Why fire the coach when you can just kick out three players at once? That’s probably what the owner of FCSB (formerly Steaua Bucharest) thought as well.
“I realized that I can’t keep players who don’t contribute to the team. I will release Denis Alibec, Dennis Politic, and Octavian Popescu,” explained Gigi Becali this past Friday.
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The Romanians had been knocked out of the Europa League just a day earlier after a 1-1 draw against Fenerbahçe Istanbul—obviously not enough to satisfy the club president and owner’s expectations.
Just last year, the club had at least made it to the round of 16 in the Europa League. Still, the immediate dismissal of three players seems like a drastic step—or is it?
By his own account the richest man in Romania, he is considered controversial due to his somewhat dictatorial leadership style and political views. For example, in 2020 he imposed a vaccination ban for all players and staff at the club.
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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.
📸 DANIEL MIHAILESCU – 2007 AFP