Players' revolt at Steaua. Gigi Becali: "I have become a joke to the world"
While the four Israeli representatives advanced in Europe, Romania has already lost two representatives, and its champion also dropped from the Champions League qualifiers to the Europa League qualifiers. The biggest shame is signed by Steaua Bucharest, or FCSB under its current name, which was defeated 4:1 in Riga by the Latvian Auda, after losing 3:2 in the home game as well. Ofri Arad was not included in the squad for the games. In Romania, they reported a "players' revolt" against coach Marius Baciu.
While the four Israeli representatives advanced in Europe, Romania has already lost two representatives, and its champion also dropped from the Champions League qualifiers to the Europa League qualifiers. The biggest shame is signed by Steaua Bucharest, or FCSB under its current name, which was defeated 4:1 in Riga by the Latvian Auda, after losing 3:2 in the home game as well. Ofri Arad was not included in the squad for the games.
In Romania, they reported a "players' revolt" against coach Marius Baciu. The players claimed that he is inexperienced and the team needs a "strong hand in the locker room to stop the chaos". In GSP, they quoted a message from players who asked to remain anonymous:
"What kind of football can you play when we hired someone who was a TV commentator?! We don't have a coach, and we refuse to understand this. He is a good guy, blah blah blah... If we want to succeed, we need a coach - not TV commentators."
Some of the players also pointed the accusing finger at Gigi Becali:
"You invested millions of euros in us - in training, in infrastructure and in conditions - and in the end we look like a team from the district league... If Auda beat you, it's time to wake up! We don't have a coach, chaos reigns in training. The training is of a low level, the coach is a joke, and beyond that, everyone does what they want."
The owner already cried out yesterday (Thursday): "I have become a joke to the world." When asked about the coach, he added: "I will not fire him. I am to blame, not him."
51-year-old Baciu, who coached small teams in Romania before spending three years in various teams in Saudi Arabia, has not managed a team since 2023 and, as mentioned, served as a commentator. After the match, he was actually satisfied with the performance:
"It might not sound good, but I can't help but be happy with the way we played. Of course, the result is humiliating. If we are not focused and know how to take advantage of situations, then we will have problems. They punished us after we missed."
He arrived at Steaua after it finished in eighth place - its worst position since 1972. It played in the lower playoffs and was promoted to the match for the ticket to the Conference League only due to the fact that UTA Arad, which finished seventh, did not receive a license from UEFA. In the return leg for the ticket to Europe, it won 2:1 in extra time against Dinamo Bucharest thanks to a goal by Ofri Arad in the 107th minute.
