| Full name | Clubul de Fotbal Brăila | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Alb-Albaştrii (The White and Blues) |
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| Short name | CF Brăila | ||
| Founded | 1922 | ||
| Ground | Municipal (Capacity: 20,000) |
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| Chairman | Adelin Soare | ||
| Manager | Viorel Ion | ||
| League | Liga II | ||
| 2010–11 | Liga II, Seria I, 15th | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
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Clubul de Fotbal Brăila is a Romanian professional football club from Brăila, founded in 1922.[1]
They currently play in the Liga II, Seria I in the 2010–2011 season after finishing 1st in the Liga III, Seria I in the 2009–2010 season.[2]
Amnong the club's best performances are one Romanian Cup final in the 1992–93 season[3] and a 6th place finish in the top division of the Romanian football league system in the 1991–92 season.[4]
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Dacia Brăila was founded in 1922 around the same time with another team, Unirea. Until 1928, when the two merge their collective and Dacia Unirea appears, each separately participated in the regional championship.[5]
In November 1929 Dacia Unirea had the following base team: Padimatopol (Căpreanu), Stanciu, Vasiliu, Leo (Săvulescu), Fritz, Grigoriou, Anastasios, Leşu, I. Goldenberg, Teodorescu (Frătescu, Cavada, Geller, Munteanu). In the 1929–1930 season the team won the regional tournament and qualified for the national championship tournament. In the quarter-finals they were eliminated by Juventus Bucharest, the team that won the championship that year.
Afterwards, Dacia Unirea played in the Divizia B between the years 1934–1937, 1938–1940 and in the Divizia A between the years 1937–1938, 1940–1941, the name of the team and of the club changing a few times: D.U.I.G. (Dacia Unirea Ignatz Goldenberg) in 1937, Dacia Unirea in 1938 and FC Brăila in 1940.
During the war it activated in the Cupa Eroilor. After the war, the club changed its name back to the traditional "Dacia Unirea", and participated at only one season of the Divizia C, in the season 1946–1947, after which it disappeared from all divisional levels. We can mention a part of the players who played in that period: I. Goldenberg, N. Stanciu, Hagiopol, Saramet, Weiss, Cavadia, Bonaţiu, V. Pop, Negrescu, Drăghicescu, Pascalide, D. Stanciu.
After 1949, when both teams (Dacia Unirea Brăila and Franco-Română Brăila) disappear from all the divisional levels, the football in Brăila sees itself in crises, and not being able to get out of it, despite a few attempts to reorganize. Starting with 1953 the situation improves, the club is refounded and changes names successively: Metalul (1953–1956), Energia (1956–1957), Dinamo (1957–1958), Industria Sârmei (1958–1959), C.S.M. (1960–1961), Progresul (1962–1963), Laminorul (1963–1965), Constructorul (1965–1966), again Progresul (1967–1975), FC Brăila (1975–1980), FCM Progresul (1980–1991), Dacia Unirea (1991–2006) and finally CF Brăila starting with the 2006–2007 season. Taking into consideration these historical conditions, with a lot of problems in the organisation department, the participation in the divisional system after 1953 is as it follows: 10 times in Liga III (1956–1959, 1963–1964, 1967–1968, 1999–2001, 2007–2010), 41 times in Liga II (1953, 1954, 1960–1963, 1964–1967, 1968–1990, 1994–1999, 2001–2007, 2010–Present) and 4 times in Liga I (1990–1994).
The team that succeeded to bring Brăila back to the Divizia A, after half a century, in 1990, had the following players: C. Brătianu I, I. Dinu - V. Brătianu II, Vasile Darie, Gh. Negoiţă, Cristea Rusu, Minciu Sandu - M. Anton, A. Marin, Muscă, N. Pascu, M. Petrache, N. Rădulescu, A. Stamate, Titirişcă - Cujbă, Drăgoi, E. Popescu, Vio. Radu, M. Săvescu, M. Ivan. Coach: Bujor Hălmageanu.
In the 1992–1993 season the team qualified in the Cupa României final (its best performance so far), coach Ioan Sdrobiş (who came at half season to replace Gheorghe Mulţescu) had at his service the following players: C. Brătianu I, Hăisan, Nicoloff - G. Baciu, Adrian Baldovin, V. Brătianu II, Vasile Darie, Gh. Negoiţă, Tudorel Pelin, Sandu Minciu - Burleanu, Drăgoi, Jica, M. Lazăr, Matincă, Măstăcan, M. Petrache, Titirişcă - Cujbă, Dochia, C. Luca, Marcadonatu, Maşcu, Arben Minga, Marius Şumudică. Coaches who were in charge of the team worth mentioning: I. Economu, Viorel Mateianu, Ionel Iuga, Dumitru Nicolae "Nicuşor", C. Oţet, Dumitru Dumitriu III, V. Dridea II. Special merits go to committed chairmans who obtained great results in charge of the club, especially to Octavian Ulman.
