside Bucharest to take the title in 17 years. Even better it looks like they’ve somehow managed to win in the face of monumental corruption.

Cluj’s title rivals were Steaua Bucharest, owned by a certain Gigi Becali. The same Gigi Becali who tried to put a bounty on Cluj’s head by offering money to any team that took points off them.

And, by sheer coincidence I’m sure, a group of Steaua staff members and a Universitatea player were in a Cluj restaurant awaiting the result yesterday. With 1.7 million euros in cash.

Cluj’s victory meant they took Liga 1 by one point, but a draw or defeat would have seen Steaua crowned champions. So it doesn’t take a genius to see that the 1.7 mil was destined for Universitatea players had they prevented Cluj from winning the title.

Four unnamed people have been detained by DNA (Romania’s anti-corruption people) but Gigi Becali has a very different explanation:

“They had 1.7 millions euros,” Becali told the local Sport.ro TV station. “I sent them (the four emissaries) to buy chocolate and candies (from Cluj)… I buy what I want. The money is mine and I may send them anywhere I want.”

So, just so we’re all clear on this, Becali was in Cluj buying 1.7 million euros worth of chocolate and candies. As Ian says on our Romania Euro 2008 blog that’s a lot of candy.

Even worse, Becali seems unnervingly confident that he’ll get away with this. “To find me guilty the DNA must prove that the money was destined for Universitatea players and its staff,” Becali said, all but confirming what was going on, but also pointing out that there’s no proof.

I wouldn’t be hugely surprised if he does get away with it. But whatever happens legally, he’s still a loser. Though Becali claims to he can “buy what I want”, his millions and meddling still weren’t enough to buy his team the title because, over the course of the season, Cluj were the better team. And that has to hurt.

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Daryl

Actually Ian, that's a really good point. Assuming the 1.7 million was intended to be a payment to the Universitatea players if they got a results against Cluj, then that means the money is unspent.

But if Becali really was going to spend it on chocolate and candies then Cluj's win doesn't change anything. So the best way for Becali to prove his innocence would be to actually spend 1.7 million euros on sweets.

Which would at the very least be good news for some lucky Cluj sweetshop/candystore.
Ian Rose

I'm not even that concerned with the legality of it. The biggest point of the story to me is the hugeness and brazenness of the lie. Until he produces 2.5 million dollars in candy, with a receipt from Cluj, I think it's clear he lied. And he did it in a way that suggests he didn't much care if he got caught. But overall, yeah, I'm with Daryl - any more info on Cluj's own scandals would be fantastic to hear. We certainly don't have bias one way or the other on this site - as you say, it's more ignorance.
Daryl

Fair enough gogu. But help me walk that long road to non-naivety.

Sounds like you know your Romanian footy, so can you fill us in on what Cluj have done this year, and how widespread the corruption is? Sounds from your comment that it goes a lot deeper than just Gigi Becali.
gogu

Last I've checked, one doesn't get punished by intention. And even so, awarding money to a team in order beat their opponents is not punishable by law but by the FA's internal rules. DNA is just making a fuss to make people think they actually do something.

Needless to say, CRF are no saints either. They've had way too many duboius calls going for them and their owner has managed to get quite a good reputation despite his downright illegal ways (for which there's undeniable proof) he made at least some of his money.

Romanian football is an interesting world but yours is just a naive article. You've still got quite some road to walk.
Laurie

You have no idea how much it troubles me that you've researched this.

:-)
Daryl

That crossed my mind. But Ziua Mamei (Romanian Mother's Day) is March 8th.

Which means he's definitely guilty.
Laurie

Oh, come on. You always take the dark view of things. I'm quite certain this is all a misunderstanding due to the fact that Mother's Day is coming up. He's just a good son.