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| Full name | Asociația Clubul Sportiv Suporter Club Oțelul Galați[1] | |||
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| Nicknames |
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| Founded | 1964; 61 years ago (1964) 19 July 2016; 9 years ago (19 July 2016) (refounded) asAsociația Supporter Club Oțelul Galați | |||
| Ground | Oțelul | |||
| Capacity | 13,500 | |||
| Owners | Oțelul Galați Supporters Association Galați Municipality | |||
| Chairman | Cristian Munteanu | |||
| Head coach | László Balint | |||
| League | Liga I | |||
| 2024–25 | Liga I, 8th of 16 | |||
| Website | ascotelul | |||
 Current season | ||||
Asociația Clubul Sportiv Suporter Club Oțelul Galați (Romanian pronunciation:[oˈt͡selulɡaˈlat͡sʲ]), commonly known asOțelul Galați or simply asOțelul, is a Romanianfootball club based in the city ofGalați,Galați County, which competes in theLiga I, the top tier ofRomanian football.
Founded in 1964 as the team of theGalați steel works, Oțelul spent the first two decades of its existence in thelower leagues. It reached the Liga I for the first time in1986, and has since amassed 27 seasons in the competition. Oțelul won the league title in the2010–11 campaign, becoming the first and only Romanian champion from the region ofMoldavia to date; this triumph was followed by winning the2011 Supercupa României. In theCupa României, Oțelul's best result is reaching the final twice, in2004 and2024.
Internationally, the team's best performances are qualifying for the group stages of the2011–12 UEFA Champions League and being one of the eleven co-winners of the2007 UEFA Intertoto Cup. Oțelul's team colours are red, white and blue, and they play at the namesakeStadionul Oțelul.
Football spread to Romania shortly before 1900, first appearing in the cities ofArad andBucharest. It arrived inGalați about 10 years later, through foreign trade companies and offices in the city, as well as the efforts of one Officer Vladovici, a career soldier who studied in France and brought football game regulations and equipment to Galați. The first games took placec. 1908, when Vladovici's team from the 3rd Artillery Regiment played groups of English sailors stationed in the harbour. A year later, the Cavalry Regiment of Galați established a second team in the city. This led to the organisation of several football matches, and the press highlighted the fact that matches were also possible with the sailors from British naval ships present in the Port of Galați. The students of Vasile Alecsandri High School (LVA) formed a team in 1919. A year later, emigrants from Turkey, Greece and Armenia set up the teams of Olimpia and Niki, consisting largely of players coming from Italy, Greece and Turkey, where football was much more developed as a sport. An exhibition match took place on 7 May 1921, in which Triumf București defeated Internaționala Galați 2–1. In the same year, the team ofHMSLadybird defeated Internaționala Galați 6–2. Though there were too few teams for organised competitions, inter-city matches intensified withBrăila,Tulcea, andReni. There were also regular matches with local teams Internaționala, Niki, Olimpia, Şoimii Dacia, Atlas and LVA, as well as military teams.[2]
In 1922, Dacia Soimii and LVA merged to foundDacia Vasile Alecsandri Galați (DVA). DVA gained great popularity and for two decades was one of the best football clubs in southernMoldavia and easternMuntenia. Other new teams established in this era includeMaccabi, Aviaţia, Şcoala Comercială, Sportul, and Baza Navală.[2]
The new teams and increasing popularity allowed different competitions to emerge, and championships took place at the town and district level. Club structures grew with teams of seniors, reserves, youths and children. The Greek bourgeoisie teams of Ermis, Acropolis, and Foresta were created.[2]
In 1926, the first district championship took place. There were ten teams from Galați (including the neighbourhood teams Şoimii and Gloria), two fromReni (Maccabi and Dunărea) and one team representingTulcea. The competition was a commercial success with DVA the first champions. In the next round DVA defeated Concordia Iași 6–1 and advanced to a final tournament for the national trophy. Ten teams took part, among themChinezul Timișoara,Unirea Tricolor București,Colțea Brașov andAMEFA Arad. Lacking experience at this level of competition, DVA lost toBrasov 1–7.[2]
Because at that time military teams were in fashion, Captain Slătineanu transferred fromBraşov the team of Fulgerul. However, due to financial difficulties, Fulgerul had a short life. 1920s regulations did not allow the team to participate in the district championships. Instead, it took part in a series of international matches and competitions. This allowed the new Galați team to gain experience playing the powerful teamsMTK Budapest,Vasas,Újpest,OFK Beograd,ŽAK Subotica andRapid Wien. These matches were played with the ticket office closed.[2]
In the late 1920s,economic hardships led to the dissolution of most of the 20 clubs in Galați. At one time only three clubs took part in the district championship: DVA, Gloria, and Șoimii. In 1927, these latter two clubs, which had been founded as neighbourhood teams in Galați, merged as Gloria Şoimii. In 1932, at the initiative of the railroad workers, Gloria Şoimii and CFR Galați (the Galați railway football club) merged asGloria CFR Galați.
