Fotbal Club Bihor Oradea (), commonly known as Bihor Oradea or simply as FC Bihor, was a Romanian professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club based in
Oradea
Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...
,
Bihor County
Bihor County () is a county ( județ) in western Romania. With a total area of , Bihor is Romania's 6th largest county geographically and the main county in the historical region of Crișana. Its capital city is Oradea.
Toponymy
The origin of ...
.
It was founded under the name of ''Crișul Oradea'' in April 1958 and from 1963 it continued the football tradition of the city, following the dissolution of
Club Atletic Oradea
Club Atletic Oradea (Nagyváradi Atlétikai Club) (), commonly known as CA Oradea (Nagyváradi AC), or simply as CAO (NAC), is a Romanian Association football, football club based in Oradea, Bihor County, which competes in the Liga IV.
The team ...
. In the 57 seasons spent in the
Romanian football league system
The Romanian football league system, also known as the football pyramid, refers to the system in Romanian club football that consists of several football leagues bound together hierarchically by promotion and relegation. The first three leagues ar ...
, FC Bihor played 18 seasons in the first division, 39 seasons in the second league and only 5 seasons in the lower leagues, respectively 4 in the
Liga III
The Liga 3, most often spelled as Liga III, is the third level of the Romanian football league system. Its name was changed from Divizia C to Liga III before the start of the 2006–07 season. It was the first in this format (six series of 18 t ...
and only one season, its first, in the fourth tier. This ranks the club on the 24th place out of 98 in the Liga I all-time table. In January 2016, FC Bihor was dissolved after having faced significant financial issues.
The home ground of "the Red and Blues" was
Stadionul Iuliu Bodola
Iuliu Bodola Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Oradea, Romania. The stadium is the home ground of FC Bihor Oradea. Between 1924 and 1963, then between 2017 and 2022 it was the home ground of CA Oradea and between 1958 and 2016 it was the h ...
, which has a seating capacity of 11,155.
History
Early years, as Crișul (1958–1972)
FC Bihor Oradea continued the football tradition in
Oradea
Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...
after the dissolution of a much greater club,
CA Oradea
Club Atletic Oradea (Nagyváradi Atlétikai Club) (), commonly known as CA Oradea (Nagyváradi AC), or simply as CAO (NAC), is a Romanian Association football, football club based in Oradea, Bihor County, which competes in the Liga IV.
The team ...
. Founded under the name of ''Crișul Oradea'' on 1 April 1958, it has a short activity in the city championship and then in the regional championship. In 1960 the team merged with the footwear factory, ''Solidaritatea'' ("Solidarity"), and finishing first in the 1960–61 regional championship, it promoted to the
Divizia B
The Liga 2, most often spelled as Liga II, is the second level of the Romanian football league system. The league changed its name from Divizia B just before the start of the 2006–07 Liga II, 2006–07. It is currently Sponsor (commercial), sp ...
after a play-off at
Sinaia
Sinaia () is a town and a mountain resort in Prahova County, Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Muntenia. The town was named after the Sinaia Monastery of 1695, around which it was built. The monastery, in turn, is named after t ...
, on Carpați Stadium.
In the 1961–62 season the club was renamed as ''ASA Crișul'', and finished 11th in the third series of the
Divizia B
The Liga 2, most often spelled as Liga II, is the second level of the Romanian football league system. The league changed its name from Divizia B just before the start of the 2006–07 Liga II, 2006–07. It is currently Sponsor (commercial), sp ...
, barely escaping from relegation. The following season, 1962–63, the club finished 1st in the series and promoted for the very first time in its history to the
Divizia A
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
. Coach
Ladislau Zilahi
Ladislau "László" Zilahi (born 24 February 1922 – 1997) was a Romanian professional football player and manager of Hungarian ethnicity. Born in Oradea, Zilahi played in his career for CA Oradea, also called over time as: Libertatea, ICO or ...
used the following players: Weichelt – Bucur, Pojoni, Boros, Șchiopu, Donciu, Al. Georgescu, Kun I, Curtu, Osan, Stanciu, Podaru, I. Pop, Bokos, I. Sandu, Manescu, Al. Iacob, Șovoială, Lenalt, Fr. Stilgerlbauer and R. Petschovschi.
Crișul played for three seasons in the first league: 1963–64 (7th place), 1964–65 (9th place) and 1965–66 (13th place), then it relegated to the
Divizia B
The Liga 2, most often spelled as Liga II, is the second level of the Romanian football league system. The league changed its name from Divizia B just before the start of the 2006–07 Liga II, 2006–07. It is currently Sponsor (commercial), sp ...
where it played for two seasons, 1966–67 (7th place) and 1967–68 (2nd place). In the summer of 1968, it qualified for the promotion play-off, held in
Timișoara
), City of Roses ( ro, Orașul florilor), City of Parks ( ro, Orașul parcurilor)
, image_map = Timisoara jud Timis.svg
, map_caption = Location in Timiș County
, pushpin_map = Romania#Europe
, pushpin_ ...
. There it managed to secure a place in the first league, coach A. Fernbach-Ferenczi, achieved this performance with the following players: Buiuc, Catona – Balogh, Sărac, A. Serfőző, E. Nagy, Popovici, Dărăban, Sudi, Szűcs, Tomeș, A. Nagy, A. Kun II, I. Kun I, I. Harsányi, E. Cociș, Ujlaki and Levai.
After another two seasons in
Divizia A
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
, 1968–69 (13th place) and 1969–70 (15th place) it relegated, but returned in the following season, 1970–71, this time under the leadership of coach Ladislau Vlad. The squad was composed of: Catona (Bologan) – Popovici (Sărac),
Lukács
Lukács () is a Hungarian surname, derived from the given name Lukács, which is the Hungarian equivalent of Lucas. Alternative spellings and derivative forms in neighboring languages include Lukacs, Lukáč, Lukač, Lukach, Lucaci and Lukačić ...
, Bulc, Balogh, Dărăban, Neşu, Szűcs, A. Nagy, Arnoczky, Șchiopu. Substitutes: Baumgartner, Cocoș, Ceaușu, E. Cociș, Ungur and Moț. But again, after only one season 1971–72 (16th place) relegation to the
Divizia B
The Liga 2, most often spelled as Liga II, is the second level of the Romanian football league system. The league changed its name from Divizia B just before the start of the 2006–07 Liga II, 2006–07. It is currently Sponsor (commercial), sp ...
came. The club's highly oscillating behavior imposed a series of organizational measures, being rebuilt as a football club and renamed as ''Fotbal Club Bihor'' starting in 1972 the fight for the return in the top flight.
Golden Age of FC Bihor (1972–1991)
It succeeded to do so (after two second places achieved in the 1972–73 and 1973–74 editions) at the end of the 1974–75 season. Coaches L. Vlad (first half of the championship); R. Cosmoc and Gh. Staicu (second half of the championship) have led to the final victory with the next "11": Albu – E. Nagy,
Lukács
Lukács () is a Hungarian surname, derived from the given name Lukács, which is the Hungarian equivalent of Lucas. Alternative spellings and derivative forms in neighboring languages include Lukacs, Lukáč, Lukač, Lukach, Lucaci and Lukačić ...
, Sărac, Popovici – Dărăban, A. Kun II, Florescu – Szűcs, Agud, C.Vlad.
