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Gigi Becali

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File:Becali.png
Gigi Becali in his home

Gigi Becali (born George Becali, nicknamed "Gigi", born 25 June 1958) is a controversial Romanian politician and businessman, famous for being the owner of Steaua football club.

Biography

His family is of Aromanian origin and settled in Southern Dobruja, but, following the Treaty of Craiova and the population exchange between Bulgaria and Romania, they had to move to the commune of Săcălaz, Timiş County, near Timişoara.[1]

He was born in Zagna, Vădeni, Brăila County, as his family was deported in Bărăgan by the Communist authorities because of their associations with the pre-WWII fascist Iron Guard. His cousins, Victor Becali and Ioan Becali, are also involved in Romanian football.

After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, he bought land near Bucharest, which over time gained in value. However, the key factor that reportedly made him a millionaire was an exchange of land with the Romanian Army, dubbed by the Romanian scandal press as suspicious, as the Army did not need the land it received and the land it gave was worth much more. Becali gave to the army a 21.5 ha terrain in Ştefăneştii de Jos (about 15 km from Bucharest) and received a 20.9 ha terrain in Băneasa-Pipera, in Northern Bucharest.[2] As the real estate prices skyrocketed in the capital, he sold the land to some companies which built some residential areas. This affair is currently (as of June 2006) investigated by the National Anticorruption Department. [3]

After the 2005 floods, he funded with $4 million the rebuilding of about 200 houses in the Vulturul village (Vadu Roşca commune, Vrancea county) that was destroyed by the overflow of the Siret river. Subsequently the villagers wanted to rename it Vulturul Becali in his honor.

In 1994, he married Luminiţa, 11 years his junior; the couple have three daughters: Teodora (b. 1996), Alexandra (b. 1997) and Cristina (b. 2001).

Political career

He has led the New Generation – Christian Democrat Party (PNG-CD) since January 2004 and was its candidate in the Romanian presidential election, 2004, placing sixth out of twelve candidates, with 1.77% of the votes.

His political views appear to be extreme nationalistic; he declared himself a follower of the Pre-WWII Romanian Legionnaire Movement and of Corneliu Zelea Codreanu. Even his electoral slogan "I, Gigi Becali, swear to all Romanians and to God that I'll make Romania shine like the holy sun of the sky" ("Eu Gigi Becali, jur în faţa tuturor românilor şi în faţa lui Dumnezeu că voi face ca România să strălucească precum soarele sfânt de pe cer!") is taken from Testament of Ion Moţa, one of the founders of the Legion of Saint Michael the Archangel.

In his 2004 electoral campaign, Becali used clips of the "Mihai Viteazul" movie (directed by Sergiu Nicolaescu), whose main character was played by Amza Pellea. Amza's daughter, Oana Pellea, sued Becali for using Amza Pellea's image without permission and won 35,000 RON (about $12,000) in damages.[4]

Becali has also been sued various times, mostly over slander, by the football coach Anghel Iordănescu, politician Radu Berceanu and a Divizia A referee, Cristian Balaj.

He often had disputes with Corneliu Vadim Tudor, another extremist politician. These disputes, usually consisted of exchanges of insults between the two. [5] He had another dispute with Prime Minister Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu whom he named a "cockroach-politician" and a "Very Important Papagal" (papagal means "parrot" in Romanian and is regarded as an insult). [6]

In December 2006, he promised that his party would generate a "Cultural revolution" in Romania.[7]

Ownership of Steaua

Becali joined the General Shareholders' Council of the FC Steaua Bucharest football team at the end of the 1990s, during the presidency of businessman Viorel Păunescu. Step by step, he tried to eliminate other possible candidates and gather all the Club's shares. He obtained 51% of the shares on 6 February 2003 and he bought another 15% toward the end of the year 2003. [8]

There have been numerous controversies with the violent declarations linked with the Steaua football team, including the use of slurs against the Roma and other minorities by fans and employees of Becali. He also sang in April 2005 a manea which included a racial slur against the Roma. [9]

In 2005, the papers wrote that he commissioned a painting inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper, in which he holds the place of Jesus, while the eleven players and the coach hold the place of the disciples.[10] Becali denied the story, claiming that he received the painting from an admirer.

On October 17, 2005, his entire fortune was impounded by the National Fiscal Authority (ANAF) for debts totaling US$ 11,000,000. However, Becali sued the ANAF and won the trial, and subsequently the order of seizure was lifted. [11].

Controversies

In 2003 Becali and his bodyguards insulted and physically abused Malonga Parfait, the presenter of a satirical football TV Show, "Fotbal la Maxx". Becali called Parfait a "monkey" allegedly because the latter is of African origin.

In 2005, Becali provoked controversy by using an extremely vulgar language in an interview. Insulting the reporter and the channel he worked for (Antena 1), Becali used a very large number of expletives.

In July 2005, in a restaurant, Becali cursed, spat and spilled a glass of wine on Şerban Huidu, the creator of the satirical TV show "Cronica Cârcotaşilor".[12]

Following a match of FC Steaua in April 2006, his bodyguards also used violence against a female reporter of Realitatea TV after Becali called them to "take her away from that place".[13]

Gigi Becali has revealed his true personality recently in many appearances on talk shows broadcast by channels such as Realitatea TV. He currently seems to be one of the favourite subjects of the Romanian media, due to his frequent slips of the tongue and inflammatory remarks. The ultimate proof of his megalomaniacal and extremely rude behaviour is a recording of the aforementioned private phone conversation that he had with a reporter in July 2005. The reporter called to ask him some questions related to the Steaua football club. Becali used this opportunity to unleash a flurry of grotesque curses addressed to Antena 1 and Dan Voiculescu. He himself said in the dialogue that "he is not a civilised man".