Gloria CFR immediately joined the Lower Danube District Championship, alongside teams already experienced in official competitions such as:DVA, Ermis, Marina Danubiană and Unirea Tulcea. In the 1934–35 season, Gloria CFR were crowned champions of the Lower Danube District, and immediately promoted toDivizia C. A year later Gloria CFR were promoted toDivizia B. This promotion was possible after three promotion play-offs against Telefon Club București, but also due to theRomanian Football Federation, which recognised the value of the team. In the1937–38 season, Gloria CFR, "the Railroad Workers", had a spectacular performance of 16 wins, a draw and a single defeat, and were promoted toDivizia A. In 1937, the clubMetalosport Galați was formed in the city and had important results in the second and third leagues.[2]
The championship schedule was interrupted byWorld War II and did not restart until 1946. Galați was then represented byGloria CFR inDivizia B, whileMetalosport, Şantierul Naval and FC Arsenal were in theDivizia C. In the early 1950s,DVA was dissolved due to financial problems, and Gloria CFR was relegated to Divizia C. The club Dinamo Galați (later renamedSiderurgistul Galați) was formed in 1955 and came very close to promotion to the country's top league in 1961 and 1962.Constructorul Galați was founded in 1950, and reached theCupa României final in1973. Siderurgistul was promoted in 1963 and was the best team in Galați until the mid-1960s.[2]
In 1964, following the reorganisation of football in Galați, the club Oțelul was formed to represent the newly establishedGalați steel works.[3] After three seasons in theCounty Championship, Oțelul was promoted toDivizia C at the end of the 1966–67. The next year, they were promoted toDivizia B. The 1968 promotion was a close contest with Gloria Bârlad; both teams ended the season with 35 points, but Oțelul had a +23 goal differential to Gloria's +21. Oțelul's 1968 promotion squad included: Şerbănoiu, Berechet, Rusu, Florea–Boeru, Coman, Secăşeanu, Luban, Halmagy, Moşneagu, Cernega, Bruştiuc, Niculescu, Morohai, Leca, Ion Ionică, Ailoaiei, Obreja, Câmpeanu, Drăghiescu and Ogescu; with coaches Gh. Drăghiescu and Pompiliu Ionescu.[2][relevant?]
