By Jaroslaw Adamowski
April 7 – Marian Iancu, the former owner of Poli Timisoara, has announced plans to become a shareholder in Rapid Bucharest as the troubled football club is struggling to stay financially afloat and return to the top tier of Romania’s professional football league.
The move comes following a decision by a Bucharest court which approved the re-organisation plan for Rapid. The decision prevented the club from filing for bankruptcy.
Romanian businessmen Adrian Zamfir and Nicolae Cristescu bought Rapid from Gheorghe Copos, its former owner, last year. In early March 2014, Copos was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison for tax evasion, fraud and money laundering related to transfers of footballers.
Iancu told local broadcaster DigiSport that he wants to secure a “discreet presence” in the club.
“In a situation in which the debt is rising, it is better to have more than just one shareholder in the club,” Iancu said. “However, I think that the squad is not ready [to return to the] Liga I.”
Rapid currently plays in the Liga II to which it was relegated following the 2012/2013 season.
Meanwhile, Zamfir said he was willing to negotiate a potential share acquisition “with anyone”, but preferred to keep the details of the talks away from the press until they reached an advanced stage. Three Romanian businessmen are involved in the negotiations, according to the club’s co-owner.
“So far, three persons have expressed interest [in acquiring a share in Rapid], namely Marian Iancu, Ovidiu Ene and Catalin Misu,” Zamfir said.
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