![UniversitateaCluj League Performance](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/UniversitateaCluj_League_Performance.svg)
Fotbal Club Universitatea Cluj (), commonly known as Universitatea Cluj or simply as U Cluj, 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 c ...
club based in the city of
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 ...
,
Cluj County, that 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 ...
, the first tier of the
Romanian league system.
Founded in 1919 by doctor
Iuliu Hațieganu
Iuliu Hațieganu (April 14, 1885 – September 4, 1959) was a Romanian internist doctor particularly recognized for research done in the field of tuberculosis. He founded in Cluj a valuable school of internal medicine. Today, Cluj University of ...
, Universitatea Cluj has spent more than half of its history in the
top flight
Top Flight (April 15, 1929 – 1949) was an American U.S. Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. She was the leading American filly of her generation at two and three years of age.
Background
Bred in Kentucky by the very prominent horseman Harry ...
, but never became national champion. It played five
Cupa României
The Cupa României ( en, Romanian Cup) is a Association football, football cup competition for List of football clubs in Romania, Romanian teams which has been held annually since 1933–34 Cupa României, 1933–34, except during World War II. I ...
finals under four names, and won the trophy in the
1964–65 season after a 2–1 defeat of
Dinamo Pitești. Once considered the most important side in the region of
Transylvania
Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...
, its status has been threatened in the 21st century by the success of
CFR Cluj, with whom it contests the
Cluj derby
The Cluj derby ( ro, Derbiul Clujului) refers to football matches between CFR Cluj and Universitatea Cluj, the most popular clubs in the Romanian region of Transylvania.
Background and history
The Early derbies in the Antebellum Period
The Clu ...
.
Universitatea players and fans are nicknamed ''Șepcile roșii'' ("the Red Caps") after the red berets worn by students of the
Cluj University of Medicine. The team traditionally plays in white and black
kits, although variations of red, maroon and gold have been used in the past. Its home ground is
Cluj Arena
Cluj Arena () is a multi-purpose stadium in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. It serves as the home of FC Universitatea Cluj, Universitatea Cluj of the Liga II and was completed on 1 October 2011. It is also the home of the Untold Festival. The facility, owne ...
, which was opened in 2011 and can host around 30,000 spectators.
History
The ''Universitatea'' sports club of Cluj was founded on 23 November 1919 by the "Sports Society of University Students" ( ro, Societatea Sportivă a Studenților Universitariabbreviated to "U"), the press from Cluj wrote an announcement that day:"With patriotic warmth for every young Romanian university student to hold on to a holy duty to join the sports lists that are at the University's Secretariat". Its first chairman was Professor
Iuliu Hațieganu
Iuliu Hațieganu (April 14, 1885 – September 4, 1959) was a Romanian internist doctor particularly recognized for research done in the field of tuberculosis. He founded in Cluj a valuable school of internal medicine. Today, Cluj University of ...
, a physician and politician. In the early years of its existence "U" Cluj played in local competitions; at the time there was no national football championship in Romania. The team played against
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 ...
in the 1923 final of the Mara Cup, losing 0–2. "U" played in the Romanian national football championship
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 1932. In their
first season "U" finished first in its group and played the championship final against
Ripensia Timișoara (0–0 and 3–5).
![Cluj-Napoca Cluj Arena 7](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Cluj-Napoca_Cluj_Arena_7.jpg)
In the
first season of the Romanian Cup, in 1933–34, "U" reached the final, losing against Ripensia Timișoara (0–5). In 1940, "U" moved from Cluj to
Sibiu
Sibiu ( , , german: link=no, Hermannstadt , la, Cibinium, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'', hu, Nagyszeben ) is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Ci ...
as a result of the
Second Vienna Award, when the northern part of Transylvania was ceded to Hungary. In 1942, "U" played in the
final of the Romanian Cup for a second time and lost 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' ...
(1–7). In 1945, after the end of the
Second World War
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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and the
return of the northern part of Transylvania to Romania, "U" returned to its home in Cluj.
In 1946, the name of the club was changed to ''
Știința Cluj'' (''Science Cluj''). In 1949, the team reached the
final of the Romanian Cup for the third time, but it was beaten by
CSCA Bucureștinow called
Steaua București (1–2).
At the end of the 1950s and the beginning of the 1960s, the manager of Știința Cluj was
Ștefan Kovácsa famous Romanian coach who later became the manager of
Ajax Amsterdam
Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (), also known as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam, or simply Ajax, is a Dutch professional football club based in Amsterdam, that plays in the , the top tier in Dutch football. Historically, Ajax (named after the l ...
. In
1964–65, ''Știința Cluj'' won the Romanian Cup; this remained the greatest performance of the club for many years.
