Becali was born in Vădeni, Brăila County, to an Aromanian family which had been deported to the Bărăgan Plain by the Communist authorities because of their associations with the pre-World War II fascist party Iron Guard.
In 2007, it was revealed that in 1998, when Becali sent the offer to the Romanian Army, he was not the owner of the property in Ștefăneștii de Jos, buying it only after it was clear that the deal would be signed.
[11] In July 2007, the NAD started to investigate a transaction between Becali and the daughter of Defence Minister Victor Babiuc, involving land in Pipera which was sold for US$300 per square meter.
[12] Becali joined the General Shareholders' Council of the Steaua București football team at the end of the 1990s, during the presidency of businessman Viorel Păunescu.
Gigi Becali was often criticized for interfering with his managers' work, frequently calling for subs at half time or deciding on the starting XI.
[18] Since he was released from prison in 2015, Becali shifted towards appointing puppet managers, without experience, often times close acquaintances or former FCSB icons such as Nicolae Dica, Mirel Radoi, Vergil Andronache, Dinu Todoran and Anton Petrea, often times his main criteria being their religiousness or willingness to be "bossed around" by Becali.
[20] After a bad spell of form and criticism from the media for his approach, Becali sacked Todoran and decided to not involve himself in football matters anymore, hiring Edi Iordanescu, the manager who won the previous title.
Edi immediately turned the team around, and achieved a 9-game undefeated streak, including a 6–0 win over bitter rivals Dinamo Bucharest, in spite of a COVID outbreak at the club.
Becali remained silent for a few months, however he started to voice his displeasure at the quality of the game, stating that his team must always have the possession, and that a result based approach is not what interests him.
Tensions arose at the club, and ultimately Edi and Becali parted ways on 14 November 2021, after winning 8 games, drawing 2 and losing 2 and taking the team to second place.
[24] In reply to this decision, Becali named Mugur Isărescu, the governor of the National Bank, "a buffoon, a frustrated and envious person" and announced that he intends to sue him.
[30] At the elections for the European Parliament, held in November 2007, his party (PNG-CD) obtained 4.86% of the popular vote, just under the 5% needed for admission in the EU governing body.
His political views are nationalistic; he declared himself a follower of the Pre-World War II Romanian Legionnaire Movement and called for the canonization of Corneliu Zelea Codreanu.
[36] His 2004 electoral slogan "I, Gigi Becali, swear to all Romanians and to God that I'll make Romania shine like the holy sun of the sky" ("Eu Gigi Becali, jur în fața tuturor românilor și în fața lui Dumnezeu că voi face ca România să strălucească precum soarele sfânt de pe cer!")
[38] In line with his conservative Orthodox Christian views, Becali has often made inflammatory remarks in the press regarding LGBT people.
[41] In an opinion piece written after Becali's inflammatory declaration, journalist Radu Călin Cristea quoted Cristian Pârvulescu, a Romanian political analyst, who described Becali as a "populist who practices a superficial form of legionarism", referring to the fascist Iron Guard movement which took place in 1930s Romania and whose members were named "legionnaires" (legionari).
[47] The Court heard the case on 22 January 2012[48] and delivered its judgment on the 25th of April 2013, in which it found that homophobic statements regarding recruitment of football players made by a person who is perceived by the public as having a leading role in the football club can constitute direct discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, which is prohibited by the Council Directive 2000/78 establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation.
[50] In November 2001, Becali and his bodyguards insulted and physically abused Malonga Parfait, the host of the satirical football TV show Fotbal la Maxx.
[51] There have been numerous controversies with the violent declarations linked with the Steaua football team, including the use of slurs against the Romani and other minorities by fans and employees of Becali.
[53] In February 2002, Becali cursed and threatened Cristian Tudor Popescu, a well-known journalist, in a café, after the latter had written the article "O statuie pentru Puiu Pașcu" ("A Statue for Puiu Pașcu" – a former Minister of Defense in the Social Democratic Party cabinet of Adrian Năstase) in Adevărul about the controversial land swap with the Army and the assault on Malonga Parfait.
[vague] In July 2005, in a restaurant, Becali cursed, spat and spilled a glass of wine on Șerban Huidu, the creator of the satirical TV show Cronica Cârcotașilor.
[55] Following a Steaua București match in April 2006, his bodyguards used violence against a female reporter of Realitatea TV after Becali asked them to "take her away from that place".
Four other people, his bodyguards, Cătălin Zmărăndescu, Ștefan Dediu, Nicolae Dumitrașcu and Dumitru Beciual, who were also involved in the incident, were issued arrest warrants as well.
Romanian judges initially barred Becali from taking his MEP seat due to ongoing police investigation.
[58] In September 2007, Becali sparked controversy when he insulted parliamentarian Lavinia Șandru, stating that she should "go and become a candidate for the ring road, not for the European Parliament", a veiled reference to prostitution.
This led to a group of twenty-six women reporting Becali to the National Council for Combating Discrimination for contravening Romania's anti-discrimination laws.
[60] Becali has also been sued various times, mostly over slander, by the football coach Anghel Iordănescu, politician Radu Berceanu and a Divizia A referee, Cristian Balaj.