Next, the team remained at an average level of behavior in the
Divizia A
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
, finishing 9th in the 1975–76 and 1976–77 seasons, 14th 1977–78 and 18th 1978–79. The club management during this period was provided by engineer Horea Cosma, as honorary president. Coaches: V. Blujdea, by mid-season 1977–78 being replaced by I. Reinhardt and Al. Muta. Players used: Vidac, Albu – Z. Nagy, Gh. Dumitrescu,
Lukács
Lukács () is a Hungarian surname, derived from the given name Lukács, which is the Hungarian equivalent of Lucas. Alternative spellings and derivative forms in neighboring languages include Lukacs, Lukáč, Lukač, Lukach, Lucaci and Lukačić ...
, Popovici, M. Marian, Bigan, Dragoș, Naom, C. Georgescu, Gergely, Petrovici, Schwartzman, Lupău, V. Stoica, A. Kun II, Florescu and Fildan.
In the summer of 1979 FC Bihor relegated back to Divizia B where it would be for three editions (1979-1982), always on the brink of promotion: 1979–80 – 2nd and 1980–81 – 4th, thing to be done by the end of the 1981-82 season, this time under the management of
Gheorghe Staicu
Gheorghe "Gigi" Staicu (18 December 1935 – 10 June 2021) was a Romanian professional football player and manager who played for Steaua București, having developed in the club's academy.
.
Returned to the
Divizia A
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
"the Red and Blues" occupied 11th place in the 1982–83 edition and 7th place in the 1983–84, equaling the best performance in the history of the club, with the following organizational formula: Honorary Chairman: H.Cosma; Executive President: Ioan Naom; Organizer of Competitions: Romeo Pașcu; coaches: Gh. Dărăban and
Attila Kun
Attila Kun (also known as Attila Kun II; born 9 March 1949) is a Romanian former professional Association football, footballer of Hungary, Hungarian ethnicity and currently manager of FC 09 Überlingen (youth). He is considered one of the best pl ...
(in the first part of the season),
Attila Kun
Attila Kun (also known as Attila Kun II; born 9 March 1949) is a Romanian former professional Association football, footballer of Hungary, Hungarian ethnicity and currently manager of FC 09 Überlingen (youth). He is considered one of the best pl ...
Zare
The Zare is a river of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It flows into the Sude near Walsmühlen.
See also
*List of rivers of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
A list of rivers of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany:
A
* Aubach
* Augraben, tributary of t ...
Georgescu Georgescu is a Romanian surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Andrei Georgescu, soccer player
* Dudu Georgescu, soccer player
* Dumitru Georgescu-Kiriac, composer and conductor
* Elena Georgescu, coxswain
* Haralamb H. Georgescu, ...
, Ile, Ion Gheorghe, Szűcs, Nedelcu, Rosza, Kiss, Lazăr and Roateș.
Between 1982 and 1991 was probably the most fruitful period in the history of the club. ''Bihorenii'' played 7 seasons in the top flight and only 2 in the second tier of the Romanian football system. With a lot of players that grew up in the red and blue kit such as: Marius Cheregi, Sorin Cigan, Sándor Kulcsár, Ovidiu Lazăr and Viorel Vancea and with some talented imported players such as Marcel Lăzăreanu and Zsolt Muzsnay (from
Universitatea Cluj
Fotbal Club Universitatea Cluj (), commonly known as Universitatea Cluj or simply as U Cluj, is a Romanian professional association football, football club based in the city of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County, that competes in the Liga I, the first ...
),
Anton Weissenbacher
Anton Weissenbacher (born 20 January 1965, in Baia Mare) is a former Romanian football right back, he was part of Steaua București squad, which won the European Cup in 1986, he also played in the Intercontinental Cup final in the same year. Wh ...
Mircea Bolba
Mircea Bolba (31 October 1961 – 6 January 2021) was a Romanian football midfielder and manager.
Career
As a footballer, Bolba played for Olimpia Satu Mare, Steaua București, ASA Târgu Mureș, Politehnica Timișoara and FC Bihor Oradea, a ...
(from
Olimpia Satu Mare
Fotbal Club Olimpia MCMXXI Satu Mare, commonly known as Olimpia Satu Mare or simply as Olimpia, is a Romanian professional football club from Satu Mare, Satu Mare County, Romania, founded on 5 May 1921, re-founded in 2010 and 2018. The club play ...
) or
Alexandru Terheș
Alexandru Terheș (born 25 July 1960) is a Romanian former football player, who currently works for FRF.
He played for Minerul Cavnic, Baia Mare, Sportul Studențesc, Brașov and Bihor Oradea.
Terheş won 2 caps for Romania in 1978 agains ...
(from FC Brașov) among others, with important coaches:
Attila Kun
Attila Kun (also known as Attila Kun II; born 9 March 1949) is a Romanian former professional Association football, footballer of Hungary, Hungarian ethnicity and currently manager of FC 09 Überlingen (youth). He is considered one of the best pl ...
and
Paul Popovici
Paul Popovici or Paul Popovits (21 June 1948 – 7 April 2021) was a Romanian professional footballer who played as a left-back. He played almost all his career for two clubs, Bihor Oradea and UTA Arad. He also played four matches for Romania, ...
(ex players from the 1960s and 1970s),
Constantin Teașcă
Constantin Teașcă also known as Titi Teașcă (25 September 1922 – 30 July 1996) was a Romanian association football, football play and manager.
Teașcă was the manager of Romania national football team, Romania in 1962 and 1967. He managed ...
Viorel Mateianu
Viorel Mateianu (1 June 1938 – 25 November 1997) was a Romanian football player and coach.
Club career
Mateianu was born in Lipănești, Prahova and started playing football in the Romanian lower leagues at Flacăra Boldești and Progresul ...
Robert Cosmoc
Robert "Puiu" Cosmoc (1931 – 11 December 1997) was a Romanian professional footballer who played as a midfielder for Flacăra Ploiești and Jiul Petroșani. After retirement, Cosmoc was a respectable football manager, managing for years in t ...
Divizia A
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
); 1986–87 – 4th and 1987–88 – 1st (
Divizia B
The Liga 2, most often spelled as Liga II, is the second level of the Romanian football league system. The league changed its name from Divizia B just before the start of the 2006–07 Liga II, 2006–07. It is currently Sponsor (commercial), sp ...
).
The presence in the top of
Divizia A
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
was at the end of 1988–89 season, when the team was ranked 4th, with great chances to accede in the European Cups. On 22 December 1989 radical changes were made the country due to the
Romanian Revolution
The Romanian Revolution ( ro, Revoluția Română), also known as the Christmas Revolution ( ro, Revoluția de Crăciun), was a period of violent civil unrest in Romania during December 1989 as a part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred i ...
and the fall of
communism
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
, events that directed the football from
Oradea
Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...
to other coordinates. However ''Orădenii'' finished 7th, equalizing for the second time the best ranking in its history, with coaches
Robert Cosmoc
Robert "Puiu" Cosmoc (1931 – 11 December 1997) was a Romanian professional footballer who played as a midfielder for Flacăra Ploiești and Jiul Petroșani. After retirement, Cosmoc was a respectable football manager, managing for years in t ...
