Article by Alexandru Barbu – Published Friday, December 26, 2025, 9:58 p.m. / Updated Friday, December 26, 2025 10:33 p.m.
The protagonist of a special holiday episode of the GSP podcast “2 to 1”Cătălin Oprișan argues why he explicitly requested that Gigi Becali not participate in the launch of his book about Steaua, reveals that he donated 100,000 euros of income to the red-blue academy and talks about the stakes of a broken record in justice.
In 2008, Oprișan wrote the history of Stella in 400 pages – “Steaua, Legend of a football team”for which he won the “Ioan Chirilă” Award.
Cătălin Oprișan at the launch conference of the book about Steaua, flanked by some red-blue legends, photo: GSP.ro
At the presentation event, Cătălin had a firm requirement: that the patron of the club, Gigi Becali, not participate.
VIDEO | Cătălin Oprișan, on the GSP podcast “2 la 1”: “I did not take money from Gigi Becali for the book about Steaua”
“I wrote the history book of Stella. I also said – the only person I ask not to come to this press conference is Mr. Gigi Becali, to avoid any kind of discussion. Because in the hall there were “Parachute” Ilie Savu, Oprișan, Tudorel Stoica, Anghel Iordănescu, Gabi Balint, Lăcătuș, Țop Voinescu. He had nothing to look for there [Gigi Becali]“, says Oprisan.
“I didn't take money from Gigi”the newest guest on GSP's “2 to 1” podcast clarifies.
“I dressed in a suit and tie and went to all the banks in Romania to beg for money. I took all the money there and went to the printing house. I had zero lei left.
I never told this before – I donated 100,000 euros to Stella. All revenues from the book are donated to the Steaua Football Academy in 2008. Questions – what was done with the money, what happened to it, where did it go, is no longer my business. 10,000 copies were sold. If we printed 50,000, they were few. Cărtărescu takes out 500. When I went to the publishers and said I wanted to take out 10,000, they told me: “Come on, take it easy to the subway, you're crazy!”, added Cătălin Oprișan.
Yes, I interacted with Becali. I was working for a company that advertised in the stadiums, and I was in charge of advertising at all the matches, you interacted, signed the contracts… When you talked to Mr. Becali, the second time there was respect.
When he comes down the stairs to the stadium and you start: “Nea Gigi, how was it, bro?”, that's it, he's gone. OK, we are not 100% sure that he will answer us civilly when we talk to you. It happened, he throws the baseball cap at you, when he loses…
– Cătălin Oprișan, on the GSP podcast “2 to 1”
Cătălin Oprișan: “I asked 1,000 times and that's all I say about Stela's track record”
Today, the book about the history of the Star written by Oprisan is no longer available. “Every day I receive messages on Facebook: “Where can we buy the book?”. A copy is 3,000 lei on OLX. It's not my merit! Write there the Star. There were 6 million supporters of Stela in 2008. Now there is this FCSB/Steaua discussion, but for the most part the statistics have not changed”, reports Oprișan.
Which ends like this: “For 18 years we've been trying to make fun of this brand, all of us: journalists, those who are in the phenomenon. Everyone! I'm not entering into the FCSB/Steaua discussion, because you're making a fool of yourself. I've asked 1,000 times and that's all I'm saying, I'll ask one more time: how can you move a record with a court decision? That's it… we don't discuss anything else“.
FULL VIDEO | “2 to 1” with Cătălin Oprișan, special Christmas edition:
About Cătălin Oprisan:
- journalist since 1993, graduated in “Peculiarities of the language of sports media”;
- participated in the last ever Cup Winners' Cup final;
- saw Hagi at Euro 2000, when the “King” retired from the national team;
- he smelled the grass on the “Maracanã” and broadcast from outside Ronaldo's house in Brazil, a day after he had become world champion;
- he wrote the history of Stela – “Star, Legend of a football team”, for which he received the “Ioan Chirilă” Award, but also “The History of the Romanian National Football Team”, awarded by the Romanian Sports Press Association;
- he was Don Balón's correspondent for Romania, and wrote for the first time in Gazeta Sporturilor in 1999;
- in the podcasts and videos where he inevitably becomes the main actor, he revives legendary sports characters, being a kind of archaeologist who unearths the forgotten stories of the arenas;
- co-producer of the morning show from Kiss FM.
