Fans of Struggling Dinamo Bucharest Club Pay to Help Keep It Afloat
Once a dominant force in European football, Dinamo Bucharest is now battling severe financial problems. To ensure the club’s survival, thousands of its supporters are buying tickets for matches they cannot attend.
For fans of Dinamo Bucharest, the answer to why they would buy tickets for games they can’t watch is simple: it’s about securing the future of the club.
The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed many football clubs into financial crises, and Dinamo, already grappling with significant debt, is among the hardest hit. Despite this, the 72-year-old Romanian club—winner of 18 domestic league titles—is selling more tickets than before, thanks to a creative initiative by a fan group, Doar Dinamo Bucuresti (DDB).
Although these “ticket buyers” won’t actually attend the games, the money raised is meant to prevent the club from losing players, who threatened to strike in January over unpaid wages. These issues are the result of years of accumulating debt and broken promises from investors who took over the club in the summer.
Robert Thomas, a Dinamo fan and spokesperson for DDB, explained, “DDB has kept the club afloat through member contributions, donations, auctions of historic shirts, and the sale of virtual match tickets during the pandemic.”
Thomas also mentioned that the last five home games were sold out.
Once a dominant name in European football, Dinamo, alongside its fierce rival Steaua Bucharest, has struggled in recent years due to corruption and neglect. The COVID-19 spectator ban worsened the situation, leaving clubs with even fewer financial resources.
For a December 20 away match against Academia Clinceni, DDB sold 14,000 tickets online. Some fans even bought beer and hotdogs they knew they wouldn’t consume. These symbolic tickets, priced at just one euro, were much cheaper than the usual three to five euros for real match tickets. Thanks to this initiative and other fundraising efforts, DDB managed to transfer over 200,000 euros to the club.
This effort became even more critical after coach Cosmin Contra and two Spanish players left in December due to unpaid wages. Players had warned they would strike unless they were paid by January 3.
DDB has been openly critical of the club’s owner, Luxembourg-based Benel International, led by Spanish businessman Pablo Cortacero, who took over the club earlier that year.
Management Struggles Continue
Dinamo’s financial troubles date back long before Cortacero’s involvement but worsened significantly in the spring of 2020, when the club nearly faced expulsion from the top division due to unpaid licensing fees. DDB stepped in by raising funds through the sale of symbolic tickets for virtual matches played on FIFA video games. Since its formation in 2018, DDB has contributed approximately 800,000 euros to Dinamo and now holds a 20 percent stake in the club, with over 12,000 members.
In August, Benel International acquired a majority stake in Dinamo for a symbolic fee of one Romanian leu (around 20 euro cents), promising to invest millions to clear the club’s debts. However, four months later, player salaries remain unpaid, and many fans are frustrated by the ongoing promises of investment.
Cortacero, removed as president in November but still on the board, told BIRN that a planned five-million-euro capital increase was “already underway” and salary payments would be made soon. He claimed Benel had already spent one million euros to address the club’s most pressing debts.
However, fans remain skeptical. Tensions escalated during a December shareholders’ meeting when DDB accused security guards of harassing their representatives. Cortacero insisted the guards acted in response to threats from certain fans.
After initial optimism surrounding Cortacero’s takeover, disappointment has set in. The new management made several high-profile signings, including Spanish players, which sparked hope among supporters that Dinamo was on the road to recovery.
By early December, however, two of the new Spanish signings, Isma López and Borja Valle, invoked a FIFA clause allowing them to leave due to unpaid wages and returned to Spain. Both players publicly criticized the management for failing to honor their contracts.
López described his experience at Dinamo as full of “lies,” while Valle accused the club of deceiving players. Romanian football correspondent Emanuel Rosu noted that delays in securing funds have “discredited” Dinamo’s new owners and left fans feeling deceived.