The rise of Oțelul led to the decline ofSiderurgistul, which had been the city's primary team and had played the 1963Cupa României final. In 1967, Siderurgistul gave up its place in the second league to Politehnica Galați and disappeared from Romanian football. After two seasons in the second league, in which Oțelul finished in 9th place in 1969 and 1970, there was another reorganisation of local football. Oţelul changed its name to FC Galați and later to FCM Galați, essentially forming a new club, known later mainly asDunărea Galați. Between 1974 and 1980, this team played three seasons inDivizia A. Meanwhile, some of the players of the former Oțelul transferred to Divizia C club Dacia Galați, which in 1972 revived the name Oțelul.[4]
Oțelul had not completely lost its identity after this manoeuvre, and in the 1973–74 season returned to the second league, finishing 7th. The team finished the 1974–75 season in 17th place with only 24 points, and was relegated to Divizia C, then disbanded. In 1976, the management of the steel industry decided to re-establish Oțelul, joiningDivizia D, and climbing to Divizia C and B. From 1976 to 1977 to 1980–81, their rankings were: 1st (Divizia D); 11th, 10th, 9th, and 1st (Divizia C). The 1980–81 squad of Oțelul included: Șerbănoiu, Călugăru, Cucu, Borș, Căstăian, Morohai, Ceacu, Ciurea, Pătrașcu, Pavel, Gheorghiu, Adamache, Ion Ionică, Basalîc, Ticu, Potorac, and Podeț; with coach Petru Moțoc.[5]
The progress and growth of Oțelul was more difficult than that of traditional Romanian football clubs, due to the 1970 dissolution of the club in favour ofDunărea Galați, the 1972 reformation of Dacia Galați, and the 1975 refounding. In 1980, immediately after the promotion of the team to the second league, a political decision ofGalați County gave Oțelul's place in Divizia B toVictoria Tecuci; some of the Oțelul players switched to the team fromTecuci, and others signed withDivizia C sideMetalosport Galați, owned by the Cristea Nicolae factory.[4] However, in the summer of 1982, there was a turnabout when Metalosport was sacrificed for Oțelul, allowing Oțelul to reach for prominence after years of being held back.
Oțelul took advantage of this political decision, finishing third in the 1982–83 season, eighth in 1983–84, and third in 1984–85 behindPetrolul Ploiești and local rivalDunărea Galați. Oțelul finished the 1984–85 season with a 24–4–6 record, 86 goals scored against 29 conceded, and were promoted to Divizia A. The squad that obtained that performance included: Călugăru, Ionel Dinu, Gh. Stamate, Oprea, Ciobanu, Popescu, Stoica, Radu, Ciurea, Burcea, Smadu,Marius Stan, A. Stamate, Petrescu, Basalic, Rusu,Claudiu Vaișcovici, Antohi, Bejenaru, Dumitru, Rotaru, Lala, Anghelinei, C. Stan, and Ralea; with coachesConstantin Rădulescu andIoan Sdrobiş.[4]
In its first year in the top stage of Romanian football in 1986–87, Oţelul finished in 11th place. The next year, they finished in 4th place and qualified for the1988–89 UEFA Cup season. In their firstEuropean Cup match, in front of 30,000 supporters, Oțelul upset Italian sideJuventus 1–0, the goal scored by Ion Profir from the penalty spot. The squad that played against Juventus in the first European match of the club included: Călugăru – G. Popescu, Anghelinei,Agiu, Borali (Adrian Oprea) – Nae Burcea,Marius Stan, I. Profir, Oct. Popescu – Ralea (Drăgoi), Puiu Antohi. For Juventus:Stefano Tacconi,Nicolò Napoli,Alessandro Altobelli,Rui Barros andMichael Laudrup, with coachesDino Zoff andCornel Dinu.[4] The team lost the second leg match to Juventus inTurin, 5–0, and were eliminated from the European Cup.
At the end of the 1988–1989 regular season, Oţelul was relegated. The club finished third in Divizia B in1989–90, and lost out on promotion to rivalProgresul Brăila. In the1990–91 season, under the management ofMarius Stan andMihai Stoica, the club was promoted to Divizia A; Oțelul finished six points ahead of second-placeGloria Buzău. "The Steelworkers" remained in the top division until 2015.
