Until a decade ago, the star, DinamoFast and Craiova were the main brands in Romanian football, since 2011 but, one by one, they began to be torn to pieces, to lose their right to use the brand and logo and to end up being judged in endless trials to find out who owns the record . Currently, there are no less than 9 teams in the first 4 leagues that claim to have a connection with the 4 historic clubs.
Steaua became FCSB and CSA. Dinamo exists in two leagues, with 3 teams bearing this name, differentiated only by the initials: FC, which became SC, another CS, plus ACS FC. Rapid has returned to League 1 on a new company, although another Rapid, AFC, continues to claim today that it has a historic record. Finally, the University of Craiova, once Science, broke into two almost identical pieces: the stadium and the colors are really the same, the name and the logo are 99% similar.
This is the summary of the summaries of the decline of 4 fabulous brands of Romanian football. The times when Steaua was just Steaua, Dinamo was one team, Rapid was Rapid, and the University was synonymous with football not only in Craiova, but also in the whole of Oltenia, are over. And now there are, instead of 4 clubs, no less than 9 teams fighting on the same identity. And that produced fractures impossible to repair in the membership of the fans and in the connection that was formed in decades between a team and fans.
Dinamo, the last to enter the identity war
The last to enter this blacklist of degradation is Dinamo. Grinded by insolvencies, lack of finances and sports performances, but also knocked down by the recently ticked relegation, the second largest club in Romania is threatened from the perspective of the identity of two other teams called Dinamo.
The biggest threat is CS Dinamo, the team of the Ministry of Interior, which recently promoted to the 3rd League and which has a huge advantage, but also a disadvantage compared to the one that has just left League 1. The advantage: it will receive in administration the new stadium, which will be built in the next 3 years in Ștefan cel Mare. Disadvantage: it does not have the great mass of Dinamo fans by its side.
What has happened in the last decade in Romanian football is probably unprecedented in any country, regardless of the tradition and scope of football. The first 4 clubs, with trophies won, finals and semifinals in the European cups, came to have as their main concern, before the sports results, the actions that must be done to win their identity, record, name, colors, logo.
Today, the Romanian football table continues to contain the names Steaua, Dinamo, Rapid and the University of Craiova, but the beautiful past story of these huge teams has only turned into a legal mess that causes confusion and diminishes the value and interest in competition.
The painful picture of the decline of the 4 huge brands of Romanian football:
THE STAR
Two young supporters of the current FCSB in a photo that makes as many as 1,000 words: one has an older shirt, since the club was called and had the logo Steaua, the other equipped with the new emblem
– existed as a single club, which had the entire mass of supporters, until the end of 2014, when Becali lost the Steaua brand permanently, following a decision of the High Court of Cassation and Justice
– subsequently, other lawsuits were opened between CSA Steaua and FCSB, including the record, and at the moment, even if it is not final, the last court decision says that the period 1947-1998 belongs to the club of the ministry, FCSB has the interval 2003-2014, and the period between 1998 and 2003 is practically in the air
– in 2017, CSA Steaua decided to set up the football department, and the team left League 4 and reached League 2, where it played in the previous season, but did not have the right to be promoted due to the legislation in force
– FCSB was expelled from Ghencea, where a 5-star stadium was built, which is managed by CSA Steaua and where only the ministry team is allowed to play, not the one owned by Gigi Becali
WHAT’S RIGHT NOW
FCSB, League 1, owned by Gigi Becali
CSA Steaua, League 2, owned by the Ministry of National Defense
What would it mean today if Steaua had never broken
– 75 years of existence
– 26 champion titles, an absolute record in Romania
– 23 Romanian Cups, an absolute record in our country
– 2 international trophies: Champions Cup and European Super Cup
– the only club that has never been demoted
– a total of 59 trophies won
Dinamo
– until 2017 there was only one club called FC Dinamo Bucharest
– in the summer of 2017, Nicolae Badea founded ACS FC Dinamo, which plays in League 4
– in 2021, CS Dinamo created a senior team in the football section, which registered in League 4 and managed to be promoted last Sunday
– FC Dinamo recently lost the right to use the name FC Dinamo, after Nicolae Badea officially notified the club
