Article by Andrei Crăiţoiu – Published Friday, December 26, 2025, 12:34 / Updated Friday, December 26, 2025 12:34
Cristian Balaj (54 years old) resigned from CFR Clujand in the following period he no longer considers returning to Romanian football. Invited to “Friends of Ovidiu”, the former leader from Gruia explained that he intends to get involved in personal projects rather than in the king's sport.
After four years spent as president of CFR Cluj, Cristi Balaj decided to take a break from football. “I was mentally broken. A lot has happened to me“, he says.
Cristi Balaj: “I took a big hit in business!”
“Plus, for two years I have been involved in a food supplements project. We are five associates, we are not yet profitable, we are currently investing. We have a grandiose, international project. We will be all over the world,” he explained.
Asked by Ovidiu Ioanițoaia where he earned the most money so far, Balaj answered “as president”. But he continued his motivation: “Money is not everything. When I was a referee, I also did other businesses.”
“I also suffered during that period because during the period when I was representing Romania internationally during the week and the city of Baia Mare on the weekend, being associated in a company, associated with my son who was also an administrator, I found ourselves going into insolvency due to the inability to pay. I got a big stake!”he explains.
“Decisions in court were made before the judge read the file”
What actually happened? Cristi Balaj explains in the show on GSP. “I was stolen by the Romanians during the period when I represented Romania internationally. It was a big disappointment that time because I could no longer pay the installments at the bank, I could not repay my loan”, said the former official from Gruia.
Cristian Balaj at the Fanatik Gala / photo: Silviu Enache
The problems didn't stop there: “I found out that the apartment where I lived with my family was being put up for sale and I was disappointed because the Romanian state did not protect a citizen who represented Romania internationally. It happened at a time when other Romanians stole from me…”.
“Justice, over the years, I also discovered certain connections that existed between people in power and people from Justice. Decisions in court were made before the judge read the case file“, he also said.
Cristi Balaj refused three times to run for mayor
During the show, Balaj revealed that “I was offered three times to run for mayor of Baia Mare!”. But every time he refused because at that time “I was earning much more than I would have earned from the mayor's salary.”
In addition, the former international referee explains: “For me, there is no 1%, 10%. I heard about the word “parandarat” when I became president of Anti-doping. I didn't know what “parandarat” meant. And I have a horror of such expressions or certain practices.”
The main reason why I refused to be a candidate for mayor of Baia Mare, I was afraid that I would win and the salary I had as mayor was much lower than what I was earning at that time. It's simple math. I don't want to be more famous, nor more tired, nor busier, nor do local journalists write about me because I don't give them I don't know what contracts and who have interests, I represent certain interests of some companies and I don't want to earn less money either
Cristi Balaj, former president of CFR Cluj
