CS Universitatea Craiova

CS Universitatea Craiova

Full name	Clubul Sportiv Universitatea Craiova
Nickname(s)	"Studenții" (The Students) "Campioana unei mari iubiri" (The Champion of a Great Love)
Short name	CS U Craiova
Founded	1948 (1948) 2013 (2013)
Ground	Municipal
Ground Capacity	20,054
Owner	Mihai Rotaru
General manager	Marcel Popescu
Manager	Devis Mangia
League	Liga I
2016–17	Liga I, 5th
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Active departments of CS Universitatea Craiova
Football	Men's Basketball	Women's Handball
Men's Volleyball	Women's Volleyball	Boxing
Athletics	Badminton	Bridge
Chess	Fencing	Judo
Karate	Table tennis	Wrestling

Clubul Sportiv Universitatea Craiova (Romanian pronunciation: [ˌklubul sporˈtiv universiˈtate̯a kraˈjova]; University of Craiova Sports Club), commonly known as Universitatea Craiova or CS U Craiova, is a Romanian sports club based in Craiova, Dolj County. It is best known for its professional football team, which plays in the Liga I, the top tier of the Romanian football league system.

Founded in 1948 at the initiative of a group of students and professors,^[1] and refounded in 2013,^[2] Universitatea Craiova has won 4 national titles and 6 national cups.^[3] On the European stage, the club's best performance is reaching the semi-finals of the 1982–83 UEFA Cup.

"The Students" traditionally played their home matches at the Stadionul Ion Oblemenco, which was demolished and replaced by a new stadium expected to open in 2017.

History

Before Universitatea and founding

The football history in the city of Craiova began in the year 1921, when the first teams were founded: Craiovan Craiova and Rovine Grivița Craiova. In the 1940, the two teams merged, resulting in one of the most successful Romanian clubs of the Interwar period, FC Craiova, which was also the first team from the city to win the Romanian football championship, in the 1942–43 season. However, the title was not officialized by the Romanian Football Federation, because of World War II.

Finally, in 1948, Universitatea Craiova took life at the initiative of a group of students and professors,^[1] a team which would later become one of the most popular and successful teams of Romania.

"Craiova Maxima" era: domestic honours and UEFA Cup semi-final in the '80s

During the 1982–83 season, Universitatea recorded the most notable continental performance in its history. Under the management of Constantin Oțet and Nicolae Ivan the team reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup, after defeating some of the best known clubs in European football, such as AC Fiorentina (Serie A runners-up), Girondins Bordeaux and FC Kaiserslautern. In the first European cup semi-final ever played by a Romanian club, Universitatea encountered S.L. Benfica, two times European champions and three times European Cup finalists at the time. After two draws, the Portuguese side advanced to the final on aggregate away goals. This generation of players earned the nickname of "Craiova Maxima" and included Ilie Balaci, Rodion Cămătaru, Costică Ștefănescu, Zoltan Crișan, Ion Geolgău, Aurică Beldeanu, Costică Donose and Silviu Lung among others.

Universitatea Craiova after the '90s

In 1991, Universitatea Craiova conquered its last national title and Romanian Cup, under the management of Sorin Cârțu.

However, in 1994, the sports club CS Universitatea Craiova dissolved its football section and Fotbal Club Universitatea Craiova continued their tradition until early 2010s.

Refounding in 2013

The old crest was used from 2013 till 2017.

On 20 July 2011, the Romanian Football Federation decided to disaffiliate FC Universitatea Craiova,^[5] but the decision was attacked in court.^[6] Craiova's mayor, Lia Olguța Vasilescu, considered that FC U can't be reaffiliated.^[7] Consequently, in the summer of 2013, local authorities of Craiova, supported by Pavel Badea, and associated with Club Sportiv U Craiova SA, refounded the football section of CS U Craiova.^[8]

CS U claimed that it owns the honours until 1992,^[3] and that the sports club did not offer its records to FC U Craiova, which was considered a new club; this was confirmed in justice in June 2016.^[9] Therefore, CS Universitatea Craiova is the rightful owner of the records, brand and logo.^[10]

On 14 August 2013, CS Universitatea Craiova was provisionally affiliated to the Romanian Football Federation, due the problems with licensing file.^[11] After resolving the issues, the club was introduced in Liga II, the second tier of the Romanian league system. Universitatea made its season debut on 27 August, with a 6–1 success over Pandurii II Târgu Jiu in the fourth round of the Romanian Cup.^[12]

The club has returned to the Liga I since the 2014–15 season.

