FC Dinamo București

Dinamo București

Full name	FC Dinamo București
Nickname(s)	Dinamoviștii Câinii roșii (The Red Dogs) Alb-roșii (The White and Reds)
Short name	Dinamo
Founded	14 May 1948 (1948-05-14)
Ground	Stadionul Dinamo
Ground Capacity	15300
Owner	Ionuț Negoiță
General manager	Adrian Mutu[1]
Coach	Cosmin Contra
League	Liga I
2016–17	Liga I, 3rd
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Active departments of CS Dinamo București
Football	Men's Handball	Women's Handball
Hockey	Basketball	Water polo
Men's Volleyball	Women's Volleyball	Rugby
Martial arts	Athletics	Boxing
Kayak	Canoe	Cycling
Gymnastics	Weightlifting	Judo
Modern Karate	Wrestling	Swimming
Fencing	Shooting	Taekwondo
Tennis	Chess	Skiing

Fotbal Club Dinamo București (Romanian pronunciation: [diˈnamo bukuˈreʃtʲ]), commonly known as Dinamo București, or simply as Dinamo within Romania, is a Romanian professional football club based in Bucharest.

Founded in 1948, Dinamo has spent its entire history in Liga I, the top tier of the Romanian football league system. Domestically, Dinamo is one of the two most successful teams in Romania, having won 18 Liga I titles, 13 Cupa României, two Supercupa României, and one Cupa Ligii. In the 1983–84 season, they became the second Romanian club to reach the semi-finals of the European Cup.

Dinamo's traditional home colours are white and red, while the current crest is a modified version of the one adopted in the 1998. Its home ground is the 15,032-seater Dinamo Stadium in Bucharest's city centre, where it has played since 1951.

The club holds a strong rivalry with neighbouring Steaua București, with matches between the two being commonly referred to as "the Eternal Derby".

History

Dinamo was founded on 14 May 1948, when "Unirea Tricolor MAI" — newly entered, in January 1948, under the umbrella of the Communist regime's Internal Affairs Ministry — merged with "Ciocanul București". The sporting club represented the above-mentioned institution.^[2] The "Dinamo" name was used for the very first time on 1 May 1948. Nevertheless, the real debut of Dinamo was in the 1947-48 Divizia A edition (finishing 8th). Some of the team's players were Ambru, Angelo Niculescu, Teodorescu, Siclovan, Bartha, and Sârbu. In 1955, Dinamo won their first championship. With Angelo Niculescu as head coach, Dinamo impressed mainly in the offensive, with an attack formed by Ene I, Neaga and Suru. The defense, with players like Băcuț I, Băcuț II, Szoko, Călinoiu, was the best in the championship – only 19 goals against.^[3]

In the fall of 1956, the team made its debut in the European Champion Clubs' Cup (competition created a year before). Dinamo was the first Romanian team to play in the European competitions. The debut game was played on 26 August 1956, in front of 32,000 spectators. Dinamo defeated Galatasaray, 3–1. In the second leg, Dinamo lost in Istanbul 1–2, and moved forward.

In following years, Dinamo met famous teams in Europe, such as Real Madrid (a team with Di Stefano and Gento – the game played in Bucharest took place at 23 August Stadium, and established a new record for this arena: 100,000 spectators^[4]), Inter Milan and Feyenoord: 0–3 and 0–2.

In 1973, in the European Cup, Dinamo surpassed Northern Ireland's Crusaders Belfast. The 11–0 home game against Northern Ireland's team is still the biggest margin of victory in the history of the European Cup.

The autumn of 1983–84 was going to represent a valuable step into the international arena. The "European Champions Cup campaign" started with the Finnish team, Kuusysi Lahti (1–0 and 3–0). The second round pushed Dinamo against the current champion, Hamburger SV – team of Stein, Kalz and Magath. At Bucharest, Augustin, Multescu and Orac scored for 3–0.^[5][6] The thrilling second leg finished 3–2 (goals Țălnar and Mulțescu). In order to accede to the semifinals of CCE, Dinamo had to defeat another top team: Dinamo Minsk, with Aleinikov, Zigmanatovich and Gurinovich. The first leg was 1–1 (Rednic equalizing in the 87th minute), and it was followed by a 1–0 victory at Bucharest (with Augustin scoring). Dinamo was the first Romanian team to reach the European Champions Cup semifinals,^[7] where it met Liverpool F.C.. Dinamo lost 1–0 at Anfield and 2–1 in Bucharest, as Liverpool progressed to the 1984 European Cup Final.

In 1986 Dinamo won the Cup against Steaua, the team that only a few days before won the European Cup.

In the summer of 1990, Dinamo – with Mircea Lucescu as coach – conquered a new national title, the 13th. Also the team won the Cup final, against Steaua: 6–4. But the Romanian Revolution from 1989 opened the doors for the Romanian footballers to leave and play abroad and Dinamo lost almost its entire team, thus a downfall regarding the results came the following years.