– FC Dinamo, which became SC Dinamo, is also obliged to change its logo, which was already chosen following a competition in which fans also participated
– last season, FC Dinamo and CS Dinamo played on the same stadium, the one in Ștefan cel Mare
– a new stadium will be built in Ștefan cel Mare, and CS Dinamo will almost certainly be the administrator, the model that was also followed at Steaua
WHAT’S RIGHT NOW
SC Dinamo, League 2, also owned by DDB
CS Dinamo, League 3, owned by the Ministry of Interior
ACS FC Dinamo, League 4, owned by Nicolae Badea
Three players from 3 teams all named Dinamo, two of them having the same logo last season: the one in League 1 and the one in League 4, owned by Nicolae Badea
What Dinamo means today, in danger of breaking
– 74 years of existence
– 18 champion titles
– 13 Romanian Cups
– semifinalist of the European Champions Cup and the Cup Winners’ Cup
– a total of 34 trophies won
FAST
– the club went bankrupt after being demoted in 2015
– was re-established and left League 4, under the name of FC Rapid, a club that was strongly supported politically, by the mayor of Sector 1, Viorel Tudorache
– at the same time, AFC Rapid was founded, a club supported by Horia Manoliu, former marketing director of the team with Copos patron, who claimed and still claims to have a historical record, using a clause signed by George Copos, that If the company goes bankrupt, the record goes to him
– in 2018, the new Rapid got the promotion in League 3, then, in the first year in League 2, where it stayed for two seasons, and in the summer of 2021 it reached League 1 again
– now, FC Rapid is playing on the new stadium in Giulești, which belongs to CS Rapid, but the football club pays huge sums to use it, over 30,000 euros for each League 1 game
WHAT’S RIGHT NOW
FC Rapid, League 1, owned by Victor Angelescu and Dan Șucu
AFC RapidLeague 4, owned by Horia Manoliu
What does Rapid mean today?
– 99 years of existence
– 3 champion titles
– 13 Romanian Cups
– two Balkan Cups and a quarter-final in the UEFA Cup
– a total of 24 trophies won
CRAIOVA UNIVERSITY
– existed as a single club until 2011, when it was relegated to sports, then disaffiliated by FRF
– Adrian Mititelu started from League 4, and in 2 years he reached League 2
– in 2013, FRF invited a new club, sponsored by Mihai Rotaru and supported by Craiova City Hall, directly in League 2, where Mititelu’s team had also arrived
– the two evolved in the same championship, Caruova lui Rotaru promoted in the first league, and that of Mititelu went bankrupt
– Mititelu set up a new company, took it back from League 4 and arrived on the first stage again in the summer of 2021
– the two clubs fight on the same identity: name, logo, record
– the Universitatea brand was awarded by Rotaru’s club, but Mititelu claims that it has a historical record, a dispute regarding which, however, there is no final court decision
– at the moment, the two teams are almost impossible to distinguish for someone who is not very knowledgeable: they are called almost the same, they are in the same league, they play on the same stadium, they have almost the same logo and they have the same colors
Differences: Nistor, from U Craiova 1948 Club Sportiv SA, in a duel with Compagno, from U Craiova 1948 SA! Similarities: equipment colors and especially logos
WHAT’S RIGHT NOW
In Craiova 1948 Club Sportiv SALeague 1, owned by Mihai Rotaru
In Craiova 1948 SALeague 1, owned by Adrian Mititelu
What would it mean today if the University of Craiova had never broken
– 74 years of existence
– 4 champion titles
– 7 Romanian Cups
– UEFA Cup semi-finalist
– a total of 12 trophies won
129of trophies would have together the 4 clubs if they had always existed as one separate club
In the last decade, the CFR monopoly
Taking as a benchmark the year 2011, when the University was disaffiliated, being the first club among the 4 giants to suffer, and to this day, only FCSB managed to count and impose itself in the fight for the title. He won the championship 3 times, but in two and a half editions it was called Steaua. Otherwise, only clubs in the Province became champions, more than half of the trophies being awarded by CFR.
| THE YEAR | champion | |
| 2011 | Steel | |
| 2012 | cf. | |
| 2013 | FCSB | |
| 2014 | FCSB | |
| 2015 | FCSB | |
| 2016 | astral | |
| 2017 | The future | |
| 2018 | cf. | |
| 2019 | cf. | |
| 2020 | cf. | |
| 2021 | cf. | |
| 2022 | cf. |
Since they haven’t won the title
| CLUB | YEAR |
| the star | 2015 |
| Dinamo | 2007 |
| Fast | 2003 |
| In Craiova | 1991 |
What would the best “11” all-time players from the 4 big clubs look like:
R. Răducanu (Rapid) – D. Petrescu (Steaua), C. Dinu (Dinamo), Belodedici (Steaua), Klein (Dinamo) – Boloni (Steaua), G. Popescu (U Craiova) – Lăcătuș (Steaua), Balaci (U Craiova), Hagi (Steaua) – Răducioiu (Dinamo)
.