Dan Șucu, investments of over 80 million euros in Rapid and Genoa » “Football must be seen as a business”

The businessman announces a joint strategy for the two clubs and says that, in the medium term, he is considering listing on the stock exchange.

Dan Șucu believes that Romanian football is not appreciated enough: “The Romanian football market is undervalued.”

“We invested 40 million euros in football in Romaniaand we contributed to the Genoa club with a capital increase of 40 million euros.

I am not in a position to look for a partner to continue investing in Rapid”, said Dan Șucu, in an interview for Ziarul Financiar.

He believes that the football market in Romania, estimated between 150 and 180 million euros, is still undervalued, which leaves room for growth in the coming years:

“Football must be seen as a business. However, there are actors who see football teams as propaganda or communication tools, on a personal, regional or even country level.”

Rapid aims for a budget of 20 million euros and financial stability

According to the development plan, Rapid aims to reach a budget of 20 million euros in the next year and to constantly compete for the podium of League 1, but also for a presence in the groups of the European cups.

“At Rapid, the expenditure budget amounts to 12-12.5 million euros, while the revenues are 9-9.5 million. The difference of about 3 million euros must be covered, but a qualification in the European cups would bring an additional 5–6 million euros“, explained Şucu.

Genoa, double investment, but also historical debts

In Italy, the challenges are greater:

“At Genoa, the investment was around 40 million euros, and the annual expenditure budget is 80 million.

The club has a deficit of 15–20 million and historical debts of about 150 million. Financing is expensive, with interest rates of around 7%,” explained the businessman.

However, Șucu says that the major difference between Italian and Romanian football is the involvement of the community:

“At Rapid we have 6,000 season tickets sold out of 12,500 seats, and at Genoa all 29,100 season tickets available have been sold. There, people live for the team.”

Şucu insists that sports performance is the basis of any solid football project:

“When the team has results, the stadium fills up, audiences grow, fan shop sales do better and advertising revenue multiplies. Investing in the team, not just in players, but also in infrastructure, management and communication, is the key to success.”

Dan Șucu criticizes the system of distributing money from TV rights

The Rapid shareholder believes that the current way of dividing money from TV rights is unfair to clubs with many supporters:

“Rapid gets between 2 and 2.5 million euros annually, although, based on the audience, it should receive almost double, around 5 million euros. Currently, the money is distributed almost exclusively by ranking, not according to public interest.”

At the end, Dan Șucu emphasized that, beyond money, in football the spirit and the desire to win are important:

“Luck is important, but determination and ambition make the difference. That's what I want to see at Rapid and at Genoa.

In football, losing a game hurts, not financially, but as part of a community. Sometimes the disappointment after a defeat is greater than the joy of a victory.”