Four years after the relegations from the Divizia A came that from the Divizia B (in 1999), the tear between the club and Insula Mare a Brăilei (its main sponsor) having disastrous consequences. Actually, prior to that, the main event that triggered the fall happened during the 1994–1995 season. Fighting at the time with Selena Bacău for the promotion to the Divizia A, the team from Brăila was stopped by a corruption case at a game with FC Politehnica Iaşi, in which, in exchange for a sum of money, the team from Dealul Copoului should have conceded the game. The case was highly mediated, ending up with arrests, Ilie Trifina (Dacia Unirea's competition organiser) and Leonard Cănănău (journalist from Iaşi, ex football player). Dacia Unirea ended up with a 8 point penalty, and being forbidden to participate at the qualification knock-out for the promotion to the Divizia A. The team succeeded to make a come back to the Divizia B in 2001.
During the 2001–2007 period the team made 6 consecutive appearances in the Divizia B, but at the end of the 2006–2007 CF Brăila was relegated to the Liga III. Their best performance during this period was the acceding to the Cupa României quarter-finals in the 2004–2005 season, where they lost to Dinamo Bucureşti 1-0 at Stadionul Dinamo and 2-0 at Stadionul Municipal. In the sixteenths phase Dacia Unirea won against Rapid Bucureşti (coached at the time by Răzvan Lucescu) at Stadionul Municipal, goal scored by Romeo Buteseacă and in the eighths phase of the competition they passed by FC Unirea Alba Iulia with 2-0, goals scored by Romeo Buteseacă and Cristian Dicu. Players who had a great contribution to this performance, among others, are: Marius Mindileac, Iulian Olteanu - Laurenţiu Ivan, Gheorghe Rădulescu, Valentin Stan, Victor Olenic, Tudorel Pelin, Nicolae Ciocea - Daniel Pleşa, Dumitru Horovei, Mihalache Basalîc, Cristian Dicu - Romeo Buteseacă, Marius Matei, Paul Sorin Bogdan. We also have to mention Bănel Nicoliţă, who played at Dacia Unirea until 2004 and where he made his debut.
The 2008/09 season meant some serious reorganisation, SC CONCIVIA SA became the owner of the team,[6] and the objective was the promotion to the Liga II. But in the end, the club finished 8th the Championship, and it seemed that Liga II was further than was thought.
The 2009/10 season has started with a lot of promise. During the summer, Gheorghe Mulţescu was appointed advisor with the transfers, and a lot of promising players were bought. At the end of the first half of the championship, the club sees itsfelf on the top of the table, 1st, in the run with Politehnica II Iaşi, Petrotub Roman and CS Panciu for the promotion.
At half season, coach Vasile Darie was replaced with Daniel Timofte and the season ended with the victory and the promotion to the Liga II of our favorite team, and to top it all, Nelu Bucă finished 1st in the Top goalscorers ranking, with 25 goals.[7][8]
Brăila started poorly the 2010/11 season, by being eliminated from the Romanian Cup in the 4th Round by Unirea Slobozia and by being last in the championship after 5 rounds, with only 1 point. After round 5 of the championship, Gheorghe Bunea Stancu replaced Daniel Timofte with Liviu Ciobotariu.[9], but brought Timofte back after round 10 of the championship, after the disaster at Piatra Neamţ, 0-4 with Ceahlăul[10], thus concluding Ciobotariu's charge in front of our club, and like Timofte, with only 1 point obtained in five matches. Timofte's return had no success, the club ranking last at the end of the first half of the championship, with only 4 points in 15 rounds.[11]
The second half of the championship was more productive, CF Brăila managing to raise 17 more points, totaling 21 in the end, but not enough to evoid relegation, finishing next to last in the series.[12] But all was not lost, because Unirea Urziceni withdrew from the 2011–12 Liga II season, this meaning that our club could play in its place.[13]
CF Brăila had an excelent run in the first half of the 2011–12 Liga II season, ranking 5th during the winter brake, just 3 points behing the 2nd placed team, Săgeata Năvodari.
CF Brăila plays its home matches at the Municipal Stadium,[14] Brăila, which has a capacity of 20,000.[15]
The stadium was opened on August 21, 1974 and was built on the ground of the old Vasile Roaită Stadium, a small stadium that had only one stand.[16]
In the summer of 2008 it was partially renovated, ending up with the mounting of 8,000 seats on the 1st and 2nd stand.
It's the 10th stadium in the country, by capacity (List of football stadiums in Romania).
As of September 10, 2010
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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The most successful team from Brăila County.
Up to and including the end of the 2009-10 season
Notable players
Notable managers
References
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