,
Paul Popovici
Paul Popovici or Paul Popovits (21 June 1948 – 7 April 2021) was a Romanian professional footballer who played as a left-back. He played almost all his career for two clubs, Bihor Oradea and UTA Arad. He also played four matches for Romania, ...
and D. Drăgan and a squad composed of: Jipa, Șerban - Bălaj, Bucico, Tămaș, Ivan, Vancea, Bereczki, Cheregi, Brukental,
Bolba
Bolba is a village in the Bolba CD block in the Simdega subdivision of the Simdega district in the Indian state of Jharkhand.
Geography
Location
Bolba is located at
Area overview
In the area presented in the map ...
Back to Divizia B, with new leadership and several experiments in the technical staff, including the Italian coach Gian Pio del Monaco, FC Bihor had poor results and finished only 5th at the end of the 1991–92 season. In the summer of 1992, football agent Ioan Codoban was hired as the new chairman of the club, the goal being
Divizia A
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
promotion, as always for the club from the banks of
Crișul Repede
The Crișul Repede (Romanian Crișul Repede ("the rapid Criș"); Hungarian Sebes-Körös) is a river in Bihor County, Crișana, Romania and in southeastern Hungary (Körösvidek). Together with the rivers Crișul Alb ("the white Criș") and Crișu ...
river. "The Red and Blues" missed the target by one point, one point behind its bitter rival,
UTA Arad
Uta or UTA may refer to:
Universities
*University of Texas at Arlington, in the United States
* University of Tarapacá, in Chile
*University of Tampere, in Finland
Sports
* FC UTA Arad, a Romanian football club based in the town of Arad
* A ...
.
1993–94 season was more than disappointing for supporters, who see a mediocre team, which finished 5th, behind teams such as: Maramureș Baia Mare,
Unirea Alba Iulia
Clubul Sportiv Municipal Unirea Alba Iulia, commonly known as Unirea Alba Iulia (), is a Romanian professional football club based in Alba Iulia, Alba County, founded in 1924 and currently playing in the Liga III.
Among the greatest achievemen ...
,
CSM Reșița
Clubul Sportiv Muncitoresc Reșița (), commonly known as CSM Reșița or simply as Reșița, is a professional football club based in Reșița, Romania, currently playing in the Liga III.
The club was founded on 25 May 1926 as ''UD (Uzinele ...
and
Tractorul Brașov
Tractorul Brașov was a football team from Brașov, Brașov County, Romania.
History
Tractorul Brașov was founded in 1927 under the name of IAR Brașov (Industria Aeronautică Română Brașov) (English: Romanian Aeronautic Industry Brașov).
Th ...
and Codoban resigned from its position. After the departure of Codoban, the club has entered a very bad pass, financial problems have sprung up everywhere and from the sporting point of view, experienced coach Ștefan Coidum has failed more than a rescue from relegation and a 12th place without glory.
1995–96 season was the most dramatic and closest to disaster season in the history of FC Bihor. With a precarious financial situation and a play more than modest, ''Bihorenii'' finished 17th out of 18, with only 31 points and relegated to
Divizia C
The Liga 3, most often spelled as Liga III, is the third level of the Romanian football league system. Its name was changed from Divizia C to Liga III before the start of the 2006–07 season. It was the first in this format (six series of 18 t ...
back after 35 years. With a fortune of two players, the rest being sold, FC Bihor had the power to take it from the beginning, with a new president and a new coach, Mircea Fodor and
Nicolae Manea
Nicolae Manea (11 March 1954 – 15 December 2014) was a Romanian football player and manager.
Life and career
Manea was born in Bucharest. He joined Rapid București at the age of 12 and played there professionally from 1973 to 1980 and again ...
. In the squad appeared with much stronger performances players such as:
Marius Popa
Marius Cornel Popa (born 31 July 1978) is a retired Romanian football player.
He started his career at the local team, Bihor Oradea in 1997 and three years later moved to FC Naţional. He managed to break into the first team in 2003 and his pe ...
and
Cosmin Bărcăuan
Cosmin Bărcăuan (born 5 August 1978) is a Romanian football coach and a former player. At the beginning of his career, Bărcăuan played as a striker, but when he arrived at Dinamo București, coach Ioan Andone started using him as a defende ...
, players who were part of a very good generation, including other names like:
Zeno Bundea
Zeno Marius Bundea (born 4 October 1977) is a Romanian football coach and a former player who played mainly as a midfielder. He is the manager of Slovan Valea Cerului
Bundea started his career at Bihor Oradea, the main football club from his ...
Oradea
Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...
finished only 7th in the fourth series, far away from promotion.
In July 1997 Borsi brothers, businessmen from
Oradea
Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...
, took over the reins of the club and within a few months they managed the revival of the football from
Bihor County
Bihor County () is a county ( județ) in western Romania. With a total area of , Bihor is Romania's 6th largest county geographically and the main county in the historical region of Crișana. Its capital city is Oradea.
Toponymy
The origin of ...
back in the second division, and even touching the performance of qualification in the last 16
Romanian Cup
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
**Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
teams. That performance was obtained with Viorel Abrudan as a coach and with a young and talented squad, formed of players that grew up in the club's academy. ''Orădenii'' finished 1st with 23 victories, 6 draws, 5 defeats, 77 goals scored and 28 conceded, 75 points, 15 more than the 2nd place ( IS Câmpia Turzii).
In 1998, the club was taken over from the two brothers by another businessman, Viorel Știube, within 2 years the club knocked on the doors of the promotion to
Divizia A
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
. After a 1998–99 solid season ended on the 6th place, under coaches: Viorel Abrudan, Marcel Coraș and
Gabi Balint
Gavril Pele "Gabi" Balint (born 3 January 1963) is a Romanian football manager and former player, who was part of the hugely successful Steaua team of the 1980s.
Club career
Born in Sângeorz-Băi, Bistrița, Balint made his Divizia A debut wit ...
, the club was abandoned again and reached the brink of relegation to the third division at the end of 1999–2000 season, when under coaches
Gabi Balint
Gavril Pele "Gabi" Balint (born 3 January 1963) is a Romanian football manager and former player, who was part of the hugely successful Steaua team of the 1980s.
Club career
Born in Sângeorz-Băi, Bistrița, Balint made his Divizia A debut wit ...
and
Costel Orac
Costel Orac (born 22 January 1959) is a Romanian retired Association football, footballer and current coach.
Club career
Costel Orac was born on 22 January 1959 in Galați. He made his Liga I, Divizia A debut on 22 August 1976, playing for FCM ...
"the Red and Blues" finished on 14th place, not before being rescued from disaster by Bihor County Council.
Promotion play-offs (2000–2006)
In the
2000–01 Divizia B
The 2000–01 Divizia B was the 61st season of the second tier of the Romanian football league system.
The format has been maintained to two series, each of them having 18 teams. At the end of the season, the winners of the series promoted to Div ...
season, the club was taken over by Marius Vizer, who started a project to bring in three years FC Bihor in the elite football. In his first season with Vizer as owner, FC Bihor finished 4th after a great second part of the championship succeeded by the players and their coach
Ioan Andone
Ioan Andone (; born 15 March 1960) is a Romanian football coach and former player.
Club career
Ioan Andone, nicknamed "Fălcosul" was born on 15 March 1960 in Șpălnaca and when he was 14 years old he played basketball and football simultane ...
UTA Arad
Uta or UTA may refer to:
Universities
*University of Texas at Arlington, in the United States
* University of Tarapacá, in Chile
*University of Tampere, in Finland
Sports
* FC UTA Arad, a Romanian football club based in the town of Arad
* A ...
and
FC Baia Mare
CS Minaur Baia Mare, commonly known as Minaur Baia Mare, simply as Baia Mare or unofficially as ''Minerul Baia Mare'', is a Romanian Association football, football Football club, club, based in Baia Mare, Maramureș County, northern Romania, fo ...
