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George "Gigi" Becali, a controversial Romanian politician and owner of the Steaua football club of Bucharest was sentenced to three years in jail on June 4 by the High Court of Appeals. An MP for the ruling National Liberal Party, Becali was convicted of paying €1.7mn to rig a game between two teams from Cluj in order to boost Steaua. The National Anti-Corruption Office asked that the "amount in question be confiscated and given to the State," notes Romanian daily Jurnalul Naţional.
Already found guilty of corruption in May, Becali insists that —
his conviction is harmful to the country because it could mean that the Steaua Bucharest will be expelled from the Champions League.
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