Article by Maria Olteanu – Published Monday, 02 February 2026 22:14 / Updated Monday, 02 February 2026 22:14
Gigi Becali (67 years old), the owner of the FCSBintervened on Monday evening and brought new details about the transfer of Joao Paulo (27 years old), international midfielder of the Islands Cape Verdecurrently at a standstill due to a Romanian law.
Joao Paulo has already arrived at the new team and to a large extent the situation is resolved. However, there is an impediment for the champion, who cannot register his transfer in a short time.
Joao Paulo is a non-EU player, and even if he has a work permit for Romania from the time he played at Oțelul Galați, the documents must be redone when he changes clubs. And until the new documents are ready, it may take a month, says Becali, who wants to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
Gigi Becali is ready to go to Parliament to register the transfer of Joao Paulo
“I took him, he is with us, I just have to intervene as a parliamentarian and write an official letter to the Parliament so that his work permit in Romania is approved.
He already has a permit, but we still have to wait another 30 days. If he has a work permit within 24 hours, he must be registered with the Ministry of Labour. He has the license. Why does he need another one? I'm going to write a letter to Parliament, I'm going to make a phone call, I'm trading influence, isn't that how it's supposed to be?
Otherwise it doesn't work, normally. What should we do?! When I saw him in a match, I saw him as a central midfielder. In the national team, he plays left back, he also played right wing and forward, it's good.
Best, he said he likes midfield, that's where he's best: central midfielder. David Miculescu is there, who can play as a striker, and that's how we bring a striker to Bîrligea competition. If João Paulo works there, I play with Olaru on the left, Tănase – Olaru – Cisotti in the three, and I play with two defenders”, said Gigi Becali, on the show “Digi Sport Special”.
Joao Paulo was present in the stands at Sunday night's match, at the National Arena, in FCSB's victory against Csikszereda. He saw the game in one of the red-blue boxes, together with Mihai Stoica, the president of the FCSB Board of Directors.
The Romanian champion will pay 600,000 euros for Joao Paulo, who will leave Oțelul half a year after arriving in Galați.
What does the Law on the work permit in Romania say
The professional activity of foreign citizens on the national territory can only be carried out on the basis of an employment notice or a work permit. According to European Union regulations, any EU citizen or EEA citizen benefits from the same rights at work, applicable to Romanian citizens, therefore they do not need a work permit.
There are several types of permits that can be granted to foreign nationals: for permanent workers, for seasonal workers, for trainee workers, for athletes, for cross-border workers, as well as the nominal work permit. Depending on the employment, the right of temporary residence for work purposes can be extended by a certain period of time. As a general rule, it can be extended by a period equal to the validity of the employment contract, but not more than one year.
From the moment of requesting the work permit, the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) has a deadline of 30 days to resolve the request. as appropriate, the term can be extended by a maximum of 15 daysfor additional checks. After obtaining the work permit, the foreign citizen must apply for a long-stay work visa at the diplomatic missions and consular offices of Romania.
– euraxess.gov.roregarding the work permit
