Vaccinated players banned from Romanian football team, government outraged

A football team in Romania has banned all COVID-19-vaccinated individuals from playing, according to Romanian journalist Emanuel Rosu. 

Gigi Becali, who owns the European Cup-winning football club Steaua Bucharest, has said that the club will no longer be allowing vaccinated players to play. The reason they are no longer welcome to play on the team, according to Becali, is simply because they can’t. 

In an interview, Becali said vaccinated players are “powerless”. 

“You're going to laugh, but I might be right. Those vaccinated lose their strength. That's something scientific,” Becali told Rosu. 

Becali is a Romanian businessman and former MP and MEP who bought the club in 2003. 

In support of his theory, Becali pointed to a couple of his rival teams. CFR Cluj and Rapid Bucuresti are currently struggling, which Becali pins on vaccinations. 

'Haven't you seen it at CFR?” Becali asked. “With Rapid, the players seemed to be fainting. They slept on the ground. All vaccinated people lose their strength!” 

But Becali said he has seen it on his own team, as well. 

“I also see mine, the vaccinated ones. It doesn't affect some, but it does affect those who are older,” stated Becali. “Haven't you seen [Ciprian] Deac? There is no more storm.” 

As a reference, Becali said that although he signed a contract with striker Claudiu Keseru, a player who returned to the club in August, he had to take him off the team because he can’t play on a high level anymore. 

Keseru told Becali he would prove himself, but Becali says he has not been impressed. 

In response to Becali’s decision, the Romanian government was livid. 

The Romanian government’s official national vaccine information platform, RO Vaccinare, issued a blistering response on its Facebook page. 

"From a medical and scientific point of view, there are no studies that would support a singularity like the one recently promoted on Facebook accounts in Romania,” wrote the government. 

“Vaccination against COVID-19 does not affect the performance of football players,” continued the post. “In contrast, there are enough studies showing that going through SARS CoV-2 infection leaves long-term sequelae (Long COVID), and these can influence athletes' performance. The bottom line is simple: to stay healthy, to enjoy football, to look at those who trust science and medicine. Please inform yourself ONLY from credible, official sources!” 

However, Becali’s statements are not preposterous. 

Recently, incidents of people suddenly fainting due to vaccine are becoming more common. Earlier this month, Frontline News reported that comedienne and actress Heather McDonald collapsed on stage as she was bragging about being vaccinated, fracturing her skull. It was later revealed that the collapse was indeed a result of the COVID-19 vaccine. 

About a week ago, German TV host Clara Pfeffer began to pass out as she was pushing for harsher vaccine mandates on NTV Frühstart. 

There is also a plethora of scientific evidence pointing to weakened immune systems as a result of the COVID-19 vaccines, as reported by Frontline News. 

Becali also said that people who are vaccinated die in hospitals more than those who are vaccine-free. 

To this, too, there is truth. Last month, the city of Haryana, India found that the vaccinated have a death rate five times that of the unvaccinated. UK hospital group Blackpool Hospitals confirmed earlier this month that 93% of their severe COVID cases in January were vaccinated. Israeli Hospital Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov) in Tel Aviv also confirmed that 80% of their severe cases were fully vaccinated.