Grounds

Stadionul Ion Oblemenco

Ion Oblemenco Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Craiova, Romania. It was used mostly for football matches and was the home ground of Universitatea Craiova. The stadium used to hold up to 25,252 people before it was demolished. The stadium was opened on 29 October 1967 with national teams of Romania and Poland scoring 2 goals each and was originally named Central Stadium. It hosted many memorable matches during the Craiova Maxima era such as the 1981–82 European Cup Quarterfinal against Bayern Munich and the 1982–83 UEFA Cup Semifinal against Benfica. Following the death of Universitatea Craiova legend Ion Oblemenco in 1996, the stadium was renamed in his honour. In 2008, the stadium underwent a major renovation. The stadium was entirely demolished and will be replaced with an all-seater expected to open in the summer of 2017.

Stadionul Extensiv

Extensiv Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Craiova, Romania opened in 1949. It is used mostly for football matches and since 2015 it is the home ground of Universitatea Craiova. The stadium holds 7,000 people. The stadium was the home ground of Extensiv Craiova. In 2005 when Extensiv Craiova dissolved, the stadium was abandoned: plants and flowers grew on the pitch and the chairs were broken, but it was saved by Craiova's old boys' team.

Rivalries

Universitatea Craiova's main rival is Dinamo București. A rivalry with Steaua București also exists.

Honours

Domestic

Leagues

• Liga I
  • Winners (4): 1973–74, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1990–91

• Liga II
  • Winners (2): 1963–64, 2013–14
  • Runners-up (1): 1960–61

• Liga III
  • Winners (1): 1957–58

Cups

• Cupa României
  • Winners (6): 1976–77, 1977–78, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1990–91, 1992–93

Players

First team squad

As of 3 August 2017

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

No. Position Player 1 GK Nicolae Calancea 2 DF Tiago Ferreira 3 DF Marius Briceag 5 MF Vladimir Screciu 6 DF Renato Kelić 7 MF Gustavo 8 MF Alexandru Mateiu 10 MF Alexandru Băluță (Captain) 11 MF Nicușor Bancu 16 FW Jovan Marković 18 DF Apostol Popov 21 MF Fausto Rossi 23 MF Hristo Zlatinski (Vice-Captain) 28 MF Alexandru Mitriță (on loan from Pescara) 30 DF Radoslav Dimitrov

No. Position Player 36 FW Andrei Burlacu 38 FW Alexandru Popescu 39 FW Sergiu Jurj 40 DF Robert Petre 41 DF Remus Enache 42 DF Ștefan Vlădoiu 43 MF Lucian Buzan 44 DF Hrvoje Spahija 45 DF Raul Hreniuc 49 GK Laurențiu Popescu 50 GK Cristian Dică 51 GK Miodrag Mitrović 70 FW Mihai Roman 77 MF Cristian Bărbuț 84 DF Alexandre Barthe

Out on loan

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

No. Position Player 17 FW Simon Măzărache (at Juventus București) 35 MF Stephan Drăghici (at Academica Clinceni)

No. Position Player 46 MF Alin Manea (at Juventus București) 73 MF Radu Bîrzan (at Argeș Pitești)

Second team squad (CS U II Craiova)

As of 10 August 2017

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

No. Position Player 2 DF Florin Borța 4 DF Robert Bogdan 5 FW Vlad Marcu 9 FW Narcis Cîrlig 10 MF Alexandru Dinu 17 DF Bogdan Țoiu 18 MF Vasile Constantin 21 DF Nicușor Ionescu 22 GK Vlad Gabor — GK Alin Nica — DF Bogdan Lăzărescu

No. Position Player — DF Samuel Luică — MF Cosmin Ciocoteală — MF Bogdan Cuibari — MF Ionuț Frăsineanu — MF Marius Ivan — MF Alin Manea — MF Mario Pistrițu — MF Valentin Târș — FW Antonio Spîrleanu — FW Andrei Stroe

Club officials

Board of directors Role Name Owner Mihai Rotaru President Adrian Andrici Image President Gheorghe Craioveanu General Director Marcel Popescu Economic Director Mihaela Turica Marketing Director Mario Petrişor Sporting Director Dana Profir Team Manager Emil Pieleanu Youth Centre Manager Iosif Rotariu Youth Center Technical Director Dumitru Barbu Security Officer Florin Cârstea Communications Department Dan Păsărin Judicial Adviser Marius Tiugan Responsible for Order and Safety Florin Cristea Cameraman Romeo Selişte Press Officer Mihai Disa

Current technical staff Role Name Manager Devis Mangia Assistant Managers Andrea Tedesco Daniel Pîrvu Goalkeeping Coach Cătălin Mulțescu Fitness Coaches Cornel Blejan Simone Fornari Club Doctor Claudiu Stamatescu Physiokinetotherapists Ovidiu Blendea Marius Minae Masseur Aurel Tufan Second Team Manager Corneliu Papură Storemen Dan Creţu Ion Dinu

