FC Sportul Studențesc București

Sportul Studenţesc is a Romanian football club that was established in 1916 (making it one of the oldest Romanian clubs still active). The Bucharest club has won the Balkans Cup once (in 1979) and its best result in the Romanian league is a 2nd place in 1986. It has also played in European competitions, where its most notable result came in 1987 when it reached the 3rd round in the UEFA Cup.

Sportul is known for their beautiful playstyle and young squads. During the past ten years they have promoted more players to the highest level football than any other club in Europe, apart from Ajax.

At the end of the 2009-10 season, the club promoted back to the Liga I, after 4 seasons of Liga II football.

History

On February 11, 1916 "Sporting Club Universitar Studentesc" was born, as an initiative of a group of professors and students having only football, athletics and tennis departments at the beginning. The president of the club was professor Traian Lalescu, the world famous mathematician.

"Sporting" had no stadium of its own and the team used to play here and there. Even after acceding in the first national league, the stadium was still in its project phase. It was only when the club "Stiinta" was established in 1954 and inherited the tradition of the student's sport that they were allowed to use the "Belvedere" stadium in Regie quarter.

The history of the club can be divided into several distinct periods. The first period lasted until World War II and culminated with the accession in the first national league, then the club disappeared in the dawn of communism and was reborn and grown again to accede the first division; "the Hagi period" with its best performance, second place in 1986- a period led by president Barbu Emil "Mac" Popescu; and finally the present marked by the president Vasile Siman, with Sportul Studenţesc again among the best football teams in the championship.

The ‘80s were the best years in the team's history, due to achieving extraordinary performances (third place in 1982-’83 and second place in 1985-’86 championships) but mostly because back then stars like Marcel Coraş and Gheorghe Hagi played for Sportul. Hagi played for Sportul until 1986, when Steaua Bucureşti "borrowed" him before the final of the Champions Cup. In the 1998-1999 season Sportul Studenţesc came close to a demotion to the third league but the massive rejuvenation of the team, decided by the young investor Vasile Şiman, eventually proved itself to be successful and the team remained in the second league, even though the majority of the players were born in 1981 or were at the end of their careers. The 2000-2001 seasons brings for Sportul Studenţesc its third accession in the first league, after coming out on the first place in the previous season in a fantastic struggle with Farul Constanţa, with 81 points and a remarkable GD of 71-17. In the 2000-2001 season "the students" finished 13th but in the next season they demoted again to the second division.

Sportul finished first in the second league in the 2003-2004 season and once again advanced to the first league, despite having sold half of their squad from the previous season. They had a praiseworthy evolution in the 2004-2005 seasons, ending the championship on sixth place with Gigel Bucur the league's top scorer (21 goals). In the 2005-2006 season the team, coached by former international player Dan Petrescu, and by Gheorghe Multescu in the second half, had a pretty good evolution ending the first half of the season on the ninth place and the second half on fourth place. During the following offseason, the team was relegated due to financial reasons.

At the end of the 2009-10 season, the club promoted back to the Liga I, after 4 seasons of Liga II football. Sportul finished the 2010-11 season in the last position, but remained in the first division because it was the only relegated team with a valid licence for Liga I, after the licencing controversies that affected the start of the new season.

Colours and badge

The team's colours are black and white, the traditional colours for a student's team.

The logo consists of a stylized "S" on a black and white background, alongside the club's official name and the year it was established.

Honours

Domestic

• Liga I

• Runners-up (1): 1985–86

• Liga II

• Winners (4): 1936–37, 1971–72, 2000–01, 2003–04
• Runners-up (3): 1965–66, 1970–71, 2009–10

• Liga III

• Winners (1): 1958–59

• Romanian Cup

• Runners-up (3): 1938–39, 1942–43, 1978–79

European record

Previous names

• Sporting Club Universitar (1916–1919)
• Sportul Studenţesc (1919–1946 and 1969–present)
• Sparta Bucureşti (1946–1948)
• Clubul Sportiv Universitar (1948–1954)
• Ştiinţa Bucureşti (1954–1966)
• Politehnica Bucureşti (1966–1969)

Players

Current squad

As of October 1, 2011

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Reserves team

Club officials

Boardroom

• Owner: Vasile Şiman
• Director Economic: Daniela Nenciulescu
• Director Executive: Gheorghe Cristian
• Organization Director: Mihai Lăzărescu
• CCJ Organization Director: Constantin Pană

Management

• Head coach: Daniel Isăilă
• Assistant coach: vacant
• Fitness Coach: Roberto Berruero

External links

• Sportul Studenţesc official website
• Sportul Studenţesc supporter's website