ACS Poli Timișoara

ACS Poli Timișoara

Full name	Asociația Club Sportiv Poli Timișoara
Nickname(s)	Alb-violeții (The White-Purples) Timișorenii (The Timișoara People) Bănățenii (The Banat People) Echipa de pe Bega (The Bega River Team)
Short name	ACS Poli
Founded	4 December 1921 (1921-12-04) as FC Politehnica Timișoara 2012 (2012) as ACS Poli Timișoara
Ground	Dan Păltinișanu
Ground Capacity	32,972
Owner	Timișoara Municipality
Chairman	Sorin Drăgoi
Manager	Ionuț Popa
League	Liga I
2016–17	Liga I, 12th
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Asociația Club Sportiv Poli Timișoara, commonly known as ACS Poli Timișoara, is a Romanian professional football club based in Timișoara, Timiș County, currently playing in the Liga I.

The club is credited as the official record holder and legal successor ^[1] of the original club founded in 1921, FC Politehnica Timișoara, which went bankrupt and was dissolved, following the 2011–12 season. It is co-owned by the City Council and the County Council and has the backing of the Politehnica University of Timișoara, all three being active members in the legal entity running the club.^[2] Poli Timișoara is a Romanian football club established in 1921. The team had won two Romanian Cups and was twice a runner-up in Liga I. It is ranked 8th in the Liga I All-Time Table, with 46 seasons played.

Named after and initially run by the Polytechnic University of Timișoara, the club was founded in 1921 by Traian Lalescu. After two decades spent in the regional leagues, Poli promoted in the first division in 1948. They have since spent 46 seasons at the top level, finishing as runner-up twice and featuring in six Romanian Cup finals. In the 2010–11 season, they finished in the second spot, but were relegated because of unpaid debts and incapacity to obtain a license for the next season.

History

In the summer of 2012, ACS Recaș, a club recently promoted to the Liga II, was moved to Timișoara and renamed ACS Poli Timișoara^[3][4] after the dissolution of FC Politehnica Timișoara.^[5] Valentin Velcea continued as head coach,^[6] while the roster consisted mostly of the core ACS Recaș players and several current and ex-players from FC Politehnica.^[7] Since its conception, the club has been primarily financed by the local authorities,^[8][9][10] as Timișoara mayor Nicolae Robu has insisted control should not be forfeited to private investors.^[11]

The club initially required consent from the owner of insolvent FC Politehnica, Marian Iancu, to use the historic badge, history, records and colours, as these had been bequeathed for a 25-year period.^[12] In December 2012, it was announced that ACS Poli has received these free of charge ^[13] and that it could use them starting the following season.^[14] However, due to the complications of the legal formalities and because of the FC Politehnica's debts, the team kept on playing under the ACS Poli name and using black/white/yellow for their official kits instead of the traditional purple colour.^{[15][16][17][18]} This changed in the 2015–2016 season, as the club received temporary right to make use of the historic colours.^[19] As of February 2016, it was announced that the club is now the sole and full owner of all the rights pertaining to and deriving from the Politehnica Timișoara brand and records, following a court decision which nullified the original agreement between the founding club and record holders, and Marian Iancu's insolvent club.^[1]

From a competitive perspective, the club has achieved two promotions to the Liga I, while also being relegated once. Its rivalries with FC Steaua București and FC Dinamo București have endured, as the home matches against both teams keep drawing in above average crowds,.^{[20][21][22][23]}

Early years (1921–1997)

The club was founded in 1921 by Polytechnic University of Timișoara under the name Societatea Sportiva Politehnica.^[24] Until the second World War, Poli was outclassed by two other teams from the city, Ripensia and Chinezul, both multiple winners of the Romanian championship.^[25]

The club promoted for the first time in the Divizia A in 1948,^[26] and played under the name CSU Timișoara in the first season.^[27]

In the following seasons (from 1950^[28]), the club appear with the name Știința Timișoara. The club relegates for the first time in 1951,^[29] but promotes after only one year^[30] and played in the top league until the season 1958–59.^[31] The team promoted back after only one year.^[32] The following relegation came in 1963–64 season,^[33] again for only a year.^[34]