Following Oțelul's 1991 promotion, the club finished in the middle of the league: 8th in1991–92 and 10th in1992–93. The club participated in the1991–92 Balkans Cup and lost in the final against Turkish sideSarıyer, 0–1 on aggregate. Oțelul barely escaped relegation in the1993–94 season, finishing one point above the relegation line. The coach was replaced withVasile Simionaș, former star ofPolitehnica Iași, and after two seasons finished at 13th place. At the end of the1995–96 season, the club lost star players Radu Cașuba andValentin Ştefan, but maintained a foundation moving forward with players such as:Iulian Arhire, Stelian Bordieanu, Gheorghe Bosânceanu,Gheorghe Cornea,Daniel Florea, Sorin Haraga,Gigi Ion,Viorel Ion,Costin Maleș,Dănuț Oprea,Tudorel Pelin,Emil Spirea,Adrian State,Viorel Tănase andCătălin Tofan.[6]
The1996–97 season broughttotal football toOțelul Stadium. Led by squad captainValentin Ştefan andViorel Ion, Oțelul finished the season in 4th place. During the season, Oțelul beat league-leaderDinamo București 3–1. They also defeatedRapid București in a 4–3 win atGiulești Stadium, which was an historic victory for the club. Then came an unexpected 5–1 victory againstFC U Craiova, which pushed Oțelul to 2nd place in the table. With a 3–1 victory atFC Național (Romania's runners-up at the end of the season), Oțelul were only 3 points behind the leader. Winning the final match 3–0 againstSportul Studențesc, Oțelul finished 4th in the league, matching their previous best finish.Vasile Simionaș was named Romanian coach of the year, andViorel Ion andValentin Ştefan were named to theRomanian national team.[6]
Simionaș remained as coach in Galați for two more seasons, with the team finishing 4th place in1997–98 and 6th in1998–99. Highlights of this period include 14 goals scored byValentin Ștefan as adefensive midfielder in 1997–98; a 7–0 win againstJiul Petroșani in whichMaleș scored Oțelul's 400th goal in the first league; and dramatic victories againstRapid București (1–0) andProgresul București (3–2).[6]
After finishing in 4th place in 1997, Oțelul competed in theUEFA Cup for the second time. They played in the first qualifying round againstSlovenian sideHIT Gorica. Oțelul lost the first leg in Slovenia, 0–2. In the second match, Oțelul led 4–0 in Galați, but Gorica scored twice at 88 and 90 minutes, with goals fromNenad Protega andEnes Demirović. The clubs were tied 4–4 on aggregate, but Gorica advanced by virtue ofaway goals. Oțelul qualified again for the1998–99 UEFA Cup, and beat Macedonian sideSloga Jugomagnat 4–1 on aggregate, advancing to the second round. Oțelul lost toVejle Boldklub of Denmark in the second round, 0–6 on aggregate.[7]
In this period, the club earned the nicknamesCimitirul Granzilor (English:"The Giants Cemetery") andCampioana Provinciei ("The Provincial Champion"). The squad was also calledGenerația de Aur ("The Golden Generation"), although they were later overshadowed by the 2010–11 team. This generation could be considered one of the Oțelul's three best teams, along with the 1988 and 2011 squads.Simionaș was fired in 1999 after a conflict with sporting managerMihai Stoica.[6]
After Simionaș was fired,Dumitru Dumitriu became the new coach. Oțelul fell to 8th place at the end of the1999–2000 season. They dropped to 12th place in2000-2001, but then rose to 5th place in2001-2002, with Victor Roșca and thenMarius Lăcătuș as coach.
This oscillation continued in2002–03, as Oțelul finished in 13th place and faced a relegation play-off againstFC Oradea. In the first leg at Galați, the Steelworkers won 2–1, with goals scored by Gheorghe Cornea andMihai Guriță. In the second leg atOradea, Oțelul lost 1–3.Bogdan Vrăjitoarea scored ahat-trick for the hosts, whileViorel Tănase scored for Oțelul. Oțelul lost 3–4 on aggregate and were facing relegation. However, top division clubsAstra Ploiești andPetrolul Ploiești merged after the season, leaving a vacant place in the league table for Oțelul.
