Article by Adrian Duţă – Published Friday, 24 April 2026 23:09 / Updated Saturday, 25 April 2026 01:14
FCSB – Petrol 3-1. After the victory at the National Arena, which ensured the red-blue team the place in the first round of the Conference, Gigi Becali announced that he would personally talk with Elias Charalambous to convince him to return to the bench.
The former FCSB coach, who left at the beginning of March, was contacted by MM Stoica to return until the end of the season. The Cypriot with two Super League titles refused.
He will come to Romania on Monday, in a scheduled trip before FCSB part ways with Radoi. Becali declared that he would take advantage of the situation and meet with Charalambous. The boss of the red-blues is sure that he will not be refused.
Gigi Becali: “I will talk to Charalambous!”
“I'm going to talk to Charalambous, he has to come to the country on Monday. He is invited to a friend's house. MM told me: “If you go, they won't refuse you”. I tell him: “You're not coming coach, you're coming to help a team that helped you for a month and a half. You are coming on vacation in Romania for a month and a half. We need you to have a coach».
After that we move on, I don't know. He comes to help. I don't need him to come now, come in two weeks when the dispensation expires (no – FCSB can be without a licensed coach for one month, according to the regulation). I need a diploma. He rejects MM, but he doesn't reject me. MM is MM, Gigi Becali is Gigi Becali.
And MM calmed down, he was in a kind of panic. I told him to calm down. We should have a coach in 2 or 3 weeks. We will find someone to train for 3 weeks. We can't find it?”, said Becali, on Prima Sport 1.
Elias Charalambous, with tears in his eyes at the airport, upon departure from Romania/ photo: GSP
Gigi Becali: “I would take Şumudică. The supporters said not to stretch the rope”
Becali stated that there are big-name coaches who are begging him to bench them. And he said why he won't hire Marius Șumudica, free of contract.
“I also have Romanians who pray for me. But I won't tell you. I have Romanian coaches who meet the requirements, that is, they have the quality of coaches, to train the team well.
If it were up to me, let's say I would take Şumudica. But I received a call from the supporters and they said “no Gigi, I entered the play-out, I didn't cause a scandal”. Then they said “until here, don't pull the strings with us”. I said “I'm done, I'm not stretching it”. Especially since the supporters were insane, I don't want to have problems with them.
I gave MM full power, but I decide. He was wrong too, he exaggerated when he said he was leaving. It's not nice to give your name to those who call me.
But there are also foreigners and famous coaches. They said “you can do everything, but don't tell the team before the match. And don't say on TV that you are making changes». That's what coaches with names told me. They don't have teams and what do they say: “I'm coming now, I qualify the team, I make a business card, I also bring players”, Becali also declared.
VIDEO WITH THE GOAL. Octavian Popescu signed up for FCSB after almost a year
- Video source: Prima Sport