During the Știința years, Timișoara won its first trophy, the 1957–58 Romanian Cup, with a 1–0 victory against Progresul București.^[35]

From the 1966–67 season, the team started using the name Politehnica Timișoara,^[36] but the team goes to the second division in the same season.^[36] Politehnica doesn't came back to the first division until 1973.^[37]

Politehnica played for the first time in Europe in 1978–79 UEFA Cup, after finishing third in the 1977–78 season. The team defeated MTK Budapest (2–0 and 1–2), but lost in the second round against Honved Budapest (2–0 and 0–4).^[38]

The second trophy won by Politehnica Timișoara was the 1979–80 Romanian Cup. The final was disputed against Steaua București and the final score was 2–1, after extra time.^[35] Politehnica played in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, defeating Celtic Glasgow (1–0 and 1–2) and being defeated by West Ham United (1–0 and 0–4) in the quarterfinals.^[39] They played again in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1981–82 season because the team lost the 1980–81 Romanian Cup to that year champions, Universitatea Craiova (0–6). Politehnica skipped the first round, and lost to Leipzig with 2–0 and 0–5.^[39]

Politehnica Timișoara played in the Divizia A for ten years, until 1983.^[40] The next period was spent between the Divizia A and the Divizia B, with promotions in 1984,^[41] 1987,^[42] 1989^[43] and relegations in 1986 ^[44] and 1988.^[45]

After the 1989 Revolution, Politehnica played in the 1990–91 UEFA Cup, beating Atlético Madrid (2–0 and 0–1), but lost in the second round to Sporting Lisbon (2–0 and 0–7).^[46] In 1992–93 UEFA Cup, Politehnica scored a draw against Real Madrid (1–1 in Timișoara), but was defeated in the next match (0–4).^[46]

The team was relegated to the Divizia B in 1994^[47] and promoted back in 1995.^[48] After the 1996–97 relegation,^[49] the team didn't came back in the first division on competitions ground. Instead, it relegated again, this time to the Liga III, at the end of the 2001–02 season.

The comeback and the record dispute (2002–2011)

In 2002, AEK Bucharest were promoted to Liga I, Romanian football's top division, for the first time,^[50] whereupon Anton Doboș, the team's owner, moved it to Timișoara. It was renamed Politehnica AEK Timișoara, and received the full support of local authorities and Politehnica fans. The team was on the verge of relegation after only one year.^[51] Poli was able to maintain the Liga I spot after winning a play-off against Gloria Buzău.^[52]

From 2004–05 season, the team changed the name again in FCU Politehnica Timișoara.^[53] From 2008, following a Court of Arbitration for Sport decision, the team changed the name in FC Timișoara. The colors and the records before 2002 were lost in favor of Politehnica Timișoara former owner, Claudio Zambon.^[54]

At the end of 2007–08 Liga I, FC Timișoara qualified for UEFA Cup.^[55] It was the first time in sixteen years that a team from Timișoara had achieved European qualification. The team was eliminated by Partizan Belgrade in the first round by an aggregate score of 1–3.^[56]

In 2008–09, Timișoara finished the season in 2nd place, qualifying the 3rd preliminary round of the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League.^[57] The team defeated the reigning UEFA Cup champions Shakhtar Donetsk, but they were eliminated from the competition during the Playoff Round by an aggregate score of 0–2 by German club VfB Stuttgart. In the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League Group A, FC Timișoara finished in last place, after Anderlecht, Ajax and Dinamo Zagreb.^[56]

After the 2009–10 Liga I, fifth placed team FC Timișoara were drawn in the third qualifying round of the Europa League against MyPa from Finland, which they surpassed 5–4 on aggregate, after a spectacular comeback from three goals down in the second leg. However, in the play-off round they were drawn against Manchester City and were defeated twice in a row, 0–1 and 0–2.^[56]

In November 2010, the Romanian Court of Appeal returned Politehnica's name, colors and records to FC Timișoara.^[58] Due to rules that forbid changes of team names during a season, the team used the name FC Timișoara until the end of 2010–11 season.

