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Asociația Clubul Sportiv Petrolul 52, commonly known as Petrolul Ploiești () or simply as Petrolul, is 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 ...
club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...
based in
Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Blejoi commun ...
,
Prahova County Prahova County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in the historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Ploiești. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 762,886 and the population density was 161/km². It is Romania's third mos ...
, which competes in the
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 ...
. Founded in 1924 in capital
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north o ...
as ''Juventus'', following the merger of ''Triumf'' and ''Romcomit'', it won its first league championship in the 1929–30 season. In 1952 the team was relocated north to the city of Ploiești, and five years later settled on the name of Petrolul. Shortly after, it achieved three more national titles—in 1957–58, 1958–59 and 1965–66. Domestically, its honours also include three national cups, the latest in the 2012–13 campaign. Petrolul recorded its debut in
European football UEFA competitions (french: competitions de l'UEFA), referred improperly by the mass media as European football, are the set of tournaments organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), generally in professional and amateur asso ...
during the 1958–59 season, when it was drawn against Wismut Karl Marx Stadt of East Germany in the preliminary round. In recent history, the team became
insolvent In accounting, insolvency is the state of being unable to pay the debts, by a person or company ( debtor), at maturity; those in a state of insolvency are said to be ''insolvent''. There are two forms: cash-flow insolvency and balance-sheet in ...
in February 2015 and dissolution followed, however supporters and club legends refounded and enrolled it in the fourth division in the summer of 2016. The club colours are yellow and dark blue, hence the nickname of the players and fans being "the Yellow Wolves". Petrolul plays its home games at the 15,500-seater Ilie Oană Stadium, and its most notable rivalries are the ones against Rapid București and Astra Giurgiu, both being at some point its local enemies.


History


Founding and early years (1924–1952)

The team was founded in
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north o ...
in late 1924, when ''Romcomit'' and ''Triumf'' merged into what would become one of the most notable clubs of the capital during the
interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relative ...
, ''Juventus București''. Its Latin identity was illustrated by the crest, which was based on the legend of the
founding of Rome The tale of the founding of Rome is recounted in traditional stories handed down by the ancient Romans themselves as the earliest history of their city in terms of legend and myth. The most familiar of these myths, and perhaps the most famous o ...
, where a she-wolf nursed
Romulus and Remus In Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus (, ) are twin brothers whose story tells of the events that led to the founding of the city of Rome and the Roman Kingdom by Romulus, following his fratricide of Remus. The image of a she-wolf sucklin ...
. ''Juventus'' inherited the
stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...
and the red and blue colors of ''Romcomit''. An article relating the event was published on 4 January 1925 in the ''
Gazeta Sporturilor ''Gazeta Sporturilor'' ( en, The Sports Gazette) is a daily Romanian newspaper, and the country's largest and most read sports-related publication. It is owned by Ringier Sportal S.R.L—a joint venture of Ringier Romania S.R.L. and the Bulgarian ...
'' newspaper, under the title "Juventus – A sensational fusion" (''Juventus – O fuziune senzațională''). In their first season of existence being led by president Ettore Brunelli and player-coach Ion Motoroi, the team finished on the 4th place in the
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north o ...
championship, the first game taking place on 8 March 1925 in a 3–0 victory against Colțea București with goals scored by Bebe Rollea, Antofiloiu ( o.g.) and Török, the team used being: Căpșuneanu – Constantin Vețianu, Sile Georgescu – Schaller, Ion Motoroi,
Grigore Grigoriu Grigore Grigoriu (4 April 1941 – 20 December 2003) was an actor from the Republic of Moldova, known especially for interpreting the role of horse thief Luiku Zobar from the movie ''"Gypsies Are Found Near Heaven" ''(1975). Biography Grigor ...
, Sergiu Petrovici, Victor Block, Bebe Rollea, Török, Aurel Schei. Before the start of the new season, president Brunelli wanted to test the value of his squad, organizing the club's first matches at international level, friendlies which ended with victories against
Slavia Prague Sportovní klub Slavia Praha – fotbal (Sports Club Slavia Prague – Football, ), commonly known as Slavia Praha or Slavia Prague, is a Czech professional football club in Prague. Founded in 1892, they are the second most successful club in ...
(2–1),
Slavia Sofia PFC Slavia Sofia ( bg, ПФК Славия София) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which currently competes in the top tier of the Bulgarian football league system, the First League. Slavia's home groun ...
(3–0) and Vasas Budapest (5–2). In the
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north o ...
regional championship, the team finished on the 1st place, qualifying for the 1925–26 Divizia A where they lost the final in front of
Chinezul Timișoara Chinezul Timișoara was a football club that played both in the Romanian and the Hungarian championship during its existence. It was based in Timișoara, Romania (at the time of foundation Temesvár, Austria-Hungary). History The club was establ ...
, being led in the first half of the season by coach Motoroi and in the second by György Hlavay who according to journalist
Ioan Chirilă Ioan Chirilă (25 October 1925 – 21 November 1999) was a Romanian sports broadcaster and sports writer. The Ioan Chirilă Awards are named in his honour. He was married to actress Iarina Demian with whom he had two sons: Ionuț Ionuț is a ...
's book, "Zile și nopți pe stadion" ''(Days and nights at the stadium)'' is considered by
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
's coach at the
1930 World Cup The 1930 FIFA World Cup was the inaugural FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national football teams. It took place in Uruguay from 13 to 30 July 1930. FIFA, football's international governing body, selected Uruguay as host nation ...
, Constantin Rădulescu to be the first coach that brought modern training sessions on the fields of
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north o ...
. Their first national title came six years after their establishment, being led in the first half of the season by coach
Gyula Feldmann Gyula Feldmann ( hu, Feldmann Gyula; 16 November 1880, Szeged — 31 October 1955) was a Hungarian football player and coach. Playing career During his playing career he played with Nemzeti SC and MTK Budapest in the Nemzeti Bajnokság I. ...
and in the second by Hlavay, as the team won another
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north o ...
regional championship, qualifying for the 1929–30 Divizia A where they won the final with a 3–0 victory against Gloria Arad with goals scored by László Raffinsky, Ion Maior and Carlo Melchior, the team used being: Dumitru Bacinschi – Constantin Deleanu, Sile Georgescu – Ștefan Wetzer,
Emerich Vogl Emerich (Imre) Vogl (born 12 August 1905 in Temesvár, Austria-Hungary (now Romania) – died 29 October 1971 in Bucharest, Romania) was a Romanian football player and coach of Banat Swabian ethnicity who was a member of Romanian team which pa ...
, Tibor Remeny – Gyula Dobo, Carlo Melchior,
Rudolf Wetzer Rudolf 'Rudy' Wetzer (17 March 1901 – 13 April 1993) was a Romanian football player and manager. He was the captain and team-coach alongside Octav Luchide, under the management of Costel Rădulescu of the first Romanian side to participate ...
, László Raffinsky, Ion Maior. After the reorganization of the Romanian division structure, the club played seven consecutive campaigns 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 ...
, from 1933 to 1940. Following
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, they were promoted once again to the top tier, having finished first in the final
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 ...
season prior to the outbreak of war. The club played its last campaign as ''Juventus'' in 1946–47, after which the name was changed numerous times to ''Distribuția'', ''Petrolul'', ''Competrol'', ''Partizanul'' and ''Flacăra'' respectively.


