CS Universitatea Craiova

This article is about the club regarded by LPF, a Romanian football governing body, to be the successor of the original Universitatea Craiova. For the other team which claims the Universitatea Craiova record, see FC U Craiova. For other uses, see Universitatea Craiova.

Universitatea Craiova
Full nameU Craiova 1948 Club Sportiv SA[note 1]
Nickname(s)
  • Alb-albaștrii (The White-Blues)
  • Juveții (The Oltenia People)[3]
  • Știința (The Science)
  • Campioana unei mari iubiri
    (The Champion of a Great Love)
  • Leii din Bănie
    (The Lions from Bănie)
Short nameU Craiova
Founded
  • 5 September 1948; 76 years ago (5 September 1948) (as UNSR Craiova)
  • 2013; 11 years ago (2013) (refounding)
GroundIon Oblemenco
Capacity30,983
OwnersMihai Rotaru (95%)
Adrian Andrici (5%)
ChairmanMihai Rotaru
Head coachConstantin Gâlcă
LeagueLiga I
2023–24Liga I, 3rd of 16
WebsiteClub website
Current season

U Craiova 1948 Club Sportiv, commonly known as Universitatea Craiova (Romanian pronunciation: [universiˈtate̯a kraˈjova]), CS U Craiova, or simply U Craiova, is a Romanian professional football team based in Craiova, Dolj County. It competes in the Liga I, the top tier of the Romanian league system.

Initially founded in 1948 as the football section of the CSU Craiova sports club, it was part of the club until 1991, when its berth in the league championship was taken by FC U Craiova following privatisation. Between 1948 and 1991, Universitatea had won four national titles and five national cups.[4] In the next two decades, FC U was reorganised several times and disaffiliated, which led to it being retroactively deemed an unofficial successor to the old entity. In 2013, the sports club reinstated its football department,[5] which asserts the history and trophies of the original Universitatea Craiova. They have since been backed up by several court orders and the Liga Profesionistă de Fotbal, but the record remains subject of legal dispute with another reestablished FC U team.[6][note 2] In 2018 "the White and Blues" won the Cupa României, representing their first trophy following refoundation, and in 2021 won their first Supercupa României.

On the European stage, Universitatea Craiova's best performances are reaching the semi-finals of the 1982–83 UEFA Cup and the quarter-finals of the 1981–82 European Cup. They were the first Romanian team to reach the semi-finals of a UEFA tournament and remain the only one to have knocked out at least one club from each of five strongest countries in European football—England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. "The Students" play their home matches at the Stadionul Ion Oblemenco, which has a capacity of 30,929. They hold several rivalries, the most notable being the one with Dinamo București.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference FRF_2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Deciziile Comitetului Executiv din 3 iulie 2019" [The Executive Committee's decisions on 3 July 2019] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. However, this only means they can use this name and NOT that they are Universitatea Craiova. 3 July 2019. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  3. ^ "Definitia juveții definitie DEX Online, dictionar roman". Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Istoric" [History] (in Romanian). CS Universitatea Craiova. Archived from the original on 7 March 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  5. ^ "Primarul Craiovei prezintă noua echipă de fotbal CS Universitatea" [Craiova's mayor presents the new CS Universitatea football team]. Adevărul. 4 July 2013. Archived from the original on 19 July 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  6. ^ Buzărin, Alin (14 May 2020). "Ce înseamnă promovarea lui FC U Craiova în Liga a 2-a?" [What does FC U Craiova's promotion to the League 2 mean?]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 16 May 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020. This step forward of FC U will ignite the identity flame in Bănie. It always burned, and CS Universitatea, the League 1 team, always felt its flicker, even when Mititelu's side was struggling in the Fourth League.
  7. ^ "Informare cu privire la palmaresul CS U Craiova" [Information about the records of CS U Craiova] (in Romanian). LPF.ro. 10 November 2017. Archived from the original on 9 February 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  8. ^ "Profile: Clubul Sportiv U Craiova". UEFA. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  9. ^ "Marcel Popescu vrea Cupa la Craiova după 25 de ani: "În faza asta nu mai există bun şi rău"" [Marcel Popescu wants the Cup in Craiova after 25 years: "At this point there is no good or bad"] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 14 March 2018. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  10. ^ "S-a întors circul în Bănie! Șefii lui CS U Craiova râd de rivala FC U și de Peluza Sud înaintea duelului de vineri din Liga a 3-a " A venit și replica lui Mititelu" [The show returns to Bănie! CS U Craiova's officials make fun of rival FC U and Peluza Sud before the Liga 3 match on Friday " Mititelu also replied]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 1 November 2018. Archived from the original on 2 November 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.


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