, then in the 2002–03 season FC Bihor has made a step forward, being in the second position after
Unirea Alba Iulia
Clubul Sportiv Municipal Unirea Alba Iulia, commonly known as Unirea Alba Iulia (), is a Romanian professional football club based in Alba Iulia, Alba County, founded in 1924 and currently playing in the Liga III.
Among the greatest achievemen ...
.
In those circumstances, ''Fotbal Club Oradea'' (as it was called then), coached by
Ionuț Popa
Ionuț Popa (17 April 1953 – 25 June 2020) was a Romanian professional footballer and manager. Popa managed teams such as UTA Arad
Uta or UTA may refer to:
Universities
*University of Texas at Arlington, in the United States
* University o ...
and chaired by Ioan Lucian, qualified for the Divizia A play-off, a match against Oțelul Galați. After the first round, FC Bihor lost 1-2, in
Galați
Galați (, , ; also known by other alternative names) is the capital city of Galați County in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in eastern Romania. Galați is a port town on the Danube River. It has been the only port for the most par ...
Dumitra
Dumitra (german: Mettersdorf; hu, Nagydemeter) is a commune in Bistrița-Năsăud County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Cepari, Dumitra and Tărpiu.
Natives
*Gerhard Poschner
Gerhard Hans Poschner (born 23 Septemb ...
(captain), Fl.Călin ('67 Lungan) Sfârlea - Csehi, Vrăjitoarea. Substitutions: Mârne - Dianu, Măuță and Siminic. They could not play because of injuries, Coțan and Keșerü. The game against Oțelul accounted for FC Bihor supporters as the most important and beautiful game played by FC Bihor at home in its post-revolutionary history.
It also was the last game in which the audience was allowed to access in the second stand. The match observer was very close not to allow disputing the match on the stadium because the capacity was exceeded. The stadium announcer even made an appeal to supporters from the second stand to manifest without coming off the places which they occupy because there was a danger of collapse due to weight.
The adventure of ''FC Oradea'' in
Divizia A
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
was a short-lived one. After a hesitant first part of the season dotted with extraordinary results, like that 1-1 from the first round against
Rapid București
Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence.
Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a '' cascade' ...
(the defending champions at that time), but also unexpected defeats as that against FC Brașov, in the last round of the first part. One of the artisans of the promotion, coach
Ionuț Popa
Ionuț Popa (17 April 1953 – 25 June 2020) was a Romanian professional footballer and manager. Popa managed teams such as UTA Arad
Uta or UTA may refer to:
Universities
*University of Texas at Arlington, in the United States
* University o ...
, was dismissed. It was the "beginning of the end". The club management, from which Marius Vizer withdrew, leaving the responsibility to the local government, decided to put in office the former coach of Steaua București,
Dumitru Dumitriu
Dumitru Dumitriu (born 19 November 1945 in Bucharest), commonly known as Țiți Dumitru or Dumitriu III, is a retired Romanian footballer and coach. He is the younger brother of Emil Dumitriu ''(Dumitriu II)'' who was an International footballer ...
, a move which proved to be unfortunate. In the first game of the second part, ''FC Oradea'' not gathered too many points and Dumitriu was sacked. By the end of the season, "the Red and Blues" failed to obtain the points necessary to maintain in
Divizia A
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
and were relegated after only one year in the big football.
After the return to
Divizia B
The Liga 2, most often spelled as Liga II, is the second level of the Romanian football league system. The league changed its name from Divizia B just before the start of the 2006–07 Liga II, 2006–07. It is currently Sponsor (commercial), sp ...
, ''Orădenii'' concluded the
2004–05 Divizia B
The 2004–05 Divizia B was the 65th season of the second tier of the Romanian football league system.
The format has been maintained to three series, each of them consisting of 16 teams. At the end of the season, the winners of the series promo ...
season in 3rd place after
Jiul Petroșani Jiul may refer to these places in Romania:
* the River Jiu ( + )
** Jiul de Vest
** Jiul de Est
* A village in Țuglui
Țuglui is a commune in Dolj County, Oltenia, Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroad ...
and
Gaz Metan Mediaș
GAZ or Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod (russian: ГАЗ or Го́рьковский автомоби́льный заво́д, , Gorky Automobile Plant) is a Russian automotive manufacturer located in Nizhny Novgorod, formerly known as Gorky (Го ...
. In the next season,
Bihor County
Bihor County () is a county ( județ) in western Romania. With a total area of , Bihor is Romania's 6th largest county geographically and the main county in the historical region of Crișana. Its capital city is Oradea.
Toponymy
The origin of ...
had two teams on the first two places: Liberty Salonta, which gave its
Divizia A
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
place to
UTA Arad
Uta or UTA may refer to:
Universities
*University of Texas at Arlington, in the United States
* University of Tarapacá, in Chile
*University of Tampere, in Finland
Sports
* FC UTA Arad, a Romanian football club based in the town of Arad
* A ...
and FC Bihor (President,
Alexandru Sătmăreanu
Alexandru Ștefan Sătmăreanu (born 9 March 1952) is a Romanian former footballer who played as a defender.
Club career
Born in Oradea, Alexandru Sătmăreanu started his career in his hometown at Crișul, making his Divizia A debut on 21 S ...
; Technical director
Emerich Jenei
Emerich Jenei or Imre Jenei (also known as Emeric Jenei or Ienei; 22 March 1937) is a Romanian former Football (soccer), football player and coach of Hungarians in Romania, Hungarian ethnicity. He is considered one of Romania's best Managers, a ...
; Coach Alexandru Kiss) which disappointed at the promotion play-off, which was played on the Lia Manoliu Stadium.
In the first match FC Bihor lost 0-2 (0-1), against
Forex Brașov
The foreign exchange market (Forex, FX, or currency market) is a global decentralized or over-the-counter (OTC) market for the trading of currencies. This market determines foreign exchange rates for every currency. It includes all aspec ...
and cracked too in the last game, score 2-4 (1-4) against
Unirea Urziceni
Asociația Sportivă Fotbal Club Urziceni, commonly known as FC Urziceni (), is a Romanian professional Association football, football Club (organization), club based in Urziceni, Ialomița County which currently plays in fourth division, Ialomi ...
, result which promoted Unirea in the first league. The goals were scored for FC Bihor by Fl.Neaga and Foro. In that two games, for FC Bihor played: Mijanović - Oroș, Lupuț, D. Muscă, Lungan - Foro, Gr. Tudor, Strapak, (Szélesi '66), Fl. Neaga - Voiculeț ('46 Lupașcu), Miculescu ('61 V. Grigore), with
Forex Brașov
The foreign exchange market (Forex, FX, or currency market) is a global decentralized or over-the-counter (OTC) market for the trading of currencies. This market determines foreign exchange rates for every currency. It includes all aspec ...
After the play-off, president and technical director,
Alexandru Sătmăreanu
Alexandru Ștefan Sătmăreanu (born 9 March 1952) is a Romanian former footballer who played as a defender.