In 1966, the name of the team was changed back to "Universitatea". At the end of the
1971–1972 season, "U" was in the best position in the Romanian Championship Divizia A after the Second World War; it finished third in the league table, with the same number of points as the second placed team
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 ...
. In 1998, "U" reached the final of
Cupa Ligii but lost to
FCM Bacău
Asociația Sportivă a Suporterilor FCM 1950 Bacău, commonly known as ASS FCM 1950 Bacău, FCM 1950 Bacău or simply as FCM Bacău, is a Romanian football club based in Bacău, Bacău County. Founded in 1950 as ''Dinamo Bacău'', the club from ...
.
In 1999
''In 1999'' is a 1912 one-act comedic short play by William C. deMille, originally produced by Jesse L. Lasky, that was popular upon its release. Its gags are based on a future where gender roles are reversed.
Production
The piece debuted at th ...
, "U" was relegated into the second Romanian division,
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
in 2000 it was relegated for the first time in its history into the third division,
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 ...
. It played one season in the third division, and in 2001 it was promoted back to Divizia B. The manager of the team at the time was the ex-Romanian international,
Ioan Ovidiu Sabău
Ioan is a variation on the name John found in Romanian, Bulgarian, Russian, Welsh (), and Sardinian. It is usually masculine. The female equivalent in Romanian and Bulgarian is Ioana. In Russia, the name Ioann is usually reserved for the clergy ...
who started playing football in the 1980s at "U" Cluj.
In the
2005–06 Divizia B
The 2005–06 Divizia B was the 66th 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, the new objective became promotion to the first league. Under coach
Leo Grozavu, who often played highly defensive football, the team made many nil draws and the team lost second place (promotion play-off) by a point, though in the last match days they won 4–0 with the first place and the third, and 3–2 (after leading 3–0) with the second place.
In the beginning of 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 (Divizia B was renamed to Liga II in this season), a new manager,
Adrian Falub
Adrian Falub (born 8 July 1971) is a Romanian football manager and former player.
Club career
Falub started to play football at Unirea Dej in the 4'th Romanian league. In 1989, he was transferred to the Liga I team U Cluj where he played 9 cons ...
who had never coached before but had played over 220 matches for "U" Cluj in the first leaguewas hired. Under his lead, the team had a poor early season and only reached eighth position. Yet, the moment passed and the team reached first position, often separated by over 6 points from the next position. On 19 May 2007, virtual promotion was achieved after a 0–0 draw against second place contender
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 ...
. Three weeks before the final match day, "U" ended its 8-year spell in the lower divisions,
returning to the first league for the 52nd season in its history.
2007–08 Liga I
The 2007–08 Liga I was the ninety season of Liga I, the top-level football league of Romania. Season began on 27 July 2007 and ended on 7 May 2008. CFR Cluj became champions, winning their first trophy and ending a 17-year-long reign of Buchar ...
season, first season of
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 ...
in last 8 years for "U" Cluj was a tough one, the club didn't manage very well the promotion and at the end of a tumultuous season the club finished on 18th place, the last one, with only 17 points, returning to
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 ...
.
2008–09 Liga II
The 2008–09 Liga II was the 69th season of the second tier of the Romanian football league system. The season began on 16 August 2008 and lasted until 13 June 2009.
The format has been maintained to two series, each of them consisting of 18 tea ...
season was a transition one and "U" saved from relegation 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 ...
in the last round, after a 3–0 victory against
Arieșul Turda while the main contra-candidate
ACU Arad
Atletic Club Universitatea (ACU) Arad was a Romanian professional football club from the Arad County, founded in 1995. The club was dissolved in August 2011, after it withdrew from the Liga II championship due to financial difficulties.
Honours ...
ended only 1–1 at home against
Bihor Oradea, a match which was followed by a major scandal.
Bihor Oradea accused
ACU Arad
Atletic Club Universitatea (ACU) Arad was a Romanian professional football club from the Arad County, founded in 1995. The club was dissolved in August 2011, after it withdrew from the Liga II championship due to financial difficulties.
Honours ...
of trying to fix the match, a victory being enough for the team from
Arad to save from relegation.
In the summer of 2009 "U" Cluj was taken over by Florian Walter, owner of Romprest Service which is one of the leaders of the facility management sector in Romania. After only one season under the ownership of Walter, "U" Cluj promoted 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 ...
finishing second in the
2009–10 Liga II
The 2009–10 Liga II was the 70th season of the second tier of the Romanian football league system. The season started on 15 August 2009 and ended on 5 June 2010.
The format has been maintained to two series, each of them consisting of 18 teams. ...
season.