Relegated to Liga II by RFF and dissolution (2011–2012)

Despite finishing second in the 2010–11 Liga I, the team was relegated to Liga II after the club failed to meet the requirements for obtaining the necessary licence to play in the first division.^[59] They played in the 2011–12 Liga II under the name of Politehnica Timișoara, and gained promotion back to the Liga I but were again denied the licence and were dissolved in September 2012. ACS Recaș was moved to Timișoara and was renamed ACS Poli Timișoara .

The team played in top-tier Liga I for the 2015-16 season but multiple point deductions due to financial problems led to a 13th-placed finish and automatic relegation. They were reprieved, however, after Rapid Bucharest failed to obtain a license. The next season also started with point deductions and Timișoara escaped automatic relegation in the last minute of the last matchday. They qualified for the relegation play-off, which they won 5-2 on aggregate against UTA Arad to retain their top-tier status.

Supporters and Rivalries

Historically, Poli has been the most prominent football club in Timisoara after 1945, playing consistently in either the first or the second tier of Romanian football. Local rivalries with CFR Timisoara^[60] and UM Timisoara^[61] were relevant until the early 2000s. Afterwards, the former was relegated to a semi-professional status in the lower leagues and the latter was dissolved in 2008.

Nationally, there were strong rivalries with UTA Arad and Dinamo București. The matches against UTA were labeled as the West Derby, due to the proximity of Timisoara and Arad. Matches against CFR Cluj, FCSB and Universitatea Craiova also drew large crowds.

After the club reincarnated as ACS Poli in 2012, the core factions of the ultras movement decided to support an alternate club in the lower leagues, ASU Politehnica Timisoara. ACS Poli struggled to fill the void created by their departure, with smaller fan factions forming to support the club. Although top-bill matches with historic rivals still attract fans to the stadium, attendances have dropped compared to the averages attained in the 2000s.^[62]

Honours

Leagues

• Liga I
  • Runners-up (2): 2008–09, 2010–11
• Liga II
  • Winners (12): 1947–48, 1952, 1959–60, 1964–65, 1972–73, 1983–84, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1994–95, 2001–02, 2011–12, 2014–15 (record)
  • Runners-up (3): 1943–44, 1970–71, 2012–13

Cups

• Romanian Cup
  • Winners (2): 1957–58, 1979–80
  • Runners-up (6): 1973–74, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1991–92, 2006–07, 2008–09
• Cupa Ligii
  • Runners-up (1): 2016–17

Current squad

First team squad

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 1 GK Mădălin Smaranda 2 DF Denis Hăruț 3 DF Valentin Crețu 5 MF Cosmin Bîrnoi 6 DF Harald Fridrich 7 MF Alexandru Ciucur 8 MF Marius Croitoru (Vice-Captain) 9 FW Miguel Bianconi 10 MF Cătălin Doman 12 MF Sebastian Mailat 13 MF Gabriel Vașvari 14 FW Cristian Pădurariu 15 DF Cristian Bocșan 16 MF Josip Šoljić 17 DF Cristian Melinte 18 MF Andrei Artean 19 DF Ștefănel Covalschi 20 DF Alexandru Țigănașu 22 MF Alexandru Munteanu 23 DF Gabriel Cânu (Captain)

No. Position Player 25 GK Cătălin Straton 27 MF Vlad Mihalcea (on loan from Steaua București) 30 DF Alin Șeroni 32 DF Bogdan Străuț 33 GK Vasile Curileac 35 MF Eduard Codrean 36 GK Mario Contra 37 GK David Filip 38 DF Cristian Podină 39 MF David Pop 41 FW Damir Totić 42 FW Sebastian Velcotă 43 MF Slagian Andreici 44 DF Alexandru Iordache 45 MF Narcis Popan 46 MF Lucian Oprea 47 DF Ciprian Sturz 48 DF David Filip 85 FW Octavian Drăghici — MF Darius Buia

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 — DF Radu Motreanu (at SS Politehnica Timișoara)

No. Position Player

Club officials

European record

UEFA Champions League / European Cup

Season	Round	Country	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
2009-10	Third qualifying round	Ukraine	Shakhtar Donetsk	0 – 0	2 – 2	(a) 2 – 2
	Play-off round	Germany	Stuttgart	0 – 2	0 – 0	0 – 2