Move to Ploiești and three national titles (1952–1968)

''Flacăra București'' was moved to
Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Blejoi commun ...
in 1952, and renamed accordingly. Coach
Ilie Oană Ilie Oană (16 August 1918 – 27 April 1993) was a football player and manager who represented and coached the Romania national football team. Career Oană was born in Indiana Harbor to Romanian parents who emigrated from Transylvania before th ...
took charge of the team at the half of the 1952 season, but he couldn't manage to spare his team from relegation. He would, however, reach the cup final, lost against CCA București 0–2. In 1957–58, the team became champion of Romania for the second time in its history, despite having the same number of points as CCA București and Știința Timișoara. That was also the season when the present-day name of Petrolul Ploiești was adopted. In the autumn of
1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...
, Petrolul made its debut in the
European Cup The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
and faced Wismut Karl Marx Stadt of
East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In t ...
in the preliminary round. After a 4–2 away loss in Aue, the club managed to level on aggregate with a 2–0 victory in Romania. Wismut Karl Marx Stadt qualified further after winning the play-off 4–0 in
Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...
. The first part of the 1958–59 Divizia A saw Petrolul on the fourth place in the table, but with several good results which followed the team clinched its second consecutive league championship. They were once again unable to go further than the preliminary round of the European Cup, Austrian side
Wiener Sport-Club The Wiener Sport-Club, sometimes abbreviated as WSC, was established in 1883 in Vienna, Austria and is one of the country's oldest athletics clubs. Their traditional home is in the Dornbach quarter of the city ( 17th district). History At vari ...
defeating them 1–2 on aggregate. On 14 July 1963 Petrolul's player Constantin Tabarcea collapsed and died during a
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 ...
match against Dinamo Bacău. One week later after his death Petrolul won the 1962–63 Cupa României with 6–1 against
Siderurgistul Galați Siderurgistul Galați was a football club based in Galaţi, Galați County, Romania. It was founded in 1955 and dissolved in 1967. History In 1955 Dinamo Galați is founded and in 1961 the club was renamed CSO Galați, and one year later rename ...
and before the game, at the team photo, the place from the down row in front of goalkeeper Mihai Ionescu was left free in the memory of Tabarcea. In 1965, head coach Ilie Oană left Petrolul for the Romania national team, and assistant Constantin Cernăianu took over the vacant place. At his first season, Cernăianu achieved the club's fourth Divizia A trophy after finishing six points ahead of Rapid București. 12 October 1966 has remained an important date in the history of the team; after a 0–2 away defeat, Petrolul won 3–1 at home against the champions of England,
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
. The third match in
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
was difficult, and "the Reds" went ahead in the European Cup.


A period of decline (1968–1990)