In the new season, "U" Cluj demonstrated that was much better prepared from an administrative and sports point of view and managed to finish
2010–11 Liga I
The 2010–11 Liga I was the ninety-third season of the top-level football league of Romania. The season commenced on 23 July 2010 and ended on 21 May 2011. A winter break where no matches were played was held between 11 December 2010 and 18 Fe ...
season on the eighth place, far away from the relegation area.
2011–12 Liga I
The 2011–12 Liga I was the ninety-fourth season of Liga I, the top-level football league of Romania. It began on 22 July 2011 and ended on 19 May 2012. The defending champions are Oțelul Galați.
Since Romania dropped from eighth to fourteen ...
season brought "U" to another area of its existence, well known and valuable players like
Mircea Bornescu,
George Galamaz,
Gabriel Boștină,
Marian Cristescu
Marian Cristescu (born 17 March 1985) is a Romanian footballer who plays as a midfielder.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 ...
,
Gheorghe Grozav
Gheorghe "Gicu" Teodor Grozav (; born 29 September 1990) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a winger or an attacking midfielder for Liga I club Petrolul Ploiești.
Club career
Unirea Alba Iulia
Grozav started his career at his ...
,
Laurențiu Marinescu or
Tony
Tony may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer
* Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...
were bought by the club and the objective was qualification in the
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. It ...
. ''Șepcile Roșii'' finished only on seventh place and failed to achieve the objective, but they got the best ranking of the club in the last 26 years.
In the summer of 2012, Florian Walter left "U" Cluj and becoming the owner of
Petrolul Ploiești. Together with his departure, most valuable players left also the club and signed with the team 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 commu ...
. Left without the main financier ''Alb-Negrii'' attempted to form a squad of competitive players with little money. In February 2013 club debts grew worrying and "U" went into insolvency.
Despite all the financial problems the team saved from relegation, finishing 12th at the end of
2012–13 season.
In the spring of 2013 Florian Walter announced that he will return at "U" Cluj. At the end of the
2012–13 season a new problem shaken the already disturbed environment of "U" Cluj. License committee refused to license the club for the
2013–14 Liga I
The 2013–14 Liga I is the ninety-sixth season of Liga I, the top-level football league of Romania. The season began on 19 July 2013 and ended on 21 May 2014.[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 ...]
. ''Șepcile Roșii'' contest the decision at
CAS
Cas may refer to:
* Caș, a type of cheese made in Romania
* ' (1886–) Czech magazine associated with Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk
* '' Čas'' (19 April 1945–February 1948), the official, daily newspaper of the Democratic Party of Slovakia
* ''CA ...
and won, assuring his presence in the next season of
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 ...
.
2013–14 season it would once again be one without claims for "U" due to financial problems that the club had, also Florian Walter no longer seemed interested in investing too much in the team. With all the problems ''Studenții'' managed again to save from relegation, finishing 11th.
2014–15 Liga I
The 2014–15 Liga I was the ninety-seventh season of Liga I, the top-level football league of Romania. The season began on the 25 July 2014 and ended on 30 May 2015.
2 Mário Felgueiras was transferred to Konyaspor during the winter transfer ...
season was a reorganization one, 6 teams relegated instead of 4, in attempt to reduce
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 ...
teams from 18 to 14. "U" Cluj struggled with its few resources until the very end, but at the end of the season the club was placed on 15th position and relegated to
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 ...
after its 5-year spell 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 ...
.
The relegation 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 ...
was a real disaster for "U"'s already shaky financial situation. The club made a squad full of young players from the academy hoping that through the ambition of the young players and a miracle the team will promote back 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 ...
after only one season of
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 ...
. That was the only solution for saving the club, which was at that moment in insolvency for 2 years and a half and with an owner, Florian Walter, present only as a name in the papers, without investing in the club anyway and also being in international tracking for tax evasion and money laundering.
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 was a season of extremes for "U" Cluj. In the first part of the championship the team had run over expectations and had great chances of promotion. But after the winter break the financial situation become worse and the team started to have bad results which ended with a qualification in the play-out tournament, without any chances of promotion. This moment was a crucial one, without any motivation the team ended the championship on tenth place and relegated 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 ...
.
Summer of 2016 it meant a new beginning for "U". With a sporting society in insolvency, with big chances of bankruptcy and an owner arrested for tax evasion and money laundering, there was no other solution than the formation of a new club.
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 ...
Municipality which is the owner of "U" Cluj logo and record terminated the lease agreement with the company of Florian Walter. Than
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 ...