Dinamo managed to win the title in 1992, 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2007, but failed to reach the final phases of the European competitions.

In 2013, the team changed ownership. Businessman Ionuț Negoiță bought the club and promised to revive the golden years.^[8]

On May 6, 2016, player Patrick Ekeng collapsed on the field and was diagnosed with a heart attack. He was declared dead at the hospital 2 hours later.^[9]

Crest and colours

Since the beginning, Dinamo's colours were red and white. The current team's badge includes two red dogs, a nickname given to the club when the Nunweiller brothers played here, Radu and Ion, in the 1960s and 1970s.

Stadium

Dinamo plays its home games at Stadionul Dinamo. The arena was built in 1951, and for the official inauguration Dinamo played a game against Locomotiva Timișoara. Initially, the stadium capacity was 16,000 places, but following seats installment, the capacity was decreased to 15,032 places. The stadium is part of a larger complex which contains another smaller stadium, Stadionul Florea Dumitrache, where the second team, Dinamo II, used to play its matches, but now the rugby team plays its home matches there. There is also a sports hall and a swimming pool.

The stadium is nicknamed "Groapa" (The Hole), because it was built by digging a hole, and not by raising its stands.

Dinamo's fans stay in the North stand, named Peluza Cătălin Hîldan, after a former Dinamo player, deceased at 24.

Dinamo also plays home and away matches against their biggest rivals, Steaua, as well as other major fixtures at Arena Națională.

Support

Dinamo has an estimated 11% support in Romania, making them the second most supported Romanian club, after Steaua.^[10] The largest concentration of fans is in Bucharest, mainly in the North-East and central areas of the city. The club also has important fan bases inside and outside the country.

The roots of the Dinamo ultras movement can be found in 1995 when groups like Dracula or Rams Pantelimon appeared in the North End. In 1996 a group called Nuova Guardia was born, composed of young but very devoted men. It would become the leading group in the red-white stands and later on in the entire Romanian ultras movement.^[11] Following the death of the former captain, Cătălin Hîldan, in 2000, the fans renamed the North End of Dinamo's stadium to Peluza Catalin Hîldan (PCH Stand) in his honor. The majority of supporters are located in the PCH, but several factions have moved to the South End.

Even though Dinamo Bucharest is the 2nd most supported Romanian club, its fans are known for creating great atmosphere and unique choreographies, and they are often regarded as the best and most passionate fans in Romania.

The most emotional of the choreographies was the one Dinamo's fans did in memory of Patrick Ekeng, dead at 26, the second Dinamo player to die on the pitch, after Cătălin Hîldan.

Rivalries

Dinamo's most important rivalry is with Steaua. The match between them, Eternul Derby (The Eternal Derby), has been the leading Romanian football encounter in the last 60 years, as Dinamo and Steaua are the two most successful football teams in the country. Clashes between different factions of supporters have often occurred and still occur inside and outside the stadium. The nadir was reached in 1997 when Dinamo's fans set a sector of Steaua's stadium (Stadionul Ghencea) on fire.^[12] On 16 August 2016, during Steaua's UEFA Champions League 0–5 play-off loss against Manchester City, undercover Dinamo fans displayed a huge message saying "Only Dinamo Bucharest", which was labelled one of the biggest pranks in football history.^[13]

Other important rivalries are shared with Universitatea Craiova, Rapid București. Petrolul Ploiești and Politehnica Timișoara.

Youth program

Dinamo has an important infrastructure for training and preparing children towards professionalism. The youth center has nine organised groups managed by age categories, for children between nine and 18 years. In total, Dinamo has around 180 juniors.

All the groups play in the competitions organised by the Bucharest Football Association and in those created by the Romanian Federation. Youths around 16–18 years old are promoted to the second team, Dinamo II.

The youth center has its base in the Dinamo Sport Center, where they have eight dressing rooms for the players, one for the coaches, one for the referees, a medical center and a store room for the equipment. Also, the center has many training grounds, among them the Piți Varga field.^[14]

Honours

Domestic

Leagues

• Liga I
  • Winners (18): 1955, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1999–00, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2006–07
  • Runners-up (20): 1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958–59, 1960–61, 1966–67, 1968–69, 1973–74, 1975–76, 1978–79, 1980–81, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1992–93, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2004–05

Cups

• Cupa României
  • Winners (13): 1958–59, 1963–64, 1967–68, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1989–90, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2011–12
  • Runners-up (10): 1954, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1986–87, 1987–88,^[15][16][17] 1988–89, 2001–02, 2010–11, 2015–16
• Supercupa României
  • Winners (2): 2005, 2012
  • Runners-up (4): 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007
• Cupa Ligii
  • Winners (1): 2016–17

