Romanian soccer team has businessmen holding their breath

The Romanian soccer team did not make it to the 2002 World Cup in Japan, which was a disaster. After that resounding failure, everybody pinned their hopes on the European Football Championship, which will take place in 2004, in Portugal.
However, Romania was beaten on Saturday by Denmark (5-2) and the odds for qualification are getting slimmer by the day. It will be a catastrophe for the Romanian football, if qualification for Portugal is also missed.
Those directly involved in the soccer industry, who were betting on our country’s participation in the European Football Championship, would lose between 45-55 million dollars. Failure would impact directly upon economic industries and sectors – media (television and press), advertising, beverages and tourism.
“According to our estimates, we stand to lose about one million dollars, meaning that we will not cash this money, which would have come from increased circulation and more advertising,” said Catalin Tolontan, editor-in-chief of the main Romanian sports daily – ProSport.
As far as televisions are concerned, TVR 1 (national television) alone would lose at least one million dollars. If Romania had qualified for the Japan World Cup in 2002, advertising would have increased by at least 800,000 dollars for every three matches. Considering the final games of the European Football Championship will be played in the evening, TVR 1 would have cashed more than one million dollars for at least three matches disputed by the national team.
But televisions and the printed press are not the only ones harmed by this turn of events. “Advertising companies in Romania will lose some 3-4 million dollars,” said Bogdan Enoiu, president of advertising agency McCann Erickson.
These amounts are small compared to the losses that beer companies, travel agencies and soccer clubs are bracing for.
Beer sales would have increased 10% while Romania played in the European Football Championship, says the manager of a beer company whose brand is tightly linked to football.
In the summertime, beer sales amount to 80-90 million dollars monthly on the Romanian market. Three football games with the Romanian team mean the world to the industry of alcoholic drinks, bars and restaurants. The beverage industry would lose 10 million dollars, while the losses of bars and restaurants would exceed 2 million dollars.
Travel agencies are also hoping Romania will play in Portugal. “There were 9,000 Romanian tourists during the European Championship hosted by Belgium and Holland. The numbers would be similar in Portugal, while a one-week stay costs some 700-800 euros, tickets not included,” said Cornel Gaina, chairman of the National Association of Romanian Travel Agencies (ANAT) and owner of Simpa Tourism tour operator. Travel agencies could lose 7-8 million dollars, or even more.