Club career
Born in Oradea, Alexandru Sătmăreanu started his career in his hometown at Crișul, making his Divizia A debut on 21 S ...
and
Emerich Jenei
Emerich Jenei or Imre Jenei (also known as Emeric Jenei or Ienei; 22 March 1937) is a Romanian former Football (soccer), football player and coach of Hungarians in Romania, Hungarian ethnicity. He is considered one of Romania's best Managers, a ...
, were dismissed and FC Bihor has set itself as an objective to rebuild the team. President was named Alexandru Toth Ardelean and coaches in the
2006–07 Liga II
The 2006–07 Liga II was the 67th season of the second tier of the Romanian football league system. The name of the leagues in Romania was changed started with this season. (Divizia A was renamed as Liga I, Divizia B as Liga II, Divizia C as Liga ...
season were Alexandru Kiss and Florin Farcaș. It was a very difficult championship, FC Bihor managed to save from relegation in the last round after a win, 3-1, away at Auxerre Lugoj.
Even if the seniors had problems, not the same can be said about the republican youth squad (coach Horia Rădulescu) and B youth squad (coach Gheorghe Silaghi) who managed to get the bronze medals in the final of the National Championship. Remarkable was that the second team, FC Bihor II (coach Mircea Fodor), managed to promote to
Liga III
The Liga 3, most often spelled as Liga III, is the third level of the Romanian football league system. Its name was changed from Divizia C to Liga III before the start of the 2006–07 season. It was the first in this format (six series of 18 t ...
after a play-off match won, 3-2 against
FC Zalău
Fotbal Club Zalău was a Romanian football team from Zalău, Sălaj County, founded in 2005 and dissolved in 2017 after encountered financial problems.
History
FC Zalău was founded in the summer of 2005, in order to continue Zalău's football ...
.
In the
2007–08 Liga II
The 2007–08 Liga II was the 68th season of the second tier of the Romanian football league system. The season began on 25 August 2007 and lasted until 24 May 2008.
The format has been maintained to two series, each of them consisting of 18 team ...
season, FC Bihor started with a new technical staff composed of Gheorghe Silaghi (manager), Zoltan Vig (assistant manager), Mircea Fodor (assistant manager) and Dorin Mudura (goalkeeping coach). FC Bihor II was taken by Horia Rădulescu, who was helped by Alexandru Gergely. The club was financially supported by Oradea City Council and Bihor County Council.
At the end of the
2007–08 Liga II
The 2007–08 Liga II was the 68th season of the second tier of the Romanian football league system. The season began on 25 August 2007 and lasted until 24 May 2008.
The format has been maintained to two series, each of them consisting of 18 team ...
season FC Bihor has managed to stay away from the relegation places, occupying 8th place, with a record of 13 wins, 8 draws, 13 defeats and 47 points, far away from the objective of the club, which had a squad consisting of valuable players and a budget that could allowed the promotion to the first league. The squad of FC Bihor, managed by Gheorghe Silaghi: Lipitor, Fildan, Bonta- V.Indrieș, Ambruș, Muscă, Lőrincz, Opriceană, Teșan, A.Achim, Andor, Ayza, Floruț, R.Lukács, C.Bucur, Gongolea, S.Achim, Săndulescu, Mihu, Cosma, V.Florea, Predică, Radu, Széles and L.Todea.
On the same line of the modest progress, FC Bihor occupied 10th place, in the 2008–09 season, when they accumulated 46 points after winning 13 matches, 7 matches had ended in a draw and 14 defeats. Without significant changes in the group of players, but with a new coach in the person of Zoltan Vig and a budget of about 1 million
€
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...
. The management of FC Bihor was criticized for goal setting, a place from 1 to 10. At the end of the season ''Bihorenii'' finished on the 10th place.
The preparing of the next season was made under a new chairman, Gheorghe Alexandrescu, who held the job only from June 2009 to October 2009, after that the destinies of ''the Red and Blues'' were taken over by Ioan Lucian. FC Bihor has played in that edition of the championship equally disappointing, finally occupying the 9th place with a line of 10 victories, 12 draws and 10 defeats.
In the 2009–10 season the team was coached by
Ioan Petcu
Ioan Petcu (born 1 May 1959, in Hunedoara) is a retired Romanian footballer who played as a midfielder. After his retirement, Petcu started the manager career and from 1995 to 2012 he coached teams like Corvinul Hunedoara, Unirea Sânnicolau Mar ...
, then replaced by Ovidiu Lazăr. In the second part of the season FC Bihor recovered with a new coach, Dan Dobai, and a squad with a lot of players from Liberty Salonta ( Petrache, Tegzes, Chiș, Coroian, Sorian, Danci).
In June 2010, between the local administration and businessman Marius Vizer, the chairman of the International Judo Federation and owner of Liberty Football Academy, was signed a two-year partnership on the takeover of the club's management.
Premature promotion (2010–2013)
With young players coming mostly from Liberty Salonta, FC Bihor managed in the first year of the collaboration with Liberty, a very good season in the
Liga II
The Liga 2, most often spelled as Liga II, is the second level of the Romanian football league system. The league changed its name from Divizia B just before the start of the 2006–07 Liga II, 2006–07. It is currently Sponsor (commercial), sp ...
. Although officially the target wasn't the promotion, the club managed to finish 2nd in the
2010–11 Liga II
The 2010–11 Liga II was the 71st season of the second tier of the Romanian football league system. The season started on 28 August 2010 and ended on 4 June 2011.
FRF approved the new system with two divisions of 16 teams each, compared to the ...
season, and thus obtain the access to
Liga I
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
.
The performance was possible after the team from Oradea has fared consistently in the championship, especially in the second part when though have some opponents who have announced from the start that aim to promote, teams like Voința Sibiu, CSMS Iași and
Dacia Mioveni
Clubul Sportiv Mioveni (; ''Mioveni Sports Club''), commonly known as CS Mioveni, or simply as Mioveni, is a Romanian professional football club based in Mioveni, Argeș County, currently playing in the Liga I.
They were founded in 2000 as ''A ...
, FC Bihor managed to defeat them and conquer important points on their home grounds. From that "red-blue" squad were part players such as:
Adrian Mărkuș
Adrian Alexandru Mărkuș (born 4 October 1992, in Oțelu Roșu) is a Romanian footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association footb ...
Alexandru Sorian
Alexandru Ioan Sorian (born 5 January 1991) is a Romanian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for CS Lotus Băile Felix, Lotus Băile Felix.
The first eleven that was sent on the pitch in the last game, a 4-2 win, against
Gaz Metan CFR Craiova
Clubul Sportiv Turnu Severin was a Romanian professional football club from Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Mehedinți County, founded in 2007 and dissolved in 2013. In 2012, the team promoted to the Liga I for the first time in their short history. After ...
: Pogacsics - Oltean, Muscă, Deaconescu, Lupu - Chiș, M.Popa, Selagea - Florean, Cigan, Bîrză. In the second half, entered: Sorian, Petrache and Fl. Pop; manager: Gheorghe Ghiț. Three of the four goals in that game from the last round of the championship were scored by Cătălin Chiș and the other one by Ciprian Selagea.
The joy of the promotion obtained on the football pitch, which was then celebrated in front of the Oradea City Hall by hundreds of fans, city and county officials, it was not a long-term one. A decision of the
Romanian Football Federation
Romanian Football Federation (), also known by its acronym FRF, is the sports governing body, governing body of association football, football in Romania. They are headquartered in the capital city of Bucharest and affiliated to FIFA and UEFA sinc ...