After that period of great form, Petrolul began a period of decline and although the club remained in the first division for many years later, only the 1995 Romanian Cup final reminded their supporters about the years of glory. In 1970, the oilmen finished the first part of the championship on the 2nd place, but it lost that place until the end of the season. 1969–70, 1971–72 were seasons in which Petrolul was at only one step from relegation. After a "resuscitation" ( 1972–73, 15th place occupied after five rounds, the 4th place at the beginning of the winter break), 1973 was quite weak year. In 1974, the people from
Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Blejoi commun ...
suspected a match fixed between Argeş Pitești and
CFR Cluj Fotbal Club CFR 1907 Cluj, commonly known as CFR Cluj ( or ), is a Romanian professional football club based in the city of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County, which competes in the Liga I. It was founded in 1907 as ''Kolozsvári Vasutas Sport Club'', whe ...
, in favor of the team 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 ...
, it was supposed that Petrolul officials have tried to financially stimulate the host, but the authorities discovered the plan and the team has discreetly relegated 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 ...
, this happened in the conditions in which in 1963
Prahova Ploiești Prahova may refer to: * Prahova (river), Romania * Prahova Valley, Romania * Prahova County, named after the river Prahova, Romania ** Prahova Ploieşti, a football club based in Ploieşti, Romania ** Stadionul Prahova, a football-only stadium ...
and Carpați Sinaia, other two teams from
Prahova County Prahova County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in the historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Ploiești. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 762,886 and the population density was 161/km². It is Romania's third mos ...
were relegated by the
Romanian Football Federation Romanian Football Federation (), also known by its acronym FRF, is the governing body of football in Romania. They are headquartered in the capital city of Bucharest and affiliated to FIFA and UEFA since 1923 and 1955 respectively. The Federation ...
to Divizia B due to match-fixing. Arrived in the second league, the most valuable footballers of the club, Crângaşu and Rămureanu left and after 3 rounds the team was the last. The yellow wolves recovered later, but the local coaches did not have the value of
Ilie Oană Ilie Oană (16 August 1918 – 27 April 1993) was a football player and manager who represented and coached the Romania national football team. Career Oană was born in Indiana Harbor to Romanian parents who emigrated from Transylvania before th ...
, who also went to Politehnica Iași, then to Universitatea Craiova, Petrolul remaining in some kind of mediocrity. At the end of 1975, the club brought
Valentin Stănescu Valentin Stănescu (20 November 1922 – 4 April 1994) was a Romanian football goalkeeper and manager. Club career Valentin Stănescu also known as "Tinel" or "Zimbrul" ( The bison) was born on 20 November 1922 in București, Romania and starte ...
to be the coach and the team tried to promote, but lost a home game against FC Brăila, after the game the supporters showed their dissatisfaction about Dinulescu's refereeing, throwing with various objects from the stands. FCM Galaţi then strengthened his nickname as an "ABBA" team (a nickname used in Romania for clubs that used to alternate the presences between the first and the second league), promoting in front of Petrolul that year and relegating after only a season in the top-flight of the Romanian football. Instead, Petrolul had an exceptional 1976–77 season with 15 wins and 2 draws in 17 matches and finished on the 1st place, far away from the 2nd place occupied by Metalul Plopeni, another team from
Prahova County Prahova County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in the historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Ploiești. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 762,886 and the population density was 161/km². It is Romania's third mos ...
. Unfortunately, the players born in the Prahova County did not have enough experience and at the end of the
1977–78 Divizia A The 1977–78 Divizia A was the sixtieth season of Divizia A, the top-level football league of Romania. Teams League table Results Top goalscorers Champion squad See also * 1977–78 Divizia B * 1977–78 Divizia C * 1977–78 Co ...
season it was ranked only 17th and relegated back. The immediate promotion was forbidden by Viitorul Scorniceşti, the football club from the native town of
Nicolae Ceaușescu Nicolae Ceaușescu ( , ;  – 25 December 1989) was a Romanian communist politician and dictator. He was the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and the second and last Communist leader of Romania. He ...
, which was strongly pushed forward to Divizia A by the
communist 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, ...
authorities, in power at the time, a concrete proof being that FC Olt promoted from
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 ...
after an 18–0 victory against the team ranked 15th, while Flacăra Moreni won only 2–1, in a match played at the same hour, against Rova Roşiori. 1979–80 season was also not a very good one for the yellow and blues, Rapid București and Progresul București fought for the 1st place, and "the referee" was Metalul Plopeni, who won in
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north o ...
against Rapid and lost against Progresul. In 1980, Petrolul brought a new coach in the person of
Traian Ionescu Traian Ionescu (17 July 1923 – 4 October 2006) was a Romanian football goalkeeper and coach. Club career Traian Ionescu was born on 17 July 1923 in Văleni, Argeș County, Romania and started to play junior level football at age 13 at TC Tâ ...
, a very experienced coach with teams like
Dinamo București A dynamo is a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator. Dynamo or Dinamo may also refer to: Places * Dinamo (Moscow Metro), a station of the Moscow Metro, Moscow, Russia * Dinamo (Yekaterinburg Metro), a station of the Yekaterinb ...
or Fenerbahçe in his CV, but another thing would ruin the promotion dreams, CS Târgoviște succeeded in that year a sensational transfer, nicknamed as ''The Gander'' or ''The Prince of Trivale'' and being one of the most important names ever given by the Romanian football,
Nicolae Dobrin Nicolae Dobrin (; 26 August 1947 – 26 October 2007) was a Romanian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder and a manager. Nicknamed ''Gâscanul'' ("The Gander") or ''Prințul din Trivale'' ("The Prince of Trivale"), he is considered o ...
came in
Târgoviște Târgoviște (, alternatively spelled ''Tîrgoviște''; german: Tergowisch) is a city and county seat in Dâmbovița County, Romania. It is situated north-west of Bucharest, on the right bank of the Ialomița River. Târgoviște was one of ...
after 19 years spent in
Pitești Pitești () is a city in Romania, located on the river Argeș. The capital and largest city of Argeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated in the historical re ...
, making a decisive contribution for the promotion of his team and ruining the plans of the yellow wolves. In 1982, after 4 years in the second league and 7 out of 8 last years, Petrolul exceeded his great rival,
Rapid 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'' ...
and returned 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 ...
.
1982–83 Divizia A The 1982–83 Divizia A was the sixty-fifth season of Divizia A, the top-level football league of Romania. Teams League table Results Top goalscorers Champion squad See also * 1982–83 Divizia B References {{DEFAULTSORT:1982 ...
season was a one full of emotions, avoiding the relegation was the target in the mind of everyone at each of the games played by the team. 1983–84 season send Petrolul back to Divizia B again, but promotion came after a victory at
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 pa ...
against Dunărea, former FCM, the team which forbidding the promotion of the oilmen, ten years earlier. In 1987, the yellow and blues signed another coach, a former team player from years of glory,
Constantin Moldoveanu Constantin Moldoveanu (25 October 1943 – 10 September 2013) was a Romanian football forward, manager and referee. Club career Constantin Moldoveanu was born on 25 October 1943 in Ploiești, Romania and started to play football in 1958 at t ...
. But Moldoveanu did not have in the squad the players who won against Steaua București or
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
in the glory times and Petrolul relegated back to the second league. September 1988 brought Ion Radu as the new chairman, helped by Mihai Cristache. The two were often criticized of the post-
revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...
press, but they did some performances like in the times of Mircea Dridea and Mihai Ionescu. Petrolul promoted in 1989 and finished on the 4th place in its first season, helped also by the dissolution (in the winter of 1990) of Victoria București, club sponsored by the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs (the "Miliția", Police), institution under the former Communist regime.


European participations and cup win (1990–2002)