Players

First team squad

As of 27 July 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 Laurențiu Brănescu (on loan from Juventus) 3 DF Giorgos Katsikas 4 MF Sergiu Hanca (Vice-captain) 5 DF Ionuț Nedelcearu (Vice-captain) 6 MF Azer Bušuladžić 7 DF Steliano Filip (Captain) 8 FW Tha'er Bawab 9 FW Rivaldinho 10 MF Juan Albín (on loan from Veracruz) 12 GK Vlad Muțiu 15 MF Paul Anton 16 MF Maximiliano Oliva 17 FW Adam Nemec 18 MF May Mahlangu

No. Position Player 19 MF Valentin Costache 20 MF Diogo Salomão 21 MF Liviu Gheorghe 22 DF Alin Dudea 23 MF Ionuț Șerban 24 MF Filipe Nascimento 26 GK Jaime Penedo 27 DF Ricardo Grigore 28 DF Luka Marić 29 DF José Romera 30 MF Ion Gheorghe 31 MF Claudiu Bumba 33 DF Laurențiu Corbu

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 2 DF Mihai Popescu (at Voluntari) 13 FW Daniel Popa (at Botoșani) — GK Iustin Popescu (at Chindia Târgoviște) — DF Roberto Anghel (at Sportul Snagov) — DF Sebastian Bucur (at Afumați) — DF Denis Ciobotariu (at Chindia Târgoviște) — DF Constantin Dima (at Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe) — DF Daniel Groza (at Luceafărul Oradea)

No. Position Player — DF Vlad Olteanu (at Voluntari) — DF Claudiu Săftescu (at Metaloglobus București) — DF Vlad Georgescu (at Metaloglobus București) — MF Laurențiu Manole (at Gaz Metan Mediaș) — MF Raul Negotei (at Metaloglobus București) — MF Patrick Petre (at Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe) — MF Andrei Tîrcoveanu (at Gaz Metan Mediaș) — FW Mihai Neicuțescu (at Chindia Târgoviște)

Retired numbers

11 – Cătălin Hîldan, Midfielder (1994–2000) – Posthumous honor. Since "Unicul Căpitan" (The Only Captain) died, no player will wear the number 11 shirt at FC Dinamo, since the club decided to retire the shirt out of respect and posthumous honor for legend Cătălin Hîldan.

14 – Patrick Ekeng, Midfielder (2016) – Patrick Ekeng died at Floreasca Hospital after he had gone into a coma in a match on 6 May 2016 against Viitorul Constanța where he joined as a substitute.

Club officials

Statistics and records

European cups all-time statistics

As of August 3, 2017.

Competition	S	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
UEFA Champions League / European Cup	18	66	24	10	32	96	106	– 10
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup / European Cup Winners' Cup	5	20	8	4	8	25	18	+ 7
UEFA Europa League / UEFA Cup	23	90	37	14	39	147	127	+ 20
UEFA Intertoto Cup	1	4	1	0	3	4	6	– 2
Total	47	180	70	28	82	272	257	+ 15

Records in the league:

• Consecutive winning games: 17 games (12 June 1988 – 27 November 1988)
• Best unbeaten run: 47 games (26 May 1991 – 20 September 1992)
• Player with most appearances: Cornel Dinu (454)
• Top scorer: Dudu Georgescu (207)
• Top scorer in international games: Claudiu Niculescu (18)

Records in the European competition:

• Biggest home win: Dinamo 11–0 Crusaders F.C. (1973–74) (still the biggest margin of victory in the history of the European Cup)
• Biggest away win: Alki Larnaca F.C. 0–9 Dinamo (1979–80)
• Heaviest home defeat: Dinamo 0–3 Feyenoord (1971–72), Dinamo 0–3 Galatasaray (2009–10)
• Heaviest away defeat: PFC CSKA Sofia 8–1 Dinamo (1956–57)

Notable players

Dinamo's record appearance-maker is Cornel Dinu, who made 454 appearances between 1966 and 1983. Ionel Dănciulescu has made the second most appearances with 355.

Notable managers

For details see Dinamo Bucharest managers

The most notable managers of Dinamo are:

• Angelo Niculescu, with two championship titles in 1955 and 1965
• Nicolae Nicusor Dumitru, with six championship titles in 1962, 1964, 1971, 1975, 1983 and 1984, and who qualified Dinamo in the European Champions Cup 1983–1984 season reaching the semifinals
• Ion Nunweiller, who won the championship in 1973 and 1977
• Mircea Lucescu, who managed Dinamo for five years winning two cups, one title and qualifying Dinamo in the quarter finals of the Cup Winners Cup in the 1988–1989 season, and one year later in 1989–1990 in the same competition reaching the semifinals
• Cornel Dinu, who marked the comeback of Dinamo on the Romanian football stage winning the title in 2000, and the cup in 2001

References

External links

• Official website
• Online tickets
• FCD.ro
• Fan Club Dinamo Bucuresti
• FCDinamo.net
• Dinamo Mania
• Ultras Tei
• The history of Dinamo Bucharest
• (in English) Dinamo – Liga 1 ranking
• (in English) Statistics on Labtof