The club was then bought by Nicolai Boghici, a businessman from Galați. Oțelul had a strong2003–04 Divizia A season under coachSorin Cârțu, finishing in 5th place. That year, they also made the club's first appearance in theCupa României Final, where they lost 0–2 toDinamo București. Immediately after this final, it was discovered that the association holding the club had debts of over 15 billionRomanian leu (ROL).
Oțelul earned a spot in the2004–05 UEFA Cup qualifying rounds.[8] Oțelul beatDinamo Tirana in the first round, 8–1 on aggregate, but lost in the second round, 0–1 on aggregate againstPartizan.
In the2004–05 Divizia A season Oțelul finished 8th.Marius Stan was appointed as the club's president starting in the2005–06 season. The team struggled early in the season and was rebuilt, with coachAurel Şunda replaced byPetre Grigoraş and 18 new players brought to the team. The changes turned the team's season around, beginning with a 3–0 victory againstDinamo, and Oțelul finished in 9th place. In the Romanian Cup, Oţelul was eliminated in the quarterfinals in penalty shoot-outs againstFC Național.
In the2006–07 season Oțelul finished 5th in the standings. At the end of this season, prominent playerViorel Tănase retired, scoring a goal in his last match. Thanks to good positioning in the league table, the team qualified for theUEFA Intertoto Cup. In the Romanian Cup, Oțelul was once again eliminated in penalties, this time bySteaua București.
The first match of the 2007–08 season was in the UEFA Intertoto Cup, where Oțelul metSlavija Sarajevo (3rd place in thePremier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina). The first leg atKoševo Stadium ended 0–0. The second leg was played in Galați, and was an unexpected 3–0 win for Oțelul, with goals byEmil Jula (at 31 and 42 minutes) andGabriel Paraschiv (70 min).[9] In the next round, Oțelul faced well-known Turkish sideTrabzonspor (4th place in theSüper Lig). Oţelul won the first match in Galați 2–1 in front of 5,000 spectators.Daniel Stan opened the scoring for Oţelul (28 min), andErsen Martin tied it for Trabzonspor (83 min). The winner was scored by Oţelul'sGabriel Paraschiv (87 min). The second match was played atHüseyin Avni Aker Stadium before more than 20,000 spectators. The Turkish side opened the scoring with a goal from 15 metres byCeyhun Eriş (8 min).János Székely tied the matched for Oţelul five minutes later.Tadas Labukas connected withEmil Jula for a second Oţelul goal (77 min). Jula added a third goal for the Romanian side from the penalty spot in the 88th minute, and Oţelul qualified for the preliminary round of theUEFA Cup.[9] In the UEFA Cup, Oțelul facedLokomotiv Sofia (3rd place in theBulgarian First League). The first leg was played atBalgarska Armia Stadium inSofia, and Oţelul lost 1–3. The second leg finished 0–0, eliminating Oţelul from the competition.
In Liga I, Oţelul finished at 8th place. Emil Jula had the second-most goals in the league with 17.[9] For these feats head coachPetre Grigoraș was calledcel mai tare din oraș ("the best of the city").
Problems arose in the2008–09 season. Oțelul finished 12th, and the club was close to bankruptcy.Petre Grigoraş left the following season and was replaced byDorinel Munteanu. In the 2009–10 season, Oțelul finished in 8th place.
