Florin Păun, organizer of the inaugural Romanian manele music festival “Festobal,” announced that the event will no longer take place at Bucharest’s Arena Națională, citing hostile interference by Mihai Stoica, chairman of FCSB’s board, and suspected collusion between FCSB and the City Hall. Păun revealed that initial negotiations with the City Hall in mid-May had progressed well, including a preliminary agreement on dates and fees to hold the festival on August 1-2. However, after two weeks, Mihai Stoica publicly attacked the festival, blaming it for FCSB’s decline and spreading disparaging remarks that were widely echoed by the media. This hostile environment led organizers to abandon the contract and ultimately the event at the venue, despite strong support from FCSB fans who had already purchased tickets.
The fallout from this decision has wider implications for Romanian football scheduling. The cancellation of the manele festival at the Arena Națională opens the door for the highly anticipated Romanian derby between Dinamo and FCSB, scheduled for August 2, to be played at the country’s largest stadium rather than the alternative venue, Stadionul Arcul de Triumf. This benefits FCSB as well, allowing the team earlier access to the Arena Națională for their domestic fixtures and potentially for their UEFA Champions League preliminary round matches, should they host any first-leg games in early July at the same stadium.
Păun criticized Mihai Stoica’s aggressive stance and the broader societal intolerance toward manele music, contrasting it with the acceptance enjoyed by other major festivals like Neversea, Untold, and Grillfest, which have not faced similar public backlash. He expressed disappointment with the political and media environment that allowed such attacks to flourish and implied the decision to cancel was a measure to avoid further confrontation.
This episode highlights the complex interplay between sports, culture, and politics in Romania, where stadium usage conflicts between football institutions and entertainment events can generate significant controversy. The resolution appears to favor football priorities this summer, with the Arena Națională hosting major league fixtures and international qualifiers free from competing large-scale music events.