Municipality together with
Babeș-Bolyai University and "U" Cluj Supporters Association started a new project entitled ''ACSF Alb-Negru al Studenților Clujeni'' (ACSF White-Black of the Students from Cluj) a name that was given to the new team, because the society administered by Florian Walter was not yet bankrupt and the name of ''FC Universitatea Cluj'' could not belong to two companies. After the foundation of the new team
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 ...
Municipality rented "U" logo and record to the new society. The team was enrolled in
Liga IV-
Cluj County,
Ioan Ovidiu Sabău
Ioan is a variation on the name John found in Romanian, Bulgarian, Russian, Welsh (), and Sardinian. It is usually masculine. The female equivalent in Romanian and Bulgarian is Ioana. In Russia, the name Ioann is usually reserved for the clergy ...
has been named team manager and
Marius Popescu the new coach. ''Șepcile Roșii'' also signed with a lot of valuable players like
Octavian Abrudan,
Alexandru Păcurar,
Dorin Goga
Dorin Ioan Goga (born 2 July 1984) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga III side Sănătatea Cluj. In his career, Goga also played for teams such as Universitatea Cluj, Politehnica Timișoara or Dinamo Tbilisi, ...
or
Gabriel Giurgiu. Together with them in the team have been added the most talented players of "U" Cluj Football Academy and the objective was the promotion. The project was a real success and ''Studenții'' won
Liga IV without any problems, winning 26 matches and making only a draw in a match against
Sticla Arieșul Turda. Also the team achieved the number of 1,000 contributing members and a lot of development projects are planned.
On 29 September 2016 Walter's society, ''FC Universitatea Cluj'', has gone bankrupt leaving the name free. But the bankruptcy occurred after the starting of the
2016–17 Liga IV season, so the name remained ''ACSF Alb-Negru al Studenților Clujeni'' for that season.
On 11 May 2017 was announced officially that from the 2017–18 season the team will return to the old name, ''FC Universitatea Cluj'' and also the
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
team will evolve under the same brand.
Stadium
Ion Moina Stadium, the first football and athletics stadium in
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 ...
, was built between 1908 and 1911 and had a capacity of 1,500. The official inauguration in 1911 was a game between a Cluj team and
Galatasaray Istanbul. It was the first game in Europe for Galatasaray; the Cluj team won 8–1. In 1961, new U-shaped stands were built and the capacity of the stadium became 28,000. In 2000, most of the stands were declared structurally unsafe for hosting supporters and were closed, leaving the stadium with a capacity of 12–13,000. In late 2008, the old "Ion Moina" Stadium was demolished, and building works begun for the
Cluj Arena
Cluj Arena () is a multi-purpose stadium in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. It serves as the home of FC Universitatea Cluj, Universitatea Cluj of the Liga II and was completed on 1 October 2011. It is also the home of the Untold Festival. The facility, owne ...
. The last official game at the old stadium was played on 22 November 2008; Universitatea drew 0–0 in
their Liga II game with
Mureșul Deva
Club Sportiv Municipal Deva, commonly known as CSM Deva, is a Romanian professional football club based in Deva, Hunedoara County. The club was originally established in 1921 under the name of ''Mureșul Deva'' and since 1964 was a constant pr ...
.
During the construction works for the new stadium, Universitatea played its home games in the
2008–09 and
2009–10 Liga II seasons at the
Clujana Stadium and its home games in the
2010–11 Liga I
The 2010–11 Liga I was the ninety-third season of the top-level football league of Romania. The season commenced on 23 July 2010 and ended on 21 May 2011. A winter break where no matches were played was held between 11 December 2010 and 18 Fe ...
season at the
Cetate Stadium
The Cetate Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Alba Iulia, Romania. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Unirea Alba Iulia
Clubul Sportiv Municipal Unirea Alba Iulia, commonly known as Unirea Alba Iulia ( ...
in
Alba Iulia,
Gloria Stadium in
Bistrița and
Gaz Metan Stadium in
Mediaș.
On 11 October 2011, the first match at the new Cluj Arena stadiuma friendly between Universitatea and the Russian team
Kuban Krasnodarwas played; Kuban won 4–0. On 16 October 2011, the first official match at the new stadium was played; Universitatea won the
Liga I game against
FC Brașov 1–0.
Support
![Suporteri U CLUJ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Suporteri_U_CLUJ.jpg)
"U" has many supporters in
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 ...
, but also in some other parts of Romaniaespecially in
Transylvania
Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...
. One of the reasons for the team's popularity is that Cluj-Napoca has some of Romania's most important universitiesincluding the
Babeș-Bolyai University, the largest in the country with more than 45,000 students.
The history of U's fanatic supporters began in the 1970s, when fan-groups started to appear on the stadium. First, in 1972 appeared ''Amicii U'', one of the first supporters groups in Romania. The group started to compose songs along with
Music Academy's students and wear accessories like the well-known red hats or pins with the club's crest. Those years, ''Slavă ție studenție'' was composed, being nowadays club's anthem.