Oțelul achieved its best performance in the2010–11 season, winning the first league, defeating main rivalFC Timişoara in a match that decided the title. Two months later, the club won the Supercupa României in a 1–0 victory over Steaua București.[10] The squad which won included: goalkeepersBranko Grahovac,Cristian Brăneţ, andGabriel Abraham; defendersCornel Râpă,Samoel Cojoc,Cristian Sîrghi,Milan Perendija,Sergiu Costin,Enes Šipović,Constantin Mișelăricu,Adrian Salageanu, andSilviu Ilie; midfieldersIonuț Neagu,Gabriel Giurgiu,Ioan Filip,Ciprian Milea,Liviu Antal,Laurenţiu Iorga,Laurenţiu Petean,John Ibeh,Gabriel Viglianti,Răzvan Ochiroşii,Laurenţiu Buş, andGabriel Paraschiv; and forwardsMarius Pena,Bratislav Punoševac andRóbert Elek; with coachDorinel Munteanu.[10]
In the2011–12 season Oțelul finished in 6th place, and also played in theUEFA Champions League group stage for the first time.[11] Their Champions League group featuredManchester United,Benfica andFC Basel. It was a huge moment for the club to play against top European teams, but Oțelul lost all six matches: 2–3 and 0–1 against Basel; 1–2 and 0–1 against Benfica; and 0–2 in both matches against Manchester United.[10]
After two fantastic seasons, Oțelul faced difficulty as the club's shareholders wanted the money the club had received for Champions League participation.[10]
In the2012–13 season,Marius Stan left to become mayor of Galați, andDan Adamescu became the new owner of the club. Oțelul lostDorinel Munteanu as coach.Viorel Tănase, a star player who had retired in 2007, was named as his replacement. Tănase managed to finish the first part of the season outside the relegation zone, but during the winter break was replaced withPetre Grigoraş. Oțelul finished 11th with 43 points. In the Romanian Cup, they reached the semi-finals, where they were eliminated byPetrolul, the winner of the competition.[10]
On 10 July 2013, despite the€22 million earned from its participation in the Champions League the previous season, Oțelul went into insolvency.[12]
Grigoraş left the club at the end of the2013–14 season, andIonuţ Badea was hired for the new season. Poor results led to Badea's resignation and the arrival ofEwald Lienen, a German coach trained in theBundesliga. He managed to finish the season with Oțelul in 10th place. After this season, Lienen and almost all of the players left due to financial mismanagement. The2014–15 season brought huge changes at Oțelul. Team ownerDan Adamescu was arrested in a case of bribery, and a lack of financing made transfers difficult.[13][14] Among the coaches brought in and subsequently fired were:Michael Weiß,Tibor Selymes andFlorin Marin. Additionally,Liga I reorganised so the bottom six teams in the table were relegated instead of just four. Oțelul finished 17th and was relegated toLiga II after 23 consecutive seasons in the top flight of the Romanian football.[10] Oțelul played 27 seasons inLiga I, holding 16th place in theLiga I All-time table. Oțelul is the second-bestMoldovan team in this ranking, surpassed only byFCM Bacău, but it is the only Moldovan side to win a national title.
The next season in Liga II was painful one for many of Oțelul's fans. The team had to play many games with their youth squad, and finished last in the second league. Relegation was followed by the club's bankruptcy, declared on 1 April 2016 by the Bucharest Tribunal. Less than 5 years after winning the first champion title, the club had suddenly disappeared.[15]
The fall of Oțelul gave rise to many concerns in the Romanian media. In 2016,Marius Stan accused Adamescu for the devaluation of the club:
Adamescu took, without paying anything, a patrimony club of Galați, which accounts had€7.3 million and zero debts, a unique case in Romania! The sole purpose of the shareholders was to devalue the club by the millions that were in the account when it was taken over!"[16]
In 2017, Adamescu's son, Alexander Adamescu, accused Stan of defective management and that the club was his piggybank:
FCO's activity was blocked by ANAF a few months after the takeover by The Nova Group [Adamescu's company], the decision based on the financial reporting of the old management of the club. In the 9 months we had available until the entry of FCO into insolvency, we were unable to change the ongoing contracts, which were concluded in exorbitant amounts also by the old management, and the much higher expenditures compared to the revenues led to the club's closing. The Nova Group has lost on this deal, it has not gotten the 'millions' of the euro – and that for the simple fact that it did not exist"[17]
After the dissolution of the club, Oțelul supporters immediately founded a new association, called Asociația Supporter Club Oțelul Galați, and registered it to compete inLiga IV. On 19 July 2016,ASC Oțelul Galați was officially born with the objective of continuing the tradition of Oțelul in Galați.