, which has tightened the criteria for licensing, not made possible the evolution of FC Bihor in the following
Liga I
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
season, because of the historic debts accumulated by the former management of the club.
It was a controversial decision of the Licensing Commission of the FRF, marking the first time when a team that has obtained the right to play in
Liga I
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
was relegated due to the financial situation. Subsequently, after the economic crisis appeared, the licensing criteria have become milder.
However, ''Orădenii'' were forced to start over again from
Liga II
The Liga 2, most often spelled as Liga II, is the second level of the Romanian football league system. The league changed its name from Divizia B just before the start of the 2006–07 Liga II, 2006–07. It is currently Sponsor (commercial), sp ...
in the next season. But although they have proposed to promote, the target could not be obtained on the ground. The disappointment caused by the promotion ban was quite high and affected the morale of players who had an average age rather low. Thus, FC Bihor finished the 2011–12 season only 8th with 44 points, as a result of 12 wins, 8 draws and 10 defeats.
Meanwhile, the partnership with businessman Marius Vizer and his company, Liberty, was extended, the objective of promotion was more pressing than ever. Unfortunately, although there were big ambitions, the first part of the
2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
season did not bring the expected results and the team was far from the objective. Coach
Claudiu Niculescu
Claudiu Iulian Niculescu (born 23 June 1976) is a Romanian football coach and former striker. He is currently the manager of Liga II side CSC 1599 Șelimbăr.
Club career
Claudiu Niculescu was born in Slatina and started playing football at ...
was dismissed and
Marian Pană
Marian Pană (born 24 December 1968, in Moreni) is a football manager and former professional footballer. He previously managed teams like Cetatea Suceava, Știința Bacău, Gloria Bistrița, Universitatea Cluj and Farul Constanța. As a playe ...
Cristian Bud
Cristian Ionuț Bud (; born 26 June 1985) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a striker for CS Făurei.
Career
Early years
In 2004, Bud began his career with his hometown club Liberty Salonta after being bought from Sporting B ...
and Daniel Vădrariu. In the second part of the season it has been tried an evolution without mistake, a journey of force to return on the top places, but unfortunately, FC Bihor ranked only 7th with 33 points.
Insolvency and bankruptcy (2013–2016)
The disappointment caused by the failure of promotion, but also the fact that he was elected the president of
SportAccord
Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) is the umbrella organisation for all (Olympic and non-Olympic) international sports federations as well as organisers of multi-sports games and sport-related international association ...
, determined businessman Marius Vizer not to extend the partnership with
Oradea
Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...
and
Bihor County
Bihor County () is a county ( județ) in western Romania. With a total area of , Bihor is Romania's 6th largest county geographically and the main county in the historical region of Crișana. Its capital city is Oradea.
Toponymy
The origin of ...
authorities. After the separation of Liberty and supported only by the Oradea City Council and Bihor County Council, the club tried to rebuild the team, relying only on local players and young players from their own academy.
In 2009 the new chairman of FC Bihor at that time, Ioan Lucian, discovered large debts and introduced the club into insolvency to avoid bankruptcy. Then, during the partnership with Liberty the insolvency plan has been respected and 14 installments have been paid. After the withdrawal of Liberty, no more installments were paid and the bankruptcy was delayed several times.
Later, during the reconstruction of the team and due to the severe financial situation, a collaboration was possible with Luceafărul Felix, the second team of
Bihor County
Bihor County () is a county ( județ) in western Romania. With a total area of , Bihor is Romania's 6th largest county geographically and the main county in the historical region of Crișana. Its capital city is Oradea.
Toponymy
The origin of ...
, which decided to withdraw from
Liga II
The Liga 2, most often spelled as Liga II, is the second level of the Romanian football league system. The league changed its name from Divizia B just before the start of the 2006–07 Liga II, 2006–07. It is currently Sponsor (commercial), sp ...
and give their best players to FC Bihor. The team was rebuilt under Gheorghe Ghiț, who managed the 2011 promotion.
In the first part of the season the results were poor and Gheorghe Ghiț was replaced by
Alexandru Pelici
Alexandru Pelici (born 10 January 1974) is a Romanian former professional footballer and currently a manager. He was most recently in charge of Liga I club Mioveni.
Player career
He started the player career in his hometown, Timișoara, at P ...
, but results remained unchanged and FC Bihor ended in the
2013–14 Liga II
The 2013–14 Liga II was the 74th season of the Liga II, the second tier of the Romanian football league system. The season began on 7 September.
The 25 teams were divided in two series (with 13, respectively 12 teams). The regular season was p ...
season on 9th place, just above the relegation zone. In the summer of 2014 Oradea City Council, one of the owners of the club, withdrew and left the team in a tough situation. As a result of this action, the president of the club, Șerban Morcan refused to renew his contract with FC Bihor. At that time, the club was heading to dissolution. However, the other owner, Bihor County Council tried to reorganize the team and appointed a new chairman, in the person of Viorel Nemeș.
However, the situation worsened after Bihor County Council faced legal problems related to the absence of the other owner from the club's organization chart. The club lived entire season with money received from the transfers of players and sponsorships, but that money was not enough to pay the wages. Because of the financial situation and the lack of results, coach
Alexandru Pelici
Alexandru Pelici (born 10 January 1974) is a Romanian former professional footballer and currently a manager. He was most recently in charge of Liga I club Mioveni.
Player career
He started the player career in his hometown, Timișoara, at P ...
has resigned and was replaced by his assistant, Călin Cheregi.
In March 2015, president Viorel Nemeș has resigned due to the poor financial situation. Mircea Fodor, former player and coach of FC Bihor, was appointed as the new chairman, he was the only one who has assumed the disastrous situation. Fodor was also the chairman who saved FC Bihor's boat in 1996, at the last critical moment, but this time chances of success seemed to be low. Then, in April, Călin Cheregi has resigned too and was replaced by Gheorghe Silaghi, former coach of FC Bihor II. The 2014–15 season was a real disaster for FC Bihor, which ended in the relegation zone, on 10th place, being saved only by the dissolution of Olt Slatina and Fortuna Poiana Câmpina.
In the summer of 2015, a new sponsor was brought to the club, in the person of Mihai Giurgiu, the owner of a football academy from
Cluj-Napoca
; hu, kincses város)
, official_name=Cluj-Napoca
, native_name=
, image_skyline=
, subdivision_type1 = Counties of Romania, County
, subdivision_name1 = Cluj County
, subdivision_type2 = Subdivisions of Romania, Status
, subdivision_name2 ...
. He assumed all the club's debts estimated at 1 million
€
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...
, but after a short period he gave up to finance the team. In the
2015–16 Liga II
The 2015–16 Liga II was the 76th season of the Liga II, the second tier of the Romanian football league system. The season began on 29 August.
The 28 teams were divided in two series (with 14 teams each). The regular season was played in a ro ...
season, the team was always threatened with bankruptcy and exclusion from championship and only the efforts made by Mircea Fodor and the players, who were not paid for several months, kept the team alive. In October Gheorghe Silaghi has resigned and was replaced by Dan Mănăilă, the only coach who agreed to work for free. In January 2016, FC Bihor was kicked out from its headquarters and coach Dan Mănăilă chose to coach a
Liga IV
Liga IV is the fourth level of the Romanian football league system. Its name was changed from Divizia D into Liga IV before the start of play for the 2006–07 season.
