Few teams can boast about having a Champions League title in their trophy cabinets. Steaua Bucharest is one of them. A historic Eastern European team, the “team of the army” is widely recognized as one of the best sides in all of the continent. However, these last years have not been kind to Steaua’s faithful. Administration issues involving the owner, Gigi Becali, have resulted in a division of the team due to image rights infringements. On one hand, FCSB, Steaua’s direct successor, claims all the titles and history of the original club. On the other hand, CSA Steaua, the fans’ team, just earned promotion to the Liga II, the Romanian second division. Supporters such as Mihai, 34, have had to choose a side in this non-ending fight. History vs present, tradition vs modernism, and football vs profit loom over the Ghencea Stadium in Bucharest. Only time will tell if this unique team ever returns to its European winning roots…
Original logo used as per request from Mihai
Q: What is your first memory related to Steaua Bucharest?
A: My first memory related to Steaua is when I was 14 years old and a friend of mine asked if I wanted to see a football game at the stadium. I told him I had no money for tickets, but he said there was no need, that we would sneak into the place. I thought that was cool, so we went to Ghencea Stadium (Steaua’s ground) and chatted with the police officers, who said “if you can crawl under the fence, we’ll let you in”. And we did! That was the first time I went to a stadium AND the first time I dislocated a bone. I fell in love with the atmosphere and the team.
Q: Wow that’s crazy! Is it very expensive to go to the stadium in Romania?
A: Well, we didn't have any money as kids and my mother wouldn't give me cash for a football match. She had the opinion that stadiums are for hooligans and that's no place for a kid like me. An average football ticket right now is around 7-8 Euros.
Q: Do you have a "favourite" memory regarding Steaua? Perhaps going to the stadium with family/friends?
A: Plenty. The best one is from 2004. Steaua was playing in the UEFA Cup round of 16 against defending champions Valencia, in February. In the first leg in Mestalla, we lost 2-0. I can name the two starting elevens by memory. So I went to the match in Ghencea with my best friend, and we found a place in the stand with all the Ultras. The pitch was like a swamp, full of mud because we don't know or don't learn how to properly sustain a football pitch. The match ended 2-0 for us (2-2 in the aggregate score) so we went to extra time. It started raining a lot. As the storm grew bigger, the crowd started shouting more and more. Extra time went by and on came the penalty shootout. Our veteran international midfielder Dorinel Munteanu missed first, then we scored the next two pens with suspense, hitting the crossbar. That’s when I knew we were going to win. There was no way we got lucky in two penalties and we couldn’t win. So Baraja, the penalty expert for Valencia stepped up, and missed! The crowd went wild. Last penalty, Di Vaio for Valencia. He runs for it, and over the bar!!! We knocked out the winner of the UEFA Cup!
Q: What a match! Amazing you could attend and remember so much, must have been an amazing moment for Steaua. Now, I hate to ask this but I must. What happened to Steaua? What is FCSB? What's the future looking like?
A: Well, Steaua Bucharest always was the team of the Army. And for the team to be able to play in European competitions, they had to be the property of a private owner, not the state. We had some investors, but they all agreed to sell their shares to Gigi Becali, who made a fortune when communism fell by dealing all kinds of merchandise and then went on to sell land and real estate. Gigi grew up at a farm, raising sheep. He now has a palace in Bucharest and a big piece of land in Tunari (near Bucharest) where he still has sheep. He blocks the local road with them when he gets them out to eat grass…
And, from then on, Becali was the owner of the whole team. In 2014, the army sued him for 36 million euros because he used the brand Steaua. They accused him of gaining profit from this brand and not paying anything for it (although they were the ones that sold him the team shares to start with). Furthermore, there are videos of army generals and high officials attending games alongside Gigi. In my opinion, they didn't want him to have the team anymore, either he wasn't paying them anymore or there was something political behind this attack. And that’s how FCSB was born, a “rebranding” from Steaua. And the future is very uncertain right now…
Q: Yeah, Becali is legendary amongst football owners. He’s up to a lot of things. Do you even support the "new" team?
A: As a supporter, it's very sad, it feels like I loved a woman all my life and then found out I loved her twin sister. I supported for a while until I realized that I enjoyed more the team owned by the army, where I had all my memories. There is where my love started. Gigi only wants profit.
Q: What are your predictions for the Men's National Team? Romania sadly missed Euro 2020 (Bucharest will be a host city, though) but I imagine Euro 2016 was a good moment for you guys. Can we expect to see the team in Qatar in 2022? The new generation is looking good, of course, it's not the same team that went to the 1994 World Cup but still...
A: Sadly we have some talents but we lack education, which means that under pressure the players don't react well, they lose their focus. I have some hopes for the future for this team but it's hard to qualify. We lost to Armenia and we now have to win almost all the matches remaining. I'm an optimist but even I can't be positive in such a scenario Yeah. Maybe the U21 team will give something to be happy about at the Olympics.
Q: What does football mean for the "average" Romanian? Is it a way of living or just entertainment like going to the cinema?
A: Football is not as loved as it was before in Romania. It started declining in the last 10 years. You can see it in the audience that goes to a football match in the first division. The average attendance last year was somewhere at 10,000 (now it is around 6000 to 7000, at best). There isn't enough investment and the teams are managed by unprofessional businessmen. I have high hopes for next year. We have two very loved teams that were promoted (U. Craiova and Rapid Bucuresti), who always have around 15000 people in their games. And there will be some awesome derbies!
Q: Do you have any pre-match rituals?
A: I always like to go on YouTube and listen to the chants of the fans before I leave to go to the stadium.
Q: And, lastly, can you describe Romania, Football, and Steaua with one word each?
A: Romania: Heart, Football: Blood, and Steaua: Veins.
Q: Do you still go to the Arena Națională to see Steaua? Like the last European matches and so? Or you stopped going altogether?
A: No. I still enjoy watching a football game, but I don't support FCSB. I go for the atmosphere and to support them when they play in European competitions.
Q: And what's the proper name for the team FCSB as the club says or Steaua? Which one do the fans use?
A: The supporters were split in two but FCSB is losing day by day because of Gigi's attitude. The biggest part of the fan base support CSA Steaua.
Q: How do you feel about FCSB's last European adventures? They haven't made it into the group stage of any major competitions in a while.
A: That's because of bad management. Gigi buys the best prospects in Romania but doesn't hire a professional manager. He hires beginners because he dictates to them who to play. They just train the team but the first eleven are given to them on paper by Gigi, and he calls them during the match to tell them who to substitute in and out. If he doesn't like how a player plays, he gives the order that he doesn't get any more games.
Q: Wow, sounds like a dictatorship almost. Must be difficult to have a solid team if that happens. When Steaua are not in any European competition, do you support another team? Do Romanian teams support each other?
A: Well, I love football so I tend to support any team that plays nice attacking football. I have a soft spot for Viitorul Constanța. As I think you know, it's owned by our king of football, Gheorghe Hagi.
Q: And speaking of the league, have you ever been to the Eternal Derby vs Dinamo. What's the atmosphere like?
A: It’s unique! That's the kind of matches I like, where everyone is excited to cheer on everything. passes, shots, tackles, etc…
Q: Would you recommend it to a football fan that visits Romania?
A: Absolutely, but it’s safer for them to buy a ticket in the stands and be very careful at the end of the game. Never leave alone, always stick to a group.