ASC Oțelul Galați was considered the spiritual successor of the old club because it wore the same colours, it played in the same stadium and was supported by the same fans. The new entity, didn't own the brand and league record of the old club, which had been bought at auction for€10,000.[18] However, the winner of the auction did not pay the bid which became void. With the aid of a law firm, ASC Oțelul gained possession of the record and brand and became the official successor of the club on 12 September 2017.[19]
At the end of its first season, Oțelul wonLiga IV – Galați County and defeated thechampions of Iași County, Unirea Mircești, in a play-off to win promotion to theLiga III.[20] Under coachStelian Bordeianu, a former player of the club, Oțelul won 30 of its 32 matches in all competitions, setting a record for Romanian football.
Former Oțelul coachDorinel Munteanu returned at the beginning of the2021–22 season and helped secure promotion after five years inLiga III. Oțelul dominated both the regular season and the playoffs, finishing first in Liga III Seria 2, nine points clear of 2nd-placeFocșani. In the playoff semifinal, Oțelul got pastForesta Suceava with a 1–0 victory in Suceava, and a 2–0 win in Galaṭi. The first leg of the final, played inBotoșani againstDante Botoșani, ended in a 1–1 tie. The decisive match was played in Galați, in front of a crowd of 13,000 spectators onStadionul Oțelul.George Cârjan, Alin Nica and Denis Cires scored in a 3–0 win for Oțelul that propelled the steelworkers intoLiga II.
Oțelul withDorinel Munteanu at the helm, took this momentum well into the2022–23 season, inLiga II. Although newly promoted at this level, the Galați team proved to be a real contender as the regular season went on. They finished 3rd in the regular season and qualified for the promotion playoffs. The steelworkers managed to keep their form during the play-off and before the final day, were still 3rd, behindPoli Iasi andSteaua Bucuresti. On the last day, Oțelul got the win they needed againstUnirea Dej (1-0 Răzvan Gorovei), in front of a packedOțelul stadium. The 3rd spot finish, coupled withSteaua's (2nd) legal limitations, sealed a historic comeback to the elite for the steelworkers, 8 years after their previousLiga I match.
The first season back in the elite was2023–24. During this season, Oțelul with the sameDorinel Munteanu as head coach managed to prove wrong most of the certain relegation pre-season predictions. Oțelul finished the regular Liga I season 11th out of 16. In the relegation playout phase, results were even better, granting a 2nd place finish in the playout, 8th in the final general Liga I table. This position also enabled the team to qualify for theUEFA Conference League playoffs semifinals which they lost againstU Cluj. In the Romanian Cup, Oțelul stunned most pundits with a run to the final, eliminating better tipped teams on the way likeUniversitatea Craiova orU Cluj. The final, againstLiga II participantCorvinul Hunedoara was a surprise in the negative sense for Oțelul, losing on penalties after a hard fought 2-2 after extra time inSibiu. 3500 supporters made the long trip fromGalați toSibiu, the full number of tickets available to them.
The youth academy of Oțelul Galați developed young players including:Iulian Arhire,Florin Cernat,Romulus Chihaia,Daniel Florea,Silviu Ilie,Laurențiu Iorga,George Miron,Ionuț Neagu,Dănuț Oprea,Cornel Râpă,Viorel Tănase,Cătălin Tofan, orAlexandru Tudorie.Their local rival is theDunărea Galați football academy, from which many important footballers developed.
Oțelul II Galați was a Romanian professional football club that functioned as the reserve team for Oțelul. Founded in 2007, the team competed in theLiga III, the third tier of the Romanian football league system. Oțelul II disbanded in early 2015 due to financial difficulties. Following the team's closure, most players signed for local Liga III clubMetalosport. During their brief existence, Oțelul II's best league finish was a second-place position achieved in the2008–09 Liga III season.