After the fall of communist regime, the
Ultras
Ultras are a type of association football fans who are renowned for their fanatical support. The term originated in Italy, but is used worldwide to describe predominantly organised fans of association football teams. The behavioural tende ...
idea arrived in Romania. First ultras group founded was Vecchia Guardia in 1996, followed by Ultra Curva Groapa in 1997 and Ultras 19 in 2004.
![Sepcile Rosii](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Sepcile_Rosii.jpg)
Some of the present-day ultras groups of "U" Cluj are: Groparii, VG (Vecchia Guardia), BOYS, MADS, FPU (The Few The Proud The Ultras), Potaissa, PPS (Prezenti pentru simbol), MNST (Mănăștur). .
The fanaticism sometimes led to violence, some violent episode being in 1979 when
Sportul Studențesc won the match with "U" due to poor referee decisions. After the match, supporters began to shout ''thieves''
in front of the stadium and the
police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
started to fight the angry fans.
Other episode happened in 2008, when CFR fans went to one of the main squares of the city to celebrate a Dinamo victory over Steaua, that advantage their team to win the league that year. Some Universitatea fans went to the square and had a fight with the rivals before police intervention.
Rivalries and Friendships
![Uclujsuporteri](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Uclujsuporteri.jpg)
Universitatea have a rivalry with local city team
CFR Cluj. The animosity between the teams is one of the oldest in Romanian football.
The first incidents between fans of the two sides occurred in the 1920s.
A particularly violent episode took place during a derby played in 1924, when the stadium had to be evacuated because of a large-scale fight between supporters. Universitatea won the match 2–1. Other episodes of this rivalry are: in 2005, upset by the fact that Universitatea lost a match 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 ...
, "U" fans injured CFR players at the Sport Hotel in
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 ...
; in 2008, following a derby, CFR won and obtained its first league title and Universitatea relegated in
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 ...
, but this match was preceded by a corruption scandal, because
Steaua București's owner,
Gigi Becali, offered "U" staff one million euros for defeating CFR.
The second-most important rivalry is against
FC Rapid Bucuresti
FC may refer to:
Businesses, organisations, and schools
* Fergusson College, a science and arts college in Pune, India
* Finncomm Airlines (IATA code)
* FranklinCovey company, NYSE stock symbol FC
* Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force in Pakist ...
due serious clashes between fans in 2006, 2011, 2019.
Another rivalries are Steaua București,
Farul Constanta and
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 ...
.
Universitatea's fans have a good friendship with
Dinamo 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 Yekaterinbu ...
's fans, the main rivals of
FCSB and
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''. ...
. Dinamo friendship started in the mid-1990s, both
ultras
Ultras are a type of association football fans who are renowned for their fanatical support. The term originated in Italy, but is used worldwide to describe predominantly organised fans of association football teams. The behavioural tende ...
groups being linked with "the mentality, fanaticism and
nationalist
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...
side", although in the 1970s and 1980s, "U" supporters had friendships with other important clubs fans, like
Poli Timișoara __NOTOC__
Poli can refer to:
Food
* '' Puran Poli'', a poli made up of wheat flour and puran (sweet cooked gram paste)
* A Marathi name for '' chapati'', a bread made up of wheat flour
Organisations
* FC Timişoara Romanian first league football ...
or Rapid București, these teams being the few that already had fan-groups.
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 ...
**Runners-up (1):
1932–33
*
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 ...
**Winners (6):
1950
Events January
* January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed.
* January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...
,
1957–58,
1978–79,
1984–85, 1991–92 Divizia B, 1991–92, 2006–07 Liga II, 2006–07
**Runners-up (3): 1939–40 Divizia B, 1939–40, 1983–84 Divizia B, 1983–84,
2009–10
*
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 ...
**Winners (2): 2000–01 Divizia C, 2000–01, 2017–18 Liga III, 2017–18
*
Liga IV –
Cluj County
**Winners (1): 2016–17 Liga IV, 2016–17
Cups
*
Cupa României
The Cupa României ( en, Romanian Cup) is a Association football, football cup competition for List of football clubs in Romania, Romanian teams which has been held annually since 1933–34 Cupa României, 1933–34, except during World War II. I ...