He recently declared that he developed a friendship with president Traian Băsescu, saying that he will "fight against all his enemies" and that the president "needs his help". Most Romanians consider Becali's candidacy for the Romanian presidency a menace, because they think he clearly lacks any sense of administration.

Homophobia

In line with his extremist right-wing views, Becali has often made inflammatory remarks in the press regarding LGBT people.

During his 2004 presidential campaign one of the main themes of his rhetoric was his opposition towards sexual minorities, voiced over and over in interviews and TV appearances.

On May 26, 2006, Becali's personal foundation, the "George Becali Christian Foundation", signed, along with the Romanian Orthodox Church and 22 right-wing NGOs, including the neo-fascist Noua Dreaptă, a protest letter calling on the government and the courts to ban the Bucharest GayFest 2006 parade. A few days later, the Bucharest Court of Appeals ruled, however, that the parade was legal, and it was ensured significant police protection. Becali justified his opposition to the pride parade by stating that he "doesn't discriminate against homosexuals" but that, "They abuse their rights. This is proselytism. They can do what they want in their homes, but not on the streets. I call on the Romanian Orthodox Church to defend the Christian faith and morals".[14]

The media commentator Dan Tapalaga, in an editorial at the Cotidianul newspaper, criticised the Romanian Orthodox Church for its coalition with Becali, and its opposition to the gay pride parade, which he sarcastically termed as "the sin of the Becalised Church".[15]

When questioned by the media about his opposition to the 2006 GayFest parade, which in 2006 was focussed on the theme of same-sex unions, Becali declared that he intended to pay for a referendum on same-sex marriage, which he believed 99% of people would vote against. He was also widely criticised in the media for asking, "Why [are there] so many homosexuals? I'll give two or five million dollars [for a referendum], so we can finish off all homosexuals in the country."[16]

In an opinion piece written after Becali's inflammatory declaration, journalist Radu Călin Cristea quoted Cristian Pîrvulescu, a leading Romanian political analyst, who described Becali as a "populist who practices a superficial form of legionarism", referring to the fascist Iron Guard movement which took place in 1930s Romania and whose members were named "legionnaires" (legionari). Cristea also warned that society and the political class should stop regarding Becali as an "inoffensive and amusing clown".[17]

In October 2006, Gigi Becali was awarded the LGBT community's "black ball" for the most homophobic personality in Romania, as part of the 2006 Gay Awards Gala which took place during the Gay Film Nights Festival of Cluj-Napoca.[18]

References

  1. ^ Gazeta Sporturilor, "Lanţul amintirilor lui Gigi Becali", 16 January 2006
  2. ^ Evenimentul Zilei, "Gigi Becali revine la mahala", 2 March 2005
  3. ^ Gândul, "Scandalul schimbului de terenuri dintre Gigi Becali şi Ministerul Apărării Naţionale s-a mutat la DNA", June 17, 2006
  4. ^ Evenimentul Zilei, "Gigi Becali a fost invins de Oana Pellea", 14 March 2006
  5. ^ Evenimentul Zilei, "Vadim îl face pe Becali handicapat" 3 September 2004.
  6. ^ Bucharest Daily News, "Becali says the PM is a 'cockroach-politician'", 16 April 2006
  7. ^ Cotidianul, "Gigi Becali promite o revolutie culturala", 16 December 2006
  8. ^ Evenimentul Zilei, "Gigi Becali deţine 66 la sută din FC Steaua SA" 5 January 2004
  9. ^ Pro Sport, Gigi Becali a devenit interpret de manea..., 27 April 2005
  10. ^ Gazeta Sporturilor, "Stîna cea de taină"
  11. ^ Cronica Română, "Gigi Becali a câştigat procesul cu ANAF", May 20, 2006
  12. ^ Evenimentul Zilei, "Huidu nu vrea bani de la Gigi Becali", 20 July 2005
  13. ^ Evenimentul Zilei, "Jurnalistă de la Realitatea TV agresată de gărzile lui Becali", 28 April 2006
  14. ^ Mihai Niculescu, Războinicul luminii, în cruciada anti-homosexuali ("The militant of light, in an anti-homosexual crusade"), Ziarul, 26 May 2006
  15. ^ Dan Tapalaga, Editorial - Păcatul bisercii becalizate ("Editorial: The sin of the Becalised Church"), Cotidianul, 4 June 2006
  16. ^ Becali: 'Dau cateva milioane de dolari si ii terminam pe homosexuali!' (Becali: "I'll give a few million dollars and wel'll finish off the homosexuals"), 9AM.ro, 2 June 2006
  17. ^ Radu Călin Cristea, Gigi Becali şi circul groazei ("Gigi Becali and the circus of horror"), Cotidianul
  18. ^ Gala Premiilor Gay 2006 (The Gay Awards Gala 2006), GayOne.ro, 4 October 2006

External links

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