Current format
Liga IV has 42 divisions. The divisions are regionalised a ...
side instead of FC Bihor.
Finally, after a year in which it lived from day to day, FC Bihor has been declared bankrupt on 12 January 2016.
After the declaration of bankruptcy,
CSM Oradea
CSM Oradea is a Romanian sports society from Oradea, Romania, founded in 2003.
Men's Basketball section
During the last few years, CSM Oradea became one of the most powerful teams in Romanian basketball. The ''Red Lions'' have won the champi ...
announced the establishment of the football department and took the youth academy of FC Bihor, in an attempt to save what was still possible.
Youth program
Youth academy of FC Bihor gave important names for the Romanian and international football such as:
Sebastian Achim
Sebastian Zoltán Achim (born 2 June 1986) is a Romanian former footballer who played as a defender.Cosmin Bărcăuan
Cosmin Bărcăuan (born 5 August 1978) is a Romanian football coach and a former player. At the beginning of his career, Bărcăuan played as a striker, but when he arrived at Dinamo București, coach Ioan Andone started using him as a defende ...
,
Zeno Bundea
Zeno Marius Bundea (born 4 October 1977) is a Romanian football coach and a former player who played mainly as a midfielder. He is the manager of Slovan Valea Cerului
Bundea started his career at Bihor Oradea, the main football club from his ...
Ioan Filip
Ioan Constantin Filip (born 20 May 1989) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Universitatea Cluj.
Club statistics
''Updated to games played as of 13 March 2023.''
Honours Club
;Luceafărul-Lotus B ...
Ovidiu Hoban
Ovidiu Ștefan Hoban (born 27 December 1982) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Liga I club CFR Cluj.
International career
Hoban made his international debut against Trinidad & Tobago, playing the seco ...
,
Claudiu Keșerü
Claudiu Andrei Keșerü (; born 2 December 1986) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays mainly as a striker for Liga I club UTA Arad.
After starting out at hometown side FC Oradea, he soon moved to Nantes in 2003. Over the course of n ...
,
Attila Kun
Attila Kun (also known as Attila Kun II; born 9 March 1949) is a Romanian former professional Association football, footballer of Hungary, Hungarian ethnicity and currently manager of FC 09 Überlingen (youth). He is considered one of the best pl ...
Marius Popa
Marius Cornel Popa (born 31 July 1978) is a retired Romanian football player.
He started his career at the local team, Bihor Oradea in 1997 and three years later moved to FC Naţional. He managed to break into the first team in 2003 and his pe ...
CSM Oradea
CSM Oradea is a Romanian sports society from Oradea, Romania, founded in 2003.
Men's Basketball section
During the last few years, CSM Oradea became one of the most powerful teams in Romanian basketball. The ''Red Lions'' have won the champi ...
announced the establishment of the football department and took the youth academy of FC Bihor.
Grounds
The club played its home matches on
Stadionul Iuliu Bodola
Iuliu Bodola Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Oradea, Romania. The stadium is the home ground of FC Bihor Oradea. Between 1924 and 1963, then between 2017 and 2022 it was the home ground of CA Oradea and between 1958 and 2016 it was the h ...
from
Oradea
Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...
. The second team and youth teams played their matches on Stadionul Motorul, also located in
Oradea
Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...
.
Support
FC Bihor has many supporters in
Oradea
Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...
and especially in
Bihor County
Bihor County () is a county ( județ) in western Romania. With a total area of , Bihor is Romania's 6th largest county geographically and the main county in the historical region of Crișana. Its capital city is Oradea.
Toponymy
The origin of ...
. The ultras group of FC Bihor Oradea it is known as ''Peluza Nord Oradea (PNO)''. FC Bihor supporters consider
Olimpia Satu Mare
Fotbal Club Olimpia MCMXXI Satu Mare, commonly known as Olimpia Satu Mare or simply as Olimpia, is a Romanian professional football club from Satu Mare, Satu Mare County, Romania, founded on 5 May 1921, re-founded in 2010 and 2018. The club play ...
supporters to be their allies, fans of both teams had the opportunity to support the other during matches.
Rivalries
The most important rivalry for FC Bihor is the one against
UTA Arad
Uta or UTA may refer to:
Universities
*University of Texas at Arlington, in the United States
* University of Tarapacá, in Chile
*University of Tampere, in Finland
Sports
* FC UTA Arad, a Romanian football club based in the town of Arad
* A ...
. This derby it is known as ''The West Derby'', name used also for other two rivalries: UTA Arad Vs. Politehnica Timișoara and FC Bihor Oradea Vs. Politehnica Timișoara. Apart from these two rivalries, against
UTA Arad
Uta or UTA may refer to:
Universities
*University of Texas at Arlington, in the United States
* University of Tarapacá, in Chile
*University of Tampere, in Finland
Sports
* FC UTA Arad, a Romanian football club based in the town of Arad
* A ...
FCM Baia Mare
CS Minaur Baia Mare, commonly known as Minaur Baia Mare, simply as Baia Mare or unofficially as ''Minerul Baia Mare'', is a Romanian football club, based in Baia Mare, Maramureș County, northern Romania, founded in 1948. It currently plays in ...
and a local one against
Luceafărul Oradea Luceafărul can refer to:
*Lucifer, or alternatively, Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet t ...
Liga II
The Liga 2, most often spelled as Liga II, is the second level of the Romanian football league system. The league changed its name from Divizia B just before the start of the 2006–07 Liga II, 2006–07. It is currently Sponsor (commercial), sp ...
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
*
Liga III
The Liga 3, most often spelled as Liga III, is the third level of the Romanian football league system. Its name was changed from Divizia C to Liga III before the start of the 2006–07 season. It was the first in this format (six series of 18 t ...
*Norcia Winter Cup Italy
**Winners (1): 2004
**Runners-up (1): 2005
Other performances
*Appearances in
Liga I
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
: 18
*Best finish in Liga I: 7th place in the 1963–1964, 1983–84 and 1988–89 seasons.
*Place 24 of 98 teams in the Liga I All-time table
Shirt sponsors and manufacturers
Player statistics
All-time most appearances
All-time top scorers
*Only players for which information is available are taken into consideration.
Notable former players
The footballers enlisted below have had international cap(s) for their respective countries at junior and/or senior level and/or more than 100 caps for FC Bihor Oradea.
;Romania
*
Cristian Albeanu
Cristian Albeanu (born 5 October 1971) is a Romanian former footballer who played as a forward.
Conviction
On 25 September 1996 Albeanu was involved in a road accident while driving his car on the Bucharest - Ploiești road and hit one man who ...
*
Cosmin Bărcăuan
Cosmin Bărcăuan (born 5 August 1978) is a Romanian football coach and a former player. At the beginning of his career, Bărcăuan played as a striker, but when he arrived at Dinamo București, coach Ioan Andone started using him as a defende ...
Zeno Bundea
Zeno Marius Bundea (born 4 October 1977) is a Romanian football coach and a former player who played mainly as a midfielder. He is the manager of Slovan Valea Cerului
Bundea started his career at Bihor Oradea, the main football club from his ...
Andrei Coroian
Andrei Ion Coroian (born 28 January 1991) is a Romanian footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, ...
*
Zoltan Crișan
Zoltan Crișan ( hu, Krizsán Zoltán; 3 May 1955 – 14 October 2003) was a Romanian international footballer of Hungarian ethnicity who played for FC Baia Mare, Universitatea Craiova, FC Bihor Oradea, Olt Scornicești and Chimia Râmnicu ...
