Article by Alexandru Tomuțiu – Published Monday, May 18, 2026 11:07 p.m. / Updated Monday, May 18, 2026 11:11 p.m.
After failure with Hermannstadtscore 0-2, Gigi Becali (67 years old), the patron of the Bucharest team, went live on TV and said how he chose Marius Baciu, the team's new coach.
Immediately after the match, Gigi Becali said what was the main criterion by which he chose Baciu. He also revealed what the coach's only requirement was, not to play the role of a “puppet”. Marius Baciu would have authority in the composition of the team, according to Becali.
Gigi Becali, about Marius Baciu: “No one dies for a year”
“Let me tell you about Baciu. I didn't know Baciu until two weeks ago. Someone gave me a message, I can't tell you his name: “Sir, take Baciu into account too, he was a captain”. I asked MM: “Well, Gigi, I know him as a person, I like him”, he said. He and Ilie Dumitrescu were the only ones who never attacked FCSB. MM told me that he is a great man. Mihai told me this.
You have other criteria, I have other criteria. Maybe I don't know, I don't know how. I am primarily interested in the human quality. If he's a quality man, I'll take him. If you tell me that he won the Champions League, but he's a jerk, let him go to jerks. In terms of humanity, he is super human.
I left the whole thing, I talked to others, I consulted myself. I said that on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday we put a coach, that there is no more time. That's how God enlightened me. I said: “Mihai, what would you say so that there are no discussions even with the gallery, let's put Baciu? Let's see how he can manage the dressing room». I told him to give me his number. I called him, we talked. He told me this: “It's an honor for me, but I don't want to be a kind of puppet, to be able to lead the locker room”.
We'll consult on small things, and if things go well, I won't interfere at all. If it doesn't work, I intervene. If it goes, win 3-4 games, bye. He, knowing the discussions, that this convinced me, that I'm going to hire a coach for two stages, that we need and we'll see, he said: “Nea Gigi, I'm coming to help, I'm a star player, we'll see.” I told him: “No, well, we don't see, let's make the contract directly for one year, not for two matches, because it's not nice”.
Nobody dies for a year. We'll see what will happen. There is also Filip, there is another skilled person whom the world does not know, Alin Stoica. Mirel told me about him that he is skilled. There is also MM, who knows how. I didn't know about Baciu, MM told me that he has connections with teams from outside, he knows how. He was a footballer, a captain, he has a license. We'll see what he can do”, said Gigi Becali, at Prima Sport.
Gigi Becali: “Marius Baciu will have a salary of 10,000 euros per month”
Baciu signed for one year and will have a salary of 10,000 euros per year. It will double starting next year.
“I told him that he will have all the authority, especially now, for a while. He can do what he wants. Don't tell me, you do whatever you want. And conditions, and seconds, collaborators, one hundred percent. We will consult, see how you see, that you do. I want to see how you see these two matches, that they are important.
I told him to know that not him, but any coach who was there made the first 11. Even if I wanted something, if he insisted, I said: OK, me, because it's all our players. It bothers me when I see indolence in matches.
For now we're consulting, it's possible that I won't get involved at all, if things work out. He said that he is not interested in the salary, this work is so important, that the money does not matter. I said no, look, at first you'll have 10,000. If I gave him 5,000, it meant I was taking him as some kind of shadow. You couldn't even give him 20,000, because you don't know him. And from the year it doubles. And he receives, and that's it,” Becali also said.