**Winners (1):
1964–65
**Runners-up (4): Cupa României 1933–34, 1933–34, 1941–42 Cupa României, 1941–42, 1948–49 Cupa României, 1948–49, 2014–15 Cupa României, 2014–15
*
Cupa Ligii
**Runners-up (1): Cupa Ligii, 1998
Junior Teams
The "U" Cluj Under 21 and Junior teams have always ranked among the best in the country and have won several National Championship titles:
* The Under-21s were Romanian champions 3 times in: 1962–63, 1970–71, 1971–72
* The Under-21s were Romanian champions 8 times in: 1955, 1956, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1968–69, 1971–72, 1973–74, 2000–01
Players
First team squad
Out on loan
Club officials
Board of directors
*
Last updated: 6 September 2022
*
Source:
Current technical staff
*
Last updated: 6 September 2022
*
Source:
Shirt sponsors and manufacturers
Records and statistics
European cups all-time statistics
1965–66 European Cup Winners' Cup |
Round 1 |
1. Wiener Neustädter SC, Wiener Neustädter |
0–1 |
Știința Cluj |
Știința Cluj |
2–0 |
1. Wiener Neustädter SC, Wiener Neustädter |
Round 2 |
Știința Cluj |
0–2 |
Atlético Madrid |
Atlético Madrid |
4–0 |
Știința Cluj |
1972–73 UEFA Cup |
Round 1 |
Știința Cluj |
4–1 |
PFC Levski Sofia, Levski Sofia |
PFC Levski Sofia, Levski Sofia |
5–1 |
Știința Cluj |
1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup |
Group stage |
Havnar Bóltfelag, HB Tórshavn |
0–0 |
Universitatea Cluj |
Universitatea Cluj |
0–1 |
Tromsø IL, Tromsø |
Beerschot A.C., Germinal Ekeren |
4–1 |
Universitatea Cluj |
Universitatea Cluj |
2–3 |
FC Aarau, Aarau |
History by season
Key
* Pos = Final position
* P = Played
* W = Games won
* D = Games drawn
* L = Games lost
* GF = Goals For
* GA = Goals Against
* Pts = Points
* Div A / L1 =
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 ...
* Div B / L2 =
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 ...
* Div C / L3 =
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 ...
* L4 =
Liga IV
* p = Preliminary Round
* 1R = Round 1
* 2R = Round 2
* 3R = Round 3
* 4R = Round 4
* 5R = Round 5
* GS = Group stage
* R32 = Round of 32
* QF = Quarter-finals
* R16 = Round of 16
* SF = Semi-finals
* F = Final
The players in bold were the top goalscorers in the division.
Notable former players
The footballers enlisted below have had international cap(s) for their respective countries at junior and/or senior level. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries at junior and/or senior level on through the time's passing. Additionally, these players have also had a significant number of caps and goals accumulated throughout a certain number of seasons for the club itself as well.
;List of one-club men in association football, One-club men
* Dan Anca
* Remus Câmpeanu
* Traian Georgescu
* Mircea Luca
* Cristinel Pojar
* Zsolt Szilágyi (footballer), Zsolt Szilágyi
;Romania
*
Octavian Abrudan
* Mihai Adam
* Laur Aștilean
* Imre Bíró (footballer), Imre Bíró
*
Mircea Bornescu
* Aurel Boroș
* Gabriel Boştină
* Dan Bucşa
* Septimiu Câmpeanu
* Horațiu Cioloboc
* Raul Ciupe
* Sever Coracu
* Marcel Coraş
* Nicolae David
* Anton Doboş
* Bogdan Dolha
* Vasile Dobrău
* Francisc Dican
*
Adrian Falub
Adrian Falub (born 8 July 1971) is a Romanian football manager and former player.
Club career
Falub started to play football at Unirea Dej in the 4'th Romanian league. In 1989, he was transferred to the Liga I team U Cluj where he played 9 cons ...
* George Florescu
* Romulus Gabor
* Vasile Gain
*
Dorin Goga
Dorin Ioan Goga (born 2 July 1984) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga III side Sănătatea Cluj. In his career, Goga also played for teams such as Universitatea Cluj, Politehnica Timișoara or Dinamo Tbilisi, ...
* Aurel Guga
* Elemer Hirsch
*
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 ...