Former managers includeViorel Tănase (2008–2009), Dan Dobai, Ion Basalîc,Constantin Schumacher andDaniel Florea (both 2013).
The club plays its home matches atStadionul Oțelul inGalați. Oțelul has also used other local venues, such asStadionul Nicolae Rainea,Stadionul Siderurgistul, andBaza Sportivă Zoltan David, but only for short periods of time.
Oțelul has many supporters inGalați andGalați County, but also in the region of southernMoldavia. Oțelul Galați has groups ofultras, including Steel Boys, Ultra Sud, Sidexplozia, SCOG and New Order. Regular fans that are not affiliated with any ultras groups can join the Liga Suporterilor Gălăţeni 1993 (The Galați Supporters League 1993) organisation.[21] After the 2016 dissolution of the club, Oțelul fans from the aforementioned groups founded Supporter Club Oțelul Galați and enrolled the team in theLiga IV; this action kept the club from disappearing, and their actions proved the attachment of the fans to the red, white and blue side.
The main rivals of Oțelul Galați areDacia Unirea Brăila, who they face in a competition known asDerby-ul Dunării de Jos ("The Lower Danube Derby"). Any Galați–Brăila match is considered a derby, taking this term from a regional derby in the early years of football.[22][23][24] Another important local rivalry is againstDunărea Galați, a club born from the break-up of Oțelul in the 1960s. Oţelul fans also share a rivalry withPoli Iaşi supporters, following a series of clashes between the two sets of fans.[25] A much newer rivalry is one againstFC Vaslui.[26] During periods of success, Oțelul has had contextual rivalries withSteaua București,[citation needed]Dinamo București[citation needed] andRapid București,[citation needed] especially in the 1990s, as well as withPolitehnica Timișoara between 2010 and 2011.[further explanation needed][citation needed]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  László Balint |
| Assistant coach | Alin Pânzaru |
| Goalkeeping coach | Iulian Olteanu |
| Fitness coach | Alexandru Radu |
| Video analyst | Nic Constandache |
| Club doctor | Ionut Băneșanu |
| Physiotherapist | Marius Matei |
| Masseurs | Costel Crăciun Alexandru Bălan |
| Storemen | Cristian Bahnașu Iulian Dogaru |
| Nutritionist | Alexandru Buză |
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Owners | Oțelul Galați Supporters AssociationGalați Municipality |
| President | Cristian Munteanu |
| Economist | Filote Culița |
| Secretary | Geanina Tătaru |
| Advocate | Constantin Savin |
| Head of order and safety | Aurel Brașoveanu |
| Ticketing director | Bogdan Juravlea |
| Sporting director | Cristian Sîrghi |
| Team Manager | Ionuț Neagu |
| Delegate | George Cârjan |
| Press officer | Dănuț Lungu |
| Photographer | Valentin Munteanu |
The footballers enlisted below have had international cap(s) for their respective countries at junior and/or senior level and/or more than 100 caps for ASC Oțelul Galați.
Mario AgiuLiviu AntalIulian ApostolEugen BaștinăEric BicfalviGabriel BoștinăAlexandru BourceanuVasile BrătianuGeorge CârjanFlorin CernatRomulus ChihaiaHorațiu CiolobocSamuel CojocSergiu CostinGheorghe DumitrașcuIoan FilipDaniel FloreaRamses GadoSorin GhioneaGabriel GiurgiuMihai GurițăVictoraș IacobSilviu IlieGigi IonViorel IonLaurențiu IorgaSilviu IorgulescuEmil JulaCostin MaleșCosmin MărgineanAndrei MironCristian MunteanuȘtefan NanuIonuț NeaguRăzvan OchiroșiiGeorge OgăraruDănuț OpreaGabriel ParaschivTudorel PelinMarius PenaCornel RâpăAdrian SălăgeanuCristian SîrghiMarius StanJános SzékelyValentin ȘtefanViorel TănaseCătălin TofanAdrian TomaAlexandru TudorieClaudiu Vaișcovici
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