Petrolul finished the
1989–90 Divizia A The 1989–90 Divizia A was the seventy-second season of Divizia A, the top-level football league of Romania. Teams League table Results Top goalscorers Champion squad See also *1989–90 Divizia B References {{DEFAULTSORT:19 ...
on the fourth place, after having just returned from the second division in 1989. Therefore, it qualified for the
UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
along with Universitatea Craiova and Politehnica Timișoara. "The Yellow Wolves" played against
Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
club
Anderlecht Anderlecht (, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, and Saint-Gilles, as well as the ...
, which won both legs. At the end of the
1990–91 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...
season, Petrolul finished 7th and in the
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, traditiona ...
they were eliminated in the second round proper by their bitter rivals Steaua București. In the summer of 1991 the club changed its name to ''FC Ploiești'', but made a very weak season, finishing only 10th in the top flight and in the Romanian Cup, the squad was eliminated again in the second round proper, this time by FC U Craiova. At the end of the season ''FC Ploiești'' changed its name back to Petrolul Ploiești. "The Oilmen" saved from relegation in the last moment at the end of the
1992–93 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...
season, finishing 16th out of 18, with two points over Selena Bacău and four over
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 � ...
. Next season, coach Marin Ion and his players made a very good season and finished in the top 5, more exactly on the 5th place, one point over Farul Constanța, at the same number of points with 4th place ( Rapid București), two points behind 3rd place (
Dinamo București A dynamo is a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator. Dynamo or Dinamo may also refer to: Places * Dinamo (Moscow Metro), a station of the Moscow Metro, Moscow, Russia * Dinamo (Yekaterinburg Metro), a station of the Yekaterinb ...
) and three points behind 2nd place ( FC U Craiova). In the Romanian Cup, "the Yellow Wolves" were eliminated in the second round proper by Inter Sibiu. In the 1994–95 season, despite a mediocre league result (10th place), coached by the same Marin Ion, Petrolul won the 1994–95 Cupa României after defeating their rivals, Rapid București, at the
penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
and qualified for the
1995–96 UEFA Cup The 1995–96 UEFA Cup was the 25th season of Europe's then-tertiary club football tournament organised by UEFA. It was won by German club Bayern Munich on aggregate over Bordeaux of France. Girondins de Bordeaux went to the finals all the way f ...
. The team included the following players:
Preda Preda is locality within the municipality of Bergün, district of Albula, Canton Graubünden, Switzerland. Transportation Rhaetian Railway The Rhaetian Railway (german: Rhätische Bahn; it, Ferrovia retica; rm, Viafier retica), abbreviat ...
D.Chiriță, Grigore, Răchită (C), Bălăceanu – Leahu, Grama, Pârlog, Abăluţă – Zmoleanu, Zafiris. 1995–96 season was started by "the Yellow and Blues" on 3 fronts, League, Cup and UEFA Cup. In the European competition they eliminated
Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...
side
Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
, in the first round, after a 0–0 on the
Racecourse Ground The Racecourse Ground ( cy, Y Cae Ras) is a football stadium in Wrexham, Wales. It is the home of Wrexham A.F.C. It is the world's oldest international football stadium that still hosts international matches, having hosted Wales' first home i ...
and 1–0 victory on the Ilie Oană Stadium, goal scored by Pârlog in the 60th minute. The slow start would announce the early elimination, in the second round, when Austrian side
Rapid Wien Sportklub Rapid Wien (), commonly known as Rapid Vienna, is an Austrian football club playing in the country's capital city of Vienna. Rapid has won the most Austrian championship titles (32), including the first title in the season 1911–12, ...
won 3–1 on aggregate after a 3–1 on the
Gerhard Hanappi Stadium The Gerhard-Hanappi-Stadion was a football stadium in Hütteldorf, in the west of Vienna, Austria. It was the home ground of Rapid Vienna. It was officially opened in 1977 as ''"Weststadion"'' (Western stadium). In 1980 it was renamed to honour ...
and a 0–0 draw in
Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Blejoi commun ...
. In the league Petrolul ended again in the top half of the table, on the 6th place and in the cup, was eliminated in the quarter-finals, by Național București, at the
penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
. In the following years Petrolul occupied the following positions at the end of the championship: 1996–97 – 9th, 1997–98 – 14th, 1998–99 – 8th and 1999–2000 – 11th. The late 1990s have been marked by the fierce rivalry with
Astra Ploiești Asociația Fotbal Club Astra Giurgiu (), commonly known as Astra Giurgiu or simply Astra, was a Romanian football club based in the city of Giurgiu, Giurgiu County. Founded in 1921 in Ploiești as ''Clubul Sportiv Astra-Română'', it spent the m ...
, a team that promoted in the first league in 1998.


Second division struggles (2002–2011)

In the early 2000s, Petrolul entered under the ownership of
Petrom OMV Petrom S.A. is a Romanian integrated oil company, controlled by Austria's OMV. It is one of the largest corporations in Romania and the largest oil and gas producer in Southeast Europe. Since 2004 it is a subsidiary of OMV. History In l ...
's trade union president, Liviu Luca, and ''ploieștenii'' have a peak at the end of the
2000–01 Divizia A The 2000–01 Divizia A was the eighty-third season of Divizia A, the top-level football league of Romania. Season began in August 2000 and ended in May 2001. Steaua București was crowned as champion for the 21st time. Team changes Relegated T ...
, when the team finished on the 2nd place. But the collapse followed. In 2002, the yellow and blues relegated 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 ...
and the city of
Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Blejoi commun ...
, which had 2 teams in Divizia A between 1998 and 2002, remained in the first league only with Astra, a club which had no presence in the top-flight of the Romanian football until 1998. The oilmen promoted back to Divizia A in 2003, after only one season in the second league, but only at one month after promotion, the club's management announced that the funding of the club is under question. In less than 30 days supporters have been announced that there will be a merger between Petrolul Ploieşti and
Astra Ploieşti Asociația Fotbal Club Astra Giurgiu (), commonly known as Astra Giurgiu or simply Astra, was a Romanian football club based in the city of Giurgiu, Giurgiu County. Founded in 1921 in Ploiești as ''Clubul Sportiv Astra-Română'', it spent the m ...
. Astra Ploieşti changed its name to Petrolul Ploieşti and in July 2003 Petrolul Ploiești was unaffiliated from the
Romanian Football Federation Romanian Football Federation (), also known by its acronym FRF, is the governing body of football in Romania. They are headquartered in the capital city of Bucharest and affiliated to FIFA and UEFA since 1923 and 1955 respectively. The Federation ...
, leaving a vacant place in the first league, which was finally occupied by Oțelul Galați, team that lost in that summer a relegation play-out against the second league team FC Oradea. On 28 July 2003,
Astra Ploieşti Asociația Fotbal Club Astra Giurgiu (), commonly known as Astra Giurgiu or simply Astra, was a Romanian football club based in the city of Giurgiu, Giurgiu County. Founded in 1921 in Ploiești as ''Clubul Sportiv Astra-Română'', it spent the m ...
changed its name to FC Petrolul Ploieşti, with Florin Bercea and Ioan Niculae as the owners of the newly formed entity and also the new home becoming Astra Stadium. This alternative was chosen because at that time Petrolul Ploieşti was a nonprofit association and according to the Law of Sport it should have been transformed into SA and a merger with Astra Ploieşti in order to create a new company would have lasted at least seven months. These legal formalities have sometimes been interpreted as a proof of the dissolution of Petrolul, but such an interpretation is wrong because this club took over, according to FRF, Petrolul brand and record. At the end of the
2003–04 Divizia A The 2003–04 Divizia A was the eighty-sixth season of Divizia A, the top-level football league of Romania. Season began in August 2003 and ended in June 2004. Dinamo București became champions on 3 June 2004. Team changes Relegated The teams ...
season, Petrolul relegated 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 ...
, and due to some differences in the ownership, Ioan Niculae gives up the 50% that he held within the club, these were split between Liviu Luca, Florin Bercea and Eduard Alexandru. Subsequently, Ioan Niculae refounded Astra and the new club is considered by LPF as the legal successor of the club before the 2003 merger, strengthening the idea that the 2003 merger result is the successor of the old Petrolul, not Astra. Petrolul also moved back to its old ground, Ilie Oană Stadium, in the summer of 2004. The 2004 relegation was followed by a black period for the yellow wolves, with seven consecutive
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. It is currently sponsored by Casa Pariurilor, a betting c ...
season. In the 2004–05 season the club finished on the 4th place at 7 points from the promotion place, occupied at that time by
Pandurii Târgu Jiu The uprising of 1821 was a social and political rebellion in Wallachia, which was at the time a tributary state of the Ottoman Empire. It originated as a movement against the Phanariote administration, with backing from the more conservative ...
. 2005–06 season brought an extra chance, as a result of the restructuring of the first league from 16 to 18 teams, from the second league could also promote the 2nd place via a play-off tournament, but Petrolul finished only on the 3rd place at 3 points from the 2nd place, occupied by
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 ...
, team that would promote and write history in the Romanian football. In 2006, Petrolul ownership decided that the home games should be played on Flacăra Stadium from Moreni or Mogoșoaia Stadium, motivating the move by the fact that the old Ilie Oană Stadium required repair and modernization work. On 12 October 2006, the supporters organized a protest in the city center of
Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Blejoi commun ...
, asking for the team to be transferred from the private ownership to the Ploiești Municipality and to return on its own home ground. Despite these internal problems Petrolul made a good season, but ended again just below the promotion line, on the 3rd place. The end of the 2007–08 season found the yellow and blues on the 3rd place again, increasing the frustration among supporters and players, 5 points split the team from the 2nd place, a promotable one. Next season, 2008–09 was a disastrous one, Petrolul finished on 4th place, but at great distance from the 2nd ( Astra, named FC Ploiești at that time) and 1st place ( Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț), 22 points respectively 23 points, also with a tense situation at the administrative level and with not many options on the horizon. In 2009 the team was taken over by Ploiești Municipality and Valeriu Răchită, former player of the team, was reconfirmed as the head coach, the squad being also restructured with many young players and after a great campaign in which the hope of promotion was alive until the last second, Petrolul finished 3rd, at only 1 point from the promotion spot, occupied by Sportul Studențesc, which led to a terrible disappointment, making the Ploiești people to wonder whether the team was followed by bad luck. Petrolul started the
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. ...
season with important changes, the young squad has been completed with some experienced players as
Pompiliu Stoica Pompiliu Sorin Stoica (; born 10 September 1976) is a Romanian former Association football, footballer and currently assistant manager for Liga III club CSO Plopeni. Playing career Club Stoica started his senior career at hometown club FC Glori ...
,
Florentin Dumitru Florentin Dumitru (born 25 May 1977 in Bolintin-Vale) is a Romanian former footballer. Honours ; Steaua București * Romanian Championship League: 2000–01, 2004–05, 2005–06 ; Petrolul Ploieşti *Romanian Second League: 2010–11 ...
or Daniel Oprița and moved for its home matches on Conpet Stadium from Strejnicu, near Ploiești, facilitating easier access for the supporters, new Ilie Oană Stadium, being still in construction, also the team was moved from the first to the second series of the second league and after a heavy fight in 3 teams, against FC Bihor Oradea and
CS 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 ...
, Petrolul promoted from the 1st place, 1 point ahead FC Bihor, team that also occupied a promotable place after 7 consecutive
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. It is currently sponsored by Casa Pariurilor, a betting c ...
seasons and 2 points ahead CS Mioveni, which subsequently promoted by taking advantage of the financial problems of FC Bihor. The promotion coincided with the inauguration of the new stadium, all of these brought a great enthusiasm among the Petrolul supporters, players and staff.