* Octavian Ionescu (footballer, born 1949), Octavian Ionescu
* Zoltán Ivansuc
* Emil Jula
* Vasile Jula
;Romania
* Marcel Lăzăreanu
* Valentin Lemnaru
* Paul Marcu
* Viorel Mateianu
* Alpar Meszaros
* Sebastian Moga
* Laurențiu Moldovan
* Lică Movilă
* Andrei Mureşan
* Alexandru Mustățea
* Zsolt Muzsnay
* Cătălin Necula
* Mircea Neşu
* Claudiu Niculescu
* Cornel Orza
* Emil Petru
* Silviu Ploeșteanu
* Adrian Popa (footballer, born 1988), Adrian Popa
* Octavian Popescu (footballer, born 1938), Octavian Popescu
* Marius Predatu
* Florin Prunea
* Ioan Sabău
* Radu Sabo
* Graţian Sepi
* Andrei Sepci
* Lazăr Sfera
* Rareş Soporan
* Constantin Ștefan (footballer, born 1951), Constantin Ștefan
* Ioan Suciu (footballer), Ioan Suciu
* Alexandru Suciu
* Marius Suller
* János Székely
* Emil Szolomajer
* Alexa Uifăleanu
* Bogdan Unguruşan
* Călin Zanc
* Dorin Zotincă
;Brazil
* Fábio Bilica
* Gabriel Machado
;Montenegro
* Milan Jovanović (footballer, born July 1983), Milan Jovanović
;Poland
* Łukasz Szukała
;Portugal
* Nuno Viveiros
;Slovakia
* Robert Veselovsky
;South Korea
* Park Jae-hong (footballer born 1978), Park Jae-hong
Former managers
Source:
* Adalbert Kovács (football manager), Adalbert Kovács (1932)
* Otto Eckhardt (1933)
* Adalbert Molnár (1933–34)
* Fritsch (1934–35)
* Iosif Kovács (football manager), Iosif Kovács (1935–36)
* Otto Eckhardt (1936)
* Janos Szaniszló (1937)
* Adalbert Kovács (football manager), Adalbert Kovács (1937–38)
* Janos Szaniszló (1938)
* Onoriu Chețanu (1938)
* Ferenc Nyúl (1938–39)
* Janos Szaniszló (1939–40)
* Iosif Kovács (football manager), Iosif Kovács (1940–41)
* Onoriu Chețanu (1941–42)
* Maertens (1942–1944)
* Markos Imre (1946)
* Nicolae Kovács (1946–47)
* Nicolae Munteanu (football manager), Nicolae Munteanu (1947–48)
* Ștefan Cârjan (1948)
* Andrei Sepci (1949)
* Iuliu Baratky (1949–51)
* Gheorghe Bărbulescu (1951)
*
Ștefan Kovács (1952)
* Vasile Gain (1953)
*
Ștefan Kovács (1954–55)
* Petre Rădulescu (1955)
*
Ștefan Kovács (1956)
* Nicolae Munteanu (football manager), Nicolae Munteanu (1956)
* Nicolae Szoboszlay (1957)
*
Ștefan Kovács (1957–58)
* Virgil Mărdărescu (1958–59)
* Andrei Sepci (1959–61)
* Neța Gheorghe (1961–62)
* Constantin Rădulescu (footballer, born 1924), Constantin Rădulescu (1962–63)
* Andrei Sepci (1963)
* Mircea Luca (1964)
* Andrei Sepci (1964–66)
* Eugen Mladin (1966–67)
* Nicolae Szoboszlay (1967)
* Constantin Teașcă (1968)
* Ștefan Cârjan (1969–70)
* Silviu Avram (1970)
* Andrei Sepci (1970–71)
* Vasile Băluțiu (1971)
* Ștefan Onisie (1971–73)
* Mircea Luca (1973)
* Silviu Avram (1973–74)
* Vasile Băluțiu (1974–75)
* Paul Popescu (1975–76)
* Constantin Rădulescu (footballer, born 1924), Constantin Rădulescu (1976–77)
* Petre Moldoveanu (1977–78)
* Toader Pop (1979)
* Gheorghe Staicu (1980–81)
* Angelo Niculescu (1981–83)
* Constantin Ardeleanu (1983)
* Remus Vlad (1983–85)
* Alexa Uifăleanu (1985)
* Remus Vlad (1985–88)
* Cornel Dinu (1989)
* Dan Anca (October 1989 – March 1990)
* Ștefan Sameș (1990)
* Ion Ciocan (footballer), Ion Ciocan (1990)
* Vasile Iordache (1990)
* Ioan Sdrobiș (1991–92)
* Remus Vlad (1992–93)
* Dan Anca (1993–94)
* Ioan Andone (1994–95)
* Dan Anca (1995–97)
* Adrian Coca (1997)
* Cornel Țălnar (1997–98)
* Tiberiu Poraczky (1998)
* Dan Anca (Dec 1998–99)
* Marcel Lăzăreanu (1999)
* Grigore Boca (1999)
* Alexa Uifăleanu (1999)
* Zoltan Iașko (1999)
* Petre Gigiu (2000)
* Mircea Cojocaru (2000)
*
Ioan Ovidiu Sabău
Ioan is a variation on the name John found in Romanian, Bulgarian, Russian, Welsh (), and Sardinian. It is usually masculine. The female equivalent in Romanian and Bulgarian is Ioana. In Russia, the name Ioann is usually reserved for the clergy ...