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup / European Cup Winners' Cup

Season	Round	Country	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1980-81	First round	Scotland	Celtic	1 – 0	1 – 2	(a) 2 – 2
	Second round	England	West Ham United	1 – 0	0 – 4	1 – 4
1981-82	Preliminary round	East Germany	1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig	2 – 0	0 – 5	2 – 5

UEFA Europa League / UEFA Cup

Season	Round	Country	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1978-79	First round	Hungary	MTK Hungária FC	2 – 0	1 – 2	3 – 2
	Second round	Hungary	Budapest Honved FC	2 – 0	0 – 4	2 – 4
1990-91	First round	Spain	Atlético Madrid	2 – 0	0 – 1	2 – 1
	Second round	Portugal	Sporting CP	2 – 0	0 – 7	2 – 7
1992-93	First round	Spain	Real Madrid	1 – 1	0 – 4	1 – 5
2008-09	First round	Serbia	Partizan	1 – 2	0 – 1	1 – 3
2009-10	Group stage (A)	Netherlands	Ajax	1 – 2	0 – 0	4th place
		Croatia	Dinamo Zagreb	0 – 3	2 – 1
		Belgium	Anderlecht	0 – 0	1 – 3
2010-11	Third qualifying round	Finland	MYPA	3 – 3	2 – 1	5 – 4
	Play-off round	England	Manchester City	0 – 1	0 – 2	0 – 3

Total statistics

Competition	S	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
UEFA Champions League / European Cup	1	4	0	3	1	2	4	−2
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup / European Cup Winners' Cup	2	6	3	0	3	5	11	−6
UEFA Europa League / UEFA Cup	6	22	6	4	12	20	38	−18
Total	9	32	9	7	16	27	53	−26

Managers

• Valentin Velcea (Aug 15, 2012 – Oct 10, 2013)
• Aurel Șunda (Oct 10, 2013 – Mar 16, 2014)
• Dan Alexa (Mar 16, 2014 – Aug 21, 2015)
• Florin Marin (Aug 25, 2015 – Mar 21, 2016)
• Petre Grigoraș (Mar 25, 2016 – May 22, 2016)
• Ionuț Popa (May 24, 2016 – present)

Players

Most capped players

#	Name	Career	Matches	Goals
1	Dan Păltinișanu	1970–1985	271	24
2	Sorin Vlaicu	1987–2001	244	25
3	Emerich Dembrovschi	1966–1981	208	51
4	Valentin Velcea	1990–2006	180	12
5	Iosif Rotariu	1980–2000	173	33
6	Dan Alexa	2001–2011	138	5
7	Mircea Oprea	2000–2007	132	28
8	Gheorghe Bucur	2005–2010	124	52

Players

Appearances

Competitive, professional matches only. Only pertains to 2012 onwards.

As of 23 June 2017

	Name	Years	League	Cup	Other	Total
1	Cristian Bărbuț	2012–2017	120	11	2	133
2	Cristian Scutaru	2012–2017	100	9	1	110
3	Alexandru Popovici	2013-2017	81	9	1	91
4	Alin Șeroni	2012–2014; 2016-present	78	10	2	90
5	Adrian Poparadu	2012–present	80	6	0	86

Goalscorers

Competitive, professional matches only. Appearances, including substitutes, appear in brackets. Only pertains to 2012 onwards.

As of 21 July 2017

#	Name	Years	League	Cup	Other	Total	Ratio
1	Pedro Henrique	2014-2017	18 !18 (40)	2 !2 (3)	2 (2)	22 !22 (45)	0.49
1	Szabolcs Szekely	2012–2015	18 !18 (57)	2 !2 (2)	0 (0)	20 !20 (59)	0.34
3	Cristian Bărbuț	2012–2017	13 !13 (120)	1 !1 (11)	1 (2)	15 !15 (133)	0.11
4	Alexandru Popovici	2013–2017	11 !11 (81)	2 !2 (9)	0 (1)	13 !13 (91)	0.14
5	Cristian Boldea	2012–2016	12 !12 (72)	0 !0 (2)	0 (0)	12 !12 (74)	0.16

References

External links

• ACS Poli official website
• Poli's page at frf.ro