Mild success followed by bankruptcy (2011–2016)

Under the management of
Cosmin Contra Cosmin Marius Contra (; born 15 December 1975) is a Romanian football manager and former player. Primarily an attacking-minded right-back, he was also deployed as a midfielder. He played professionally in three countries his own notwithstanding, ...
, their second season since return saw them finishing third in the
league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...
table, as well as claiming the national cup for the third time in their history. Consequently, Petrolul earned a spot in the second qualifying round of the
2013–14 UEFA Europa League The 2013–14 UEFA Europa League was the 43rd season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the fifth season under its current title. The 2014 UEFA Europa League Final was played between Sevilla and Benfica at ...
, with the club playing its first European match since 1995. After defeating
Víkingur Gøta Víkingur is a semi-professional football club in the Faroe Islands. The club was founded in 2008 after the merger of GÍ Gøta and Leirvík ÍF. The club is based in Leirvík, while the stadium is in Norðragøta. Both villages are part of th ...
and
Vitesse Arnhem Vitesse may refer to: * Vitesse Models, a diecast model car company * Vitesse (band), Dutch rock band * Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, a car * Rover 216 Vitesse, a car * Rover 3500 Vitesse, a car * Rover 800 Vitesse, a car * Triumph Vi ...
, they were eliminated in the play-off round by
Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
. The team received consistent media attention after signing former Romanian internationals
Adrian Mutu Adrian Mutu (; born 8 January 1979) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is in charge of Liga I club Rapid București. During his playing career, he was deployed as a forward or an attacking midfielder. Mutu star ...
and
Ianis Zicu Ianis Alin Zicu (born 23 October 1983) is a Romanian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder for teams such as Dinamo București, Farul Constanța, Rapid București, Politehnica Timișoara, CSKA Sofia or ASA Târgu Mureș, ...
in January 2014, a move which would later be considered a "failure". During the same month, it was announced that
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
automobile manufacturer
Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Grou ...
would become Petrolul's shirt sponsor. ''Petroliștii'' had the chance to qualify for their second consecutive Cupa României final, but lost the semi-final against rivals Astra Giurgiu 2–1 on aggregate. Petrolul came third in the Liga I once more, while the fans challenged
Răzvan Lucescu Răzvan Lucescu (; born 17 February 1969) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is the current manager of Greek Super League club PAOK. As a player, he operated as a goalkeeper and spent most years of his career at ...
, considering that he wasn't a suitable replacement for Contra, who left Petrolul in March to join Spanish side
Getafe Getafe () is a municipality and a city in Spain belonging to the Community of Madrid. , it has a population of 180,747, the region's sixth most populated municipality. Getafe is located 13 km south of Madrid's city centre, within a flat ar ...
. In the next season's European participation, "the Yellow Wolves" confronted
Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...
club Viktoria Plzeň in the Europa League third qualifying round. After a draw in Ploiești, Petrolul impressively beat Viktoria scoring four goals and conceding only one. However, Petrolul yet again missed the chance of advancing to the group stage after losing the play-off against
Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb ( en, Dinamo Zagreb Citizens' Football Club, link=yes, italics=yes), commonly referred to as GNK Dinamo Zagreb or simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinam ...
. In September 2014, head coach Lucescu was sacked and Mutu left the club as a
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...
. On 25 November, president Daniel Capră, general director Marius Bucuroiu and five other persons faced
preventive detention Preventive detention is an imprisonment that is putatively justified for non- punitive purposes, most often to prevent (further) criminal acts. Types of preventive detention There is no universally agreed definition of preventive detention, and m ...
for 24 hours, being suspected of tax evasion and money laundering. The criminal offences made by the club's officials caused Petrolul to lose important players and face a period of instability. In February 2015, the club went into
administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an administrative officer, admini ...
and eventually finished the season on the sixth place in Liga I. More players left the club in the summer of 2015 and coach changes became frequent. Petrolul quickly landed on the last place in the league table, where it stayed until the last game of the season. Finally, in the summer of 2016 the team was declared bankrupt.