(2000–01)
* Mihai Marian (2001)
* Cristian Mustacă (2001)
* Vasile Gheorghe (2002)
* Dan Anca (2002)
* Vasile Gheorghe (2002)
* Dan Anca (2002–03)
*
Ioan Ovidiu Sabău
Ioan is a variation on the name John found in Romanian, Bulgarian, Russian, Welsh (), and Sardinian. It is usually masculine. The female equivalent in Romanian and Bulgarian is Ioana. In Russia, the name Ioann is usually reserved for the clergy ...
(2003)
* Mircea Cojocaru (2003 – 4 July 2004)
* Marin Ion (July 2004 – 5 July 2005)
* Leontin Grozavu (July 2005–06)
* Francisc Dican (2006)
*
Adrian Falub
Adrian Falub (born 8 July 1971) is a Romanian football manager and former player.
Club career
Falub started to play football at Unirea Dej in the 4'th Romanian league. In 1989, he was transferred to the Liga I team U Cluj where he played 9 cons ...
(1 July 2006 – 7 October 2007)
* Gheorghe Mulțescu (19 October 2007 – 16 December 2007)
* Alpar Meszaros (8 January 2008 – 20 August 2008)
*
Marius Popescu (August 2008)
* Dorinel Munteanu (26 August 2008 – 26 October 2008)
* Gheorghe Mihali (October 2008 – 9 April 2009)
*
Marius Popescu (2009)
* Dorinel Munteanu (2009 – 30 June 2009)
* Carmelo Palilla (July 2009 – 9 August)
*
Marius Popescu (August 2009)
* Cornel Țălnar (29 August 2009 – 4 October 2009)
* Cristian Dulca (5 October 2009 – 2010)
* Viorel Hizo (2010)
* Cristian Dulca (2010)
* Marian Pană (16 June 2010 – 8 November 2010)
* Claudiu Niculescu (November 2010)
* Ionuț Badea (19 November 2010 – 14 March 2012)
* Claudiu Niculescu (14 March 2012 – 23 July 2012)
* Cristian Dulca (26 July 2012 – 1 October 2012)
*
Marius Popescu ''(interim)'' (1 October 2012 – 8 November 2012)
* Marius Șumudică (9 November 2012 – 15 November 2012)
*
Marius Popescu (15 November 2012 – 1 February 2013)
* Ionel Ganea (1 February 2013 – 30 September 2013)
* Gheorghe Barbu (footballer), Gheorghe Barbu ''(interim)'' (2 October 2013 – 23 October 2013)
* Mihai Teja (23 October 2013 – 4 September 2014)
* George Ogăraru (4 September 2014 – 2 March 2015)
*
Adrian Falub
Adrian Falub (born 8 July 1971) is a Romanian football manager and former player.
Club career
Falub started to play football at Unirea Dej in the 4'th Romanian league. In 1989, he was transferred to the Liga I team U Cluj where he played 9 cons ...
(2 March 2015 – 30 June 2015)
*
Marius Popescu (27 July 2015 – 27 October 2015)
* Mihai Teja (29 October 2015 – 9 April 2016)
* Zsolt Szilágyi (footballer), Zsolt Szilágyi (2016)
* Ovidiu Sărmăşan
c (2016)
*
Marius Popescu (1 July 2016 – 16 September 2017)
*
Adrian Falub
Adrian Falub (born 8 July 1971) is a Romanian football manager and former player.
Club career
Falub started to play football at Unirea Dej in the 4'th Romanian league. In 1989, he was transferred to the Liga I team U Cluj where he played 9 cons ...
(20 September 2017 – 18 October 2018)
* Mircea Cojocaru
c (19 October 2018 – 8 December 2018)
* Bogdan Lobonț (8 December 2018 – 14 June 2019)
* Cristian Dulca (20 June 2019 – 2 September 2019)
*
Adrian Falub
Adrian Falub (born 8 July 1971) is a Romanian football manager and former player.
Club career
Falub started to play football at Unirea Dej in the 4'th Romanian league. In 1989, he was transferred to the Liga I team U Cluj where he played 9 cons ...
(4 September 2019 – 14 September 2020)
* Costel Enache (September 2020 – May 2021)
* Erik Lincar (May 2021–2022)
* Eugen Neagoe (2022–)
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Universitatea Cluj
FC Universitatea Cluj,
Sport in Cluj-Napoca
Association football clubs established in 1919
Football clubs in Cluj County
Liga I clubs
Liga II clubs
Liga III clubs
Liga IV clubs
University and college association football clubs in Romania
1919 establishments in Romania