*
Ion Dumitra
Ion Dumitra (born 30 January 1976) is a Romanian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder for teams such as Bihor Oradea, Jiul Petroșani, Minerul Lupeni
Clubul Sportiv Viitorul Minerul Lupeni, commonly known as Minerul Lupen ...
Alexandru Gergely
Alexandru Gergely (sometimes: Ghergheli; ''Hungarian'': Sándor Gergely) (16 September 1951 – 25 March 2018) was a Romanian professional footballer and manager of Hungarian ethnicity. He grew up at Unirea Cristuru Secuiesc, then playing at se ...
Ovidiu Hoban
Ovidiu Ștefan Hoban (born 27 December 1982) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Liga I club CFR Cluj.
International career
Hoban made his international debut against Trinidad & Tobago, playing the seco ...
* Ion Ionescu (footballer, born 1938), Ion Ionescu
*
Claudiu Keșerü
Claudiu Andrei Keșerü (; born 2 December 1986) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays mainly as a striker for Liga I club UTA Arad.
After starting out at hometown side FC Oradea, he soon moved to Nantes in 2003. Over the course of n ...
Attila Kun
Attila Kun (also known as Attila Kun II; born 9 March 1949) is a Romanian former professional Association football, footballer of Hungary, Hungarian ethnicity and currently manager of FC 09 Überlingen (youth). He is considered one of the best pl ...
;Greece
* Giorgos Zindros
;Macedonia
* Jurica Siljanoski
;Ukraine
* Serhiy Kuznetsov (footballer, born 1982), Serhiy Kuznetsov
;Romania
* Florin Lazăr
* Ovidiu Lazăr
* Marcel Lăzăreanu
* Gheorghe Liliac
* János Lukács
* Raymond Lukács
* Mihai Lungan
* Cornel Lupău
*
Adrian Mărkuș
Adrian Alexandru Mărkuș (born 4 October 1992, in Oțelu Roșu) is a Romanian footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association footb ...
* Dorin Mihuț
* Cristian Lucian Munteanu, Cristian Munteanu
* Zsolt Muzsnay
* Alexandru Nagy
* Eugen Nagy
* Ioan Naom
* Cătălin Necula
;Romania
* Leonida Nedelcu
* Doru Nicolae
* Ion Nițu
* Cristian Oroș
* Ștefan Petcu
*
Marius Popa
Marius Cornel Popa (born 31 July 1978) is a retired Romanian football player.
He started his career at the local team, Bihor Oradea in 1997 and three years later moved to FC Naţional. He managed to break into the first team in 2003 and his pe ...
*
Paul Popovici
Paul Popovici or Paul Popovits (21 June 1948 – 7 April 2021) was a Romanian professional footballer who played as a left-back. He played almost all his career for two clubs, Bihor Oradea and UTA Arad. He also played four matches for Romania, ...
* George Pușcaș
* Iosif Rotariu
* Gabriel Rotaru
*
Alexandru Sătmăreanu
Alexandru Ștefan Sătmăreanu (born 9 March 1952) is a Romanian former footballer who played as a defender.
Club career
Born in Oradea, Alexandru Sătmăreanu started his career in his hometown at Crișul, making his Divizia A debut on 21 S ...
* Lajos Sătmăreanu
* Petru Șchiopu
* Ciprian Selagea
* Sebastian Sfârlea
*
Alexandru Sorian
Alexandru Ioan Sorian (born 5 January 1991) is a Romanian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for CS Lotus Băile Felix, Lotus Băile Felix.Alexandru Terheș
Alexandru Terheș (born 25 July 1960) is a Romanian former football player, who currently works for FRF.
He played for Minerul Cavnic, Baia Mare, Sportul Studențesc, Brașov and Bihor Oradea.
Terheş won 2 caps for Romania in 1978 agains ...
Anton Weissenbacher
Anton Weissenbacher (born 20 January 1965, in Baia Mare) is a former Romanian football right back, he was part of Steaua București squad, which won the European Cup in 1986, he also played in the Intercontinental Cup final in the same year. Wh ...
Ioan Andone
Ioan Andone (; born 15 March 1960) is a Romanian football coach and former player.
Club career
Ioan Andone, nicknamed "Fălcosul" was born on 15 March 1960 in Șpălnaca and when he was 14 years old he played basketball and football simultane ...
Robert Cosmoc
Robert "Puiu" Cosmoc (1931 – 11 December 1997) was a Romanian professional footballer who played as a midfielder for Flacăra Ploiești and Jiul Petroșani. After retirement, Cosmoc was a respectable football manager, managing for years in t ...
* Lajos Détári
*
Dumitru Dumitriu
Dumitru Dumitriu (born 19 November 1945 in Bucharest), commonly known as Țiți Dumitru or Dumitriu III, is a retired Romanian footballer and coach. He is the younger brother of Emil Dumitriu ''(Dumitriu II)'' who was an International footballer ...
* Anton Fernbach-Ferenczi
*
Emerich Jenei
Emerich Jenei or Imre Jenei (also known as Emeric Jenei or Ienei; 22 March 1937) is a Romanian former Football (soccer), football player and coach of Hungarians in Romania, Hungarian ethnicity. He is considered one of Romania's best Managers, a ...
*
Nicolae Manea
Nicolae Manea (11 March 1954 – 15 December 2014) was a Romanian football player and manager.
Life and career
Manea was born in Bucharest. He joined Rapid București at the age of 12 and played there professionally from 1973 to 1980 and again ...
*
Viorel Mateianu
Viorel Mateianu (1 June 1938 – 25 November 1997) was a Romanian football player and coach.
Club career
Mateianu was born in Lipănești, Prahova and started playing football in the Romanian lower leagues at Flacăra Boldești and Progresul ...
*
Claudiu Niculescu
Claudiu Iulian Niculescu (born 23 June 1976) is a Romanian football coach and former striker. He is currently the manager of Liga II side CSC 1599 Șelimbăr.
Club career
Claudiu Niculescu was born in Slatina and started playing football at ...
*
Ionuț Popa
Ionuț Popa (17 April 1953 – 25 June 2020) was a Romanian professional footballer and manager. Popa managed teams such as UTA Arad
Uta or UTA may refer to:
Universities
*University of Texas at Arlington, in the United States
* University o ...
* Ioan Reinhardt
* Iosif Rotariu
*
Constantin Teașcă
Constantin Teașcă also known as Titi Teașcă (25 September 1922 – 30 July 1996) was a Romanian association football, football play and manager.
Teașcă was the manager of Romania national football team, Romania in 1962 and 1967. He managed ...
*
Ladislau Zilahi
Ladislau "László" Zilahi (born 24 February 1922 – 1997) was a Romanian professional football player and manager of Hungarian ethnicity. Born in Oradea, Zilahi played in his career for CA Oradea, also called over time as: Libertatea, ICO or ...
References
External links
*
*
*
Club profile on UEFA's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bihor Oradea
FC Bihor Oradea,
Defunct football clubs in Romania
Football clubs in Bihor County
Oradea
Sport in Oradea
Association football clubs established in 1958
Association football clubs disestablished in 2016
Liga I clubs
Liga II clubs
Liga III clubs
1958 establishments in Romania
2016 disestablishments in Romania