Fotbal Club Municipal Târgoviște (), commonly known as FCM Târgoviște, was a Romanian
football team based 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 the ...
,
Dâmbovița County
Dâmbovița County (also spelt ''Dîmbovița'', ) is a county (județ) of Romania, in Muntenia, with the capital city at Târgoviște, the most important economic, political, administrative and cultural center of the county.
It has an area of ...
, founded in 1948 and disbanded in 2018.
FCM Târgoviște, which throughout history bore several other names, amassed nine appearances 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 ...
, the highest tier of the
Romanian league system, and their best result in the competition was finishing seventh in the
1978–79 campaign.
The fate of the team became troubled in the 2010s; firstly, Târgoviște was dissolved in 2015 but refounded and enrolled in the
sixth division the next year, and then in 2018 owner Ghiorghi Zotic announced that he would give up on the men's football team and focus only on the women squad instead.
History
The first team of the town, FCM Târgoviște, was founded after the end of
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 ...
in 1948 as ''Metalul Târgoviște''. Subsequently named ''Energia'' (1956), then again ''Metalul'' (1957–1972), ''CS'' (1972–1994), ''Oțelul'' (1994–1996) and ''Chindia'' (1996–2003), the club spent only nine seasons of its existence in the top flight. It promoted for the first time in
1961
Events January
* January 3
** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015).
** Aero Flight 311 ...
, but was immediately relegated. Then "the Red and Blues" promoted again in
1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrati ...
and played constantly at the level of the first division for the next seven campaigns, with only a short break in the
1980–81 Divizia B. At the end of the 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s the football of Targoviște reached its peak, which besides launching a very good generation of players, achieved the best ranking in the history of the club, a seventh place at the end of the
1978–79 championship.

That squad of "the club situated under the Chindia Tower" would be called "the golden generation" and in its composition were the following players:
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 ...
,
Silviu Dumitrescu, Ion Ene, Florea Alexandru, Ionel Pitaru, Dumitru Gheorghe, Claudius Sava, Nelu Isaia, Gheorghe Greaca, Nicolae Enache, Petre Marinescu, Ion Constantin, Ilie Niculescu, Viorel Radu, Constantin Miia, Gheorghe Voinea, Mihai Iatan, Mihai Banu, Mihai Mărgelatu, Gheorghe Filipescu and Dumitru Economu.
After relegating in 1984, ''CS Târgoviște'' did not recover, at one point even playing in the
Divizia C. The year 1995 brought the promotion in the second division, followed by another one in 1996; Under the name ''CF Chindia'' and led from the bench by its former player
Silviu Dumitrescu, the squad was one of the most notable that ever played on
Eugen Popescu Stadium. Even if it probably was not as good as Dumitrescu's generation, the promotion achieved in 1996, after twelve years in the lower divisions, the playing style and the squad, which consisted in local players, earned Chindia the nickname ''Micul Ajax'' ("the Little Ajax"). In that squad of Chindia were players such as:
Adrian Bogoi, Vasile Bârdeș, Bogdan Liță, Cristian Țermure,
Cristian Bălașa
Cristian Bălașa (born 27 December 1972) is a Romanian professional football manager and former football player. He is currently the sporting director of Liga II club Concordia Chiajna.
Club career
Bălașa made his Liga I debut on 31 July 19 ...
, Remus Gâlmencea or
Laurențiu Reghecampf
Laurențiu Aurelian Reghecampf (born 19 September 1975) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is currently in charge of Azerbaijan Premier League side Neftchi Baku.
Playing career
Club
Reghecampf was born in Târ ...
.
The period of glory was again a very short one and at the end of
1997–98 season Chindia returned to the second division.
In 2003 the team changed its name to ''FCM Târgoviște'', and in the summer of 2004, due to financial issues it almost withdrew from the championship. On 19 August 2004, businessman Ghiorghi Zotic took over the club with the clear goal of saving it from both relegation and bankruptcy. In 2009, the team relegated back 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 ...
and the relationship between Zotic and the Târgoviște Municipality started to strain, just like the one between him and the supporters.
In March 2010, the Eugen Popescu Stadium rental agreement expired and was not extended. Since then the club moved away from Târgoviște to the Alpan Stadium in
Șotânga. From this point on, FCM started its total decline and in 2015 Zotic dissolved the club's senior squad, only keeping the women's football team. After one year, FCM enrolled in the sixth tier, but after two seasons was dissolved again.
Chronology of names
Honours
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 (4):
1960–61,
1976–77,
1980–81,
1995–96
*Runners-up (3):
1962–63,
1963–64,
1969–70
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 ...
*Winners (2):
1968–69,
1994–95
*Runners-up (5):
1956
Events
January
* January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan.
* January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, are kille ...
,
1957–58,
1976–77,
2002–03,
2009–10
Other performances
* Appearances in
Liga I
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
: 9
* Best finish 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 ...
: 7th (
1978–79)
References
External links
Official websiteat frf-ajf.ro
{{DEFAULTSORT:Targoviste
Football clubs in Dâmbovița County
Sport in Târgoviște
Association football clubs established in 1948
Association football clubs disestablished in 2018
Liga I clubs
Liga II clubs
Liga III clubs
1948 establishments in Romania
2018 disestablishments in Romania