Reestablishment and recent history (2016 onwards)

After the team was dissolved in 2016 as a result of the SC FC Petrolul SA joint-stock company bankruptcy, club legends and supporter groups associated to promptly reestablish it under the name of ''ACS Petrolul 52 Ploiești'' and enroll it in the Liga A Prahova (
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 ...
), the fourth tier of the Romanian league system. During early 2017, French transnational company
Veolia Veolia Environnement S.A., branded as Veolia, is a French transnational company with activities in three main service and utility areas traditionally managed by public authorities – water management, waste management and energy services. It pr ...
became the financial partner of the club by joining the association. On 16 June 2017, with economic aid from the new partner, ''ACS Petrolul 52'' leased the club brand identity from the Municipality of Ploiești for
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 ...
30,000 and began using the former name of FC Petrolul Ploiești. The team managed back-to-back promotions and reached the
second division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
in the summer of 2018. After three failed attempts to return to the Liga I and with worsening competitive results each year, Veolia stopped fully financing Petrolul and only offered to become a sponsor from the 2021–22 season, a position from which it also withdrew at the start of 2022. In spite of the economic issues that arose from Veolia's departure, the squad led by head coach Nicolae Constantin managed to finish the Liga II campaign as champions.


Grounds

Petrolul Ploiești plays its home matches at the Ilie Oană Stadium. Ranked as a UEFA Category 4 stadium, it can host
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...
semi-finals and
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
group stage matches. It was inaugurated in September 2011 and has a current capacity of 15,073 spectators. The construction was raised on the site of the former Ilie Oană Stadium, which was completed in 1937, and is named after
Ilie Oană Ilie Oană (16 August 1918 – 27 April 1993) was a football player and manager who represented and coached the Romania national football team. Career Oană was born in Indiana Harbor to Romanian parents who emigrated from Transylvania before th ...
, the most important coach in Petrolul's history.


Milestones

*The first match to be played at the stadium was an
exhibition game An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
between a team of former Petrolul Ploiești players, the generation which won the
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, traditiona ...
in 1995, and a selection of former Romanian internationals, amongst which
Gheorghe Hagi Gheorghe "Gică" Hagi (; born 5 February 1965) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is currently the owner and manager of Liga I club Farul Constanța. Deployed as an attacking midfielder, Hagi was considered one of ...
,
Gheorghe Popescu Gheorghe "Gică" Popescu (; born 9 October 1967) is a Romanian former professional football who played as a defender. He notably played in La Liga where he is a former captain of FC Barcelona. He played for a string of European clubs in that ...
,
Viorel Moldovan Viorel Dinu Moldovan (born 8 July 1972) is a Romanian former professional football forward and currently a manager. He was an important player for the Romanian national team in the 1990s. Career Moldovan was born in Bistrița. At club level, ...
, Ovidiu Stângă and
Daniel Prodan Daniel Claudiu Prodan (23 March 1972 – 16 November 2016) was a Romanian footballer who played mainly as a central defender. In a career marred by injuries, he played mainly for Steaua București and represented the Romania national team in ...
. The former internationals won the match 4–3. The first goal scored on this stadium belonged to Cristian Zmoleanu. *Petrolul's first competitive match at the stadium was a
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 ...
game against
Dinamo București A dynamo is a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator. Dynamo or Dinamo may also refer to: Places * Dinamo (Moscow Metro), a station of the Moscow Metro, Moscow, Russia * Dinamo (Yekaterinburg Metro), a station of the Yekaterinb ...
on 25 September 2011, which ended 5–1 for the Bucharest team. Dinamo player Cosmin Moți scored the first goal of the game and thus the first official goal at new Ilie Oană Stadium. *The
Romania national football team The Romania national football team ( ro, Echipa națională de fotbal a României) represents Romania in international men's football competition and is administered by the Romanian Football Federation ( ro, Federația Română de Fotbal), also ...
played its first official match at the Ilie Oană on 29 March 2015, against
Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
.


Support

Petrolul Ploiești has a large and steady fan base in Prahova County and its attachment to the team is renowned in Romania, in spite of the ups and downs. The biggest ultras group is called ''Lupii Galbeni'' ("the Yellow Wolves") since 1996, and there are two stands with groups like ''Peluza Latină'' ("The Latin Stand"), with subgroups like Knot04, United or Maniacs, and the ''Peluza 1 Ilie Oană'' ("Peluza 1 Ilie Oană stand") with subgroups like Hooligans, Young Hooligans, Contrasens, Lethalgang or Zona Vest. Other supporter associations, such as ''Liga Suporterilor Constantin Tabarcea (LSCT)'', ''Asociația'' ''Diaspora Galben Albastră (ADGA)'', ''T2'' or ''Young Wolves'' are located in the Second Stand of the stadium. Before and during matches, they sing the club's
chant A chant (from French ', from Latin ', "to sing") is the iterative speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two main pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of n ...
, whose lyrics were written by George Nicolescu. Petrolul Ploiești fans have recently established close friendships with the supporters of foreign clubs
Vitesse Arnhem Vitesse may refer to: * Vitesse Models, a diecast model car company * Vitesse (band), Dutch rock band * Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, a car * Rover 216 Vitesse, a car * Rover 3500 Vitesse, a car * Rover 800 Vitesse, a car * Triumph Vi ...
and
Genk Genk () is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality only comprises the town of Genk itself. It is one of the most important industrial towns in Flanders, located on the Albert Canal, ...
.