European record

UEFA Champions League / European Cup

Season	Round	Country	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1974–75	First round	Sweden	Åtvidaberg	2 – 1	1 – 3	3 – 4
1980–81	First round	Italy	Internazionale	1 – 1	0 – 2	1 – 3
1981–82	First round	Greece	Olympiacos	3 – 0	0 – 2	3 – 2
	Second round	Denmark	KB	4 – 1	0 – 1	4 – 2
	Quarter finals	West Germany	Bayern Munich	0 – 2	1 – 1	1 – 3
1991–92	First round	Cyprus	Apollon Limassol	2 – 0	0 – 3	2 – 3

European Cup Winners Cup / Cup Winners Cup

Season	Round	Country	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1977–78	First round	Cyprus	Olympiakos Nicosia	2 – 0	6 – 1	8 – 1
	Second round	Soviet Union	FC Dynamo Moscow	2 – 0 (aet)	0 – 2	2 – 2 (0 – 3 p)
1978–79	First round	West Germany	Fortuna Düsseldorf	3 – 4	1 – 1	4 – 5
1985–86	First round	France	AS Monaco	3 – 0	0 – 2	3 – 2
	Second round	Soviet Union	Dynamo Kyiv	2 – 2	0 – 3	2 – 5
1993–94	First round	Faroe Islands	HB Tórshavn	4 – 0	3 – 0	7 – 0
	Second round	France	Paris Saint-Germain	0 – 2	0 – 4	0 – 6

UEFA Europa League / UEFA Cup

Season	Round	Country	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1973–74	First round	Italy	Fiorentina	1 – 0	0 – 0	1 – 0
	Second round	Belgium	Standard Liège	1 – 1	0 – 2	1 – 3
1975–76	First round	Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia	Red Star Belgrade	1 – 3	1 – 1	2 – 4
1979–80	First round	Austria	Wiener Sportclub	3 – 1	0 – 0	3 – 1
	Second round	England	Leeds United F.C.	2 – 0	2 – 0	4 – 0
	Third round	West Germany	Borussia Mönchengladbach	1 – 0	0 – 2	1 – 2
1982–83	First round	Italy	Fiorentina	3 – 1	0 – 1	3 – 2
	Second round	Republic of Ireland	Shamrock Rovers F.C.	3 – 0	2 – 0	5 – 0
	Third round	France	FC Girondins de Bordeaux	(aet) 2 – 0	0 – 1	2 – 1
	Quarter-finals	West Germany	Kaiserslautern	1 – 0	2 – 3	(a) 3 – 3
	Semi-finals	Portugal	Benfica	1 – 1	0 – 0	1 – 1 (a)
1983–84	First round	Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia	Hadjuk Split	1 – 0	0 – 1 (aet)	1 – 1 (1 – 3 p)
1984–85	First round	Spain	Real Betis	(aet) 1 – 0	0 – 1	1 – 1 (5 – 3 p)
	Second round	Greece	Olympiacos	1 – 0	1 – 0	2 – 0
	Third round	Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia	FK Željezničar	2 – 0	0 – 4	2 – 4
1986–87	First round	Turkey	Galatasaray	2 – 0	1 – 2	3 – 2
	Second round	Scotland	Dundee United F.C.	1 – 0	0 – 3	1 – 3
1987–88	First round	Portugal	Desportivo de Chaves	3 – 2	1 – 2	4 – 4 (a)
1990–91	First round	Albania	KF Partizani Tirana	1 – 0	1 – 0	2 – 0
	Second round	West Germany	Borussia Dortmund	0 – 3	0 – 1	0 – 4
1992–93	First round	Czechoslovakia	Sigma Olomouc	1 – 2	0 – 1	1 – 3
2017–18	Third round	Italy	AC Milan	0 – 1	0 – 3	0 – 4

European cups all-time statistics

Managers

• Erik Lincar (1 July 2013 – 30 September 2013)
• Ovidiu Stîngă (1 October 2013 – 14 March 2014)
• Gavril Balint (17 March 2014 – 10 June 2014)
• Ionel Gane (10 June 2014 – 2 September 2014)
• Emil Săndoi (3 September 2014 – 8 January 2016)
• Victor Naicu (8 January 2016 – 31 May 2016)
• Gheorghe Mulțescu (9 June 2016 –1 June 2017 )
• Devis Mangia (1 June 2017 – )

References

External links

• Official website
• Club profile on UEFA's official website
• Club profile on LPF's official website