Rivalries

Petrolul Ploiești's traditional rival is Rapid București. They faced for the first time on 11 November 1931, when Juventus București tied CFR București 3–3 at home, on the Stadionul Romcomit, and have maintained a strong rivalry despite long periods of not meeting when one or the other were playing in the second division. In the 1965–66 season, Petrolul won the Liga I while Rapid finished second. The following year, Rapid won its first national title after a match played on the old Ilie Oană Stadium; these events are believed to have ignited the rivalry further. Due to the fact that this rivalry is the oldest for Romanian teams still active, it entered into the collective consciousness as the ''Primvs derby'' (
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
for "first" or "foremost"). Petrolul maintains a milder rivalry with Astra Giurgiu, its former local enemy. Astra promoted for the first time to the Liga I in 1998 and played in Ploiești until September 2012, when it was moved to
Giurgiu Giurgiu (; bg, Гюргево) is a city in southern Romania. The seat of Giurgiu County, it lies in the historical region of Muntenia. It is situated amongst mud-flats and marshes on the left bank of the Danube facing the Bulgarian city ...
. Even after relocation, the rivalry continued between the governances of the clubs. Petrolul fans also hold grudges against the other two historically prosperous Bucharest teams, namely Steaua and Dinamo. They sometimes chant against them even outside of direct matches.


Honours


Domestic


Leagues

*
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 ...
**Winners (4): 1929–30, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1965–66 **Runners-up (3): 1925–26,
1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...
, 1961–62 *
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. It is currently sponsored by Casa Pariurilor, a betting c ...
**Winners (9): 1940–41,
1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito is chosen President of Yugosl ...
, 1976–77, 1981–82, 1984–85, 1988–89, 2002–03,
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. ...
, 2021–22 **Runners-up (1): 1980–81 * Liga III **Winners (1): 2017–18 * Liga IV – Prahova County **Winners (1): 2016–17


Cups

*
Cupa României The Cupa României ( en, Romanian Cup) is a football cup competition for Romanian teams which has been held annually since 1933–34, except during World War II. It is the country's main cup competition, being open to all clubs affiliated with ...
**Winners (3): 1962–63, 1994–95,
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 ...
**Runners-up (1):
1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...
*
Supercupa României The Supercupa României ( en, Romanian Supercup) is a Romanian football championship contested by the winners of the Liga I and the Cupa României. It is usually played at the Arena Națională in Bucharest. The competition started off in 1994 ...
**Runners-up (2):
1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...
,
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...


Players


First team squad


Other players under contract


Out on loan


Club officials


Board of directors

* Last updated: 6 September 2022 * Source:


Current technical staff

* Last updated: 6 September 2022 * Source:Technical staff
/ref>


European record

The club have participated in eight editions of the club competitions governed by
UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs fo ...
, the chief authority for football across Europe, and 12 editions of European competitions overall.


Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors


League history


Notable former players

The footballers enlisted below have had international caps for their respective countries at junior and/or senior level and/or more than 100 caps for FC Petrolul Ploiești. ;Romania * Marcel Abăluță *
Alexandru Badea Alexandru Badea (8 March 1938 – 17 July 1986) was a Romanian footballer. International career Alexandru Badea played four matches at international level for Romania, scoring two goals. He made his debut against Eusébio's Portugal in a 1966 F ...
* Dragu Bădin * Eugen Baștină * Alexandru Benga * Florea Birtașu *
Alexandru Boc Alexandru "Sandu" Boc (born 3 June 1946) is a retired Romanian footballer, who played as a defender. Club career Alexandru Boc was born on 3 June 1946 in Vașcău and played football as a defender, being known for using often the "Oxford proc ...
* Alexandru Borbely * Iuliu Borbely * Jean-Claude Bozga * Gheorghe Brandabura *
Constantin Budescu Constantin Valentin Budescu (; born 19 February 1989) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or a forward for Liga I club Petrolul Ploiești. He began his senior career at Petrolul Ploiești, amassing over 1 ...
* Daniel Chiriță * Grigore Ciupitu * Vasile Cosarek * Anghel Crețeanu *
Adrian Cristea Adrian Cristea (born 30 November 1983) is a Romanian retired professional footballer who played as a winger. Club career Adrian Cristea, nicknamed "Prințul" ''(The Prince)'', started his career in his hometown, Iași, playing in Divizia B fo ...
* Octavian Dincuță * Mircea Dridea * Virgil Dridea * Florian Dumitrescu *
Florentin Dumitru Florentin Dumitru (born 25 May 1977 in Bolintin-Vale) is a Romanian former footballer. Honours ; Steaua București * Romanian Championship League: 2000–01, 2004–05, 2005–06 ; Petrolul Ploieşti *Romanian Second League: 2010–11 ...
*
Florea Fătu Florea Fătu (17 July 1924 – 11 December 1995) was a Romanian football striker. He was a part of CSCA București's team that won the first match in the history of the club. International career Florea Fătu played one friendly game at inter ...
*
Mihai Flamaropol Mihai Flamaropol (9 April 1919 – 30 June 1985) was a Romanian footballer, ice hockey player and coach and a writer. Flamaropol started playing football at Gloria București when he was 12 years old and at 17 he started to play ice hockey at Te ...
* Alexandru Fronea *
Octavian Grigore Octavian "Tavi" Grigore (15 July 1964) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player. Playing career Born in Urlați, Prahova County, Grigore played as a centre-back and spent his entire career at nearby team Petrolul Ploieșt ...
* Gheorghe Grozav * Gheorghe Grozea * Bujor Hălmăgeanu * Ovidiu Hoban * Petre Ivan * Mihai Ionescu *
Nicolae Ionescu Nicolae Ionescu (1820 in Bradu, Neamț County – January 24, 1905 in Bradu) was a Romanian politician, jurist and publicist, brother of the agronomist Ion Ionescu de la Brad. He was leader of the Free and Independent Faction, serving sev ...
* Costel Lazăr ;Romania * Gheorghe Leahu * Gheorghe Liliac * Cătălin Liță * Marius Măldărășanu * Marcel Marin *
Laurențiu Marinescu Laurențiu Nicolae Marinescu (born 25 August 1984) is a Romanian former footballer who played as a midfielder. In August 2010 he signed a contract with Steaua București alongside teammates from Unirea Urziceni: Galamaz, Vilana, Apostol, Bil ...
* Iulian Mihăescu * Dragoș Mihalache *
Bujorel Mocanu Bujorel Mocanu (11 May 1962 - 28 January 2011) was a Romanian footballer and manager. Honours Petrolul Ploiești *Divizia B The Liga 2, most often spelled as Liga II, is the second level of the Romanian football league system. The league c ...
* Mihai Mocanu *
Constantin Moldoveanu Constantin Moldoveanu (25 October 1943 – 10 September 2013) was a Romanian football forward, manager and referee. Club career Constantin Moldoveanu was born on 25 October 1943 in Ploiești, Romania and started to play football in 1958 at t ...
* Anton Munteanu * Dumitru Munteanu *
Adrian Mutu Adrian Mutu (; born 8 January 1979) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is in charge of Liga I club Rapid București. During his playing career, he was deployed as a forward or an attacking midfielder. Mutu star ...
* Ion Neacșu * Dumitru Nicolae *
Ilie Oană Ilie Oană (16 August 1918 – 27 April 1993) was a football player and manager who represented and coached the Romania national football team. Career Oană was born in Indiana Harbor to Romanian parents who emigrated from Transylvania before th ...
* Daniel Oprița * Gheorghe Pahonțu * Aurel Panait * Gabriel Paraschiv * Florin Pârvu * Gheorghe Petrescu * Ștefan Preda * Valeriu Răchită * Adrian Ropotan * Vasile Sfetcu *
Pompiliu Stoica Pompiliu Sorin Stoica (; born 10 September 1976) is a Romanian former Association football, footballer and currently assistant manager for Liga III club CSO Plopeni. Playing career Club Stoica started his senior career at hometown club FC Glori ...
* Constantin Tabarcea * Dinu Todoran *
Adrian Ursea Adrian Dante Ursea (born 14 September 1967) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Ligue 1 club OGC Nice. Early life Born in Slobozia, Ursea completed his schooling in Ploiești. P ...
* Cristian Vlad *
Ion Zaharia Ion Zaharia (20 September 1929 – 5 November 1993) was a Romanian former football right midfielder and manager. International career Ion Zaharia played one friendly game at international level for Romania, in which he opened the score in a 2� ...
* Constantin Zamfir ;Algeria *
Karim Ziani Karim Koceila Yanis Ziani ( ar, كريم زياني; born 17 August 1982) is an Algerian former professional footballer. He played in different midfield positions but was best known as a playmaker. He is now the sporting director of JS Kabylie. ...
;Belarus *
Vasil Khamutowski Vasil Iosifavich Khamutowski ( be, Васіль Іосіфавіч Хамутоўскі, russian: Василий Иосифович Хомутовский, ''Vasily Iosifovich Khomutovsky''; born 30 August 1978) is a former Belarusian football g ...
;Bolivia *
Gualberto Mojica Gualberto Mojica Olmos (, born 7 October 1984) is a Bolivian former footballer and a manager. Club career Mojica was one of the most promising prospects of the largely awarded Tahuichi Academy's class of '84. After an impressive performance i ...
;Brazil * Peterson Peçanha ;Cameroon *
Nana Falemi Ngassam Nana Falemi (born 5 May 1974) is a former footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Born and raised in Romania to a Cameroonian father and a Romanian mother, he capped for the Cameroon national team. International career Nana F ...
;Congo * Férébory Doré ;Croatia *
Kristijan Ipša Kristijan Ipša (born 4 April 1986) is a Croatian footballer of Slovenian heritage who plays as a central defender. He is a former Croatian youth international. Club career Born in Poreč, Ipša started his professional career in the youth rank ...
;Curaçao *
Gevaro Nepomuceno Gevaro Giomar Magno Nepomuceno (born 10 November 1992) is a Curaçaoan professional footballer who plays as a winger for Melbourne Knights and the Curaçao national team. Club career Born in Willemstad, Curaçao and raised in the Netherlands ...
;DR Congo * Jeremy Bokila ;Haiti * Jean Alcénat * Soni Mustivar ;Israel *
Toto Tamuz Toto Adaruns Tamuz Temile ( he, טוטו אדיוראנס תמוז טמילה; born 1 April 1988) is a Nigerian-born Israeli professional association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward. Born in Nigeria ...
;Italy *
Michele Paolucci Michele Paolucci (born 6 February 1986) is an Italian footballer who plays as a forward for Canadian club FC Manitoba. Club career Juventus and loans Paolucci came through the ranks at Juventus. After graduating from their ''Primavera'' yout ...
;Portugal *
Filipe Teixeira Filipe Andrade Teixeira (; born 2 October 1980) is a Portuguese retired footballer. Regarded as technical and creative, he was capable of playing in several midfield positions, and he competed professionally in five countries his own notwithst ...
;Tunisia * Hamza Younés ;Uruguay * Juan Albín


Notable former managers

* Constantin Cernăianu *
Cosmin Contra Cosmin Marius Contra (; born 15 December 1975) is a Romanian football manager and former player. Primarily an attacking-minded right-back, he was also deployed as a midfielder. He played professionally in three countries his own notwithstanding, ...
* Mircea Dridea * Virgil Dridea *
Octavian Grigore Octavian "Tavi" Grigore (15 July 1964) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player. Playing career Born in Urlați, Prahova County, Grigore played as a centre-back and spent his entire career at nearby team Petrolul Ploieșt ...
* Marin Ion *
Traian Ionescu Traian Ionescu (17 July 1923 – 4 October 2006) was a Romanian football goalkeeper and coach. Club career Traian Ionescu was born on 17 July 1923 in Văleni, Argeș County, Romania and started to play junior level football at age 13 at TC Tâ ...
*
Răzvan Lucescu Răzvan Lucescu (; born 17 February 1969) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is the current manager of Greek Super League club PAOK. As a player, he operated as a goalkeeper and spent most years of his career at ...
*
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 Progresu ...
* Mihai Mocanu *
Gheorghe Mulțescu Gheorghe Mulțescu (; born 13 November 1951) is a Romanian professional football manager and a former football player. Club career Gheorghe Mulțescu made his Divizia A debut playing for Jiul Petroșani in a 0–0 against Crișul Oradea. He p ...
*
Ilie Oană Ilie Oană (16 August 1918 – 27 April 1993) was a football player and manager who represented and coached the Romania national football team. Career Oană was born in Indiana Harbor to Romanian parents who emigrated from Transylvania before th ...
* Valeriu Răchită *
Mircea Rednic Mircea Rednic (born 9 April 1962) is a Romanian football coach and former player who played as a defender. Club career Mircea Rednic, nicknamed "Puriul" was born on 9 April 1962 in Hunedoara and until he was 14 years old he played table tenn ...
* Victor Roșca *
Valentin Stănescu Valentin Stănescu (20 November 1922 – 4 April 1994) was a Romanian football goalkeeper and manager. Club career Valentin Stănescu also known as "Tinel" or "Zimbrul" ( The bison) was born on 20 November 1922 in București, Romania and starte ...


References


Further reading

* * *


External links

* * *
Club profile on UEFA's official websiteClub profile on LPF's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petrolul Ploiești Football clubs in Prahova County Association football clubs established in 1924 Liga I clubs Liga II clubs Liga III clubs Liga IV clubs Sport in Ploiești