 | ||||
| Full name | U Craiova 1948 Club SportivSA[note 1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | ||||
| Short name | U Craiova | |||
| Founded |
| |||
| Ground | Ion Oblemenco | |||
| Capacity | 31,000 | |||
| Owners | Mihai Rotaru (65%) Other shareholders (35%) | |||
| Chairman | Mihai Rotaru | |||
| Head coach | Filipe Coelho | |||
| League | Liga I | |||
| 2024–25 | Liga I, 3rd of 16 | |||
| Website | ucv1948.ro | |||
 Current season | ||||
U Craiova 1948 Club Sportiv, commonly known asUniversitatea Craiova (Romanian pronunciation:[universiˈtate̯akraˈjova]),CS U Craiova,U Craiova, or simplyCraiova, is a Romanian professionalfootball club based inCraiova,Dolj County. It competes in theLiga I, the top tier ofRomanian league system.
Initiallyfounded in 1948 as the football section of theCSU Craiova sports club, it was part of the club until 1991, when its berth in the league championship was taken byFC U Craiova followingprivatisation. Between 1948 and 1991, Universitatea had won four national titles and fivenational 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 severalcourt orders and theLiga Profesionistă de Fotbal, but the record remains subject of legal dispute with another reestablished FC U team.[6][note 2]
In2018, "the White and Blues" won the Cupa României, representing their first trophy following refoundation, and in2021 won their firstSupercupa României. On theEuropean stage, Universitatea Craiova's best performances are reaching the semi-finals of the1982–83 UEFA Cup and the quarter-finals of the1981–82 European Cup. It was 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 the five strongest countries in European football—England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. In the2025–26 season, Craiova reached theleague phase of a European competition for the first time, after defeatingİstanbul Başakşehir in theConference Leagueplay-off round.
"The Students" play their home matches at theStadionul Ion Oblemenco, which has a capacity of 30,929. Craiova has several rivalries, the most notable being the one withDinamo București.
| Active departments ofSCM Craiova | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Football in the city ofCraiova began in 1921 when the first two teams were founded: Craiovan Craiova and Rovine Grivița Craiova. In 1940, the two sides merged in what resulted to be one of the most successful Romanian clubs of theInterwar period,FC Craiova, who were the first team of the city that won theRomanian football championship. However, the 1942–43 title is not recognized officially byFRF andLPF.
Immediately after the foundation of the first university education institution – the Institute of Machines and Electric Devices – a group of teachers and students founded CSU Craiova in 1948, a sports club with athletics, volleyball, handball, table tennis, chess, and football sections.[11]
Under the coordination of the Ministry of Public Education and the National Union of Students in Romania, the football team UNSR Craiova (Uniunea Națională a Studenților din România) was formed and enrolled in the county championship. The first official match was held atFiliași on 5 September 1948, with "the Students" being defeated 6–3. These football players dressed the white-blue shirt: Dumitrescu – Rădulescu, Mihăilă I, Carli – Ozon, Mihăilă II – Sabin, Ilie, Bădescu, Tudor, and Serghi; all under the command of head coach N. Polojinski.[11]
In 1950, the football section changed its name from UNSR Craiova to CSU Craiova, the same name as its parent club. In 1951, CSU Craiova defeated with 6–0 Constructorul Craiova, a local rival, in what was going to be the first official match played inCupa României. In 1953, the club was renamed to Știința Craiova; one year later at thepromotion play-off hosted inArad, Știința, coached by Nicolae Oțeleanu, promoted for the first time in its history at the level of the second echelon. The club relegated back toDivizia C after only one season and remained at that level until 1958.[11]
| Name | Period |
| UNSR Craiova | 1948–1950 |
| CSU Craiova | 1950–1953 |
| Știința Craiova | 1953–1966 |
| Universitatea Craiova | 1966–1991 |
| Universitatea Craiova | 2013–present |
In 1958, Știința was promoted for the second time in the second league after a fight on the knife edge in the third series of Divizia C againstUnirea Râmnicu Vâlcea. At the end of the season, both teams finished with 34 points, but with the advantage of direct matches for the white and blue team.[12] In the first season after promotion, Craiova placed 13th out of 14. Several wins have been made in the next seasons: 1959–60 (10th), 1960–61 (2nd), 1961–62 (4th), 1962–63 (4th).[13] The 1963–64 Divizia B season had a four-way fight for promotion in the first series of the second league. At the end, the Students won the promotion, but tied for second place withMetalul Târgoviște (one point ahead, third place).Poiana Câmpina had two points over fourth place,Dinamo Bacău. This historical act was signed by head coachNicolae Oțeleanu and the following players: Dumitrescu, Vasilescu, Geleriu, Lungan, Deliu, Bărbulescu, Tetea, Ganga, Anton, Lovin, Onea, Vişan, Stanciu, Papuc, C.Stesnescu, A.Stenescu.[11]
The firstDivizia A season was challenging for who were saved from relegation in the last rounds with just one point more than the first relegated team,Minerul Baia Mare. The end of the next season found Știința ranked eighth, the middle of the standing, and they were already putting the first bases of a team able to issue claims to the title.
In the summer of 1966, the club was renamed from Știința Craiova to Universitatea Craiova. Nevertheless, supporters continued to include in their chants and their encouragements the nameȘtiința. Universitatea supporters tend to chantHei, hei, hai Știința! at times of loss.[citation needed]
As Universitatea followed seasons of contrasting results, in some of them, the team delighted the audience in others less, but has remained in the first division, regardless of the situation:1966–67 (third),1967–68 (11th),1968–69 (seventh),1969–70 (4th).[14]
Craiova started the 1970s with a team built aroundIon Oblemenco,Petre Deselnicu, Teodor Țarălungă,Lucian Strâmbeanu andDumitru Marcu, among others. The start of the decade had the club in sixth place at the end of the1970–71 season and eighth place at the end of the1971–72. In the1972–73 season, they finished at the same number of points withDinamo București, but lost the championship ongoal difference. The season coined a new nickname, "the Champion of a Great Love", a nickname created by the poetAdrian Păunescu, a big fan of the team from Bănie, named Dinamo only as the champion of the country, indicating that Craiova lost the title.[15]
In the1973–74 season, the title fight was again between Universitatea and Dinamo. Craiova won the title by a point from Dinamo, with Craiova becoming the first university team to win a national title in Europe. Dinamo was considered to be the pet team of thecommunist regime, which often influenced the results as well and after the last season's incidents, Universitatea was increasingly seen as a representative of the people and simple man in the struggle with the communist regime, of pure football and football played on the pitch against the one dominated by arrangements and influences, so the nickname had gained a reputation.[16] The squad that won the first title was coached byConstantin Cernăianu andConstantin Oțet and had the following players included:Oprea,Manta –Niculescu,Bădin,Deselnicu,Velea,Strâmbeanu,Ivan,Niță,Balaci, Berneanu, Țarălungă,Oblemenco,Bălan, Pană,Boc,Ștefănescu,Marcu, Stăncescu, Kiss, Chivu,Negrilă and Constantinescu.[11]
The1974–75 season brought a firstUEFA European Cup presence against Swedish teamÅtvidaberg, who lost 3–4 on aggregate but ranked third place at the end of the championship. The1975–76 season had the team rank sixth place and announcing a generational change. For the last season ofIon Oblemenco, the team from Craiova won theRomanian Cup for the first time in its history in a final againstSteaua București. In theDivizia A, the team finished in third place.
With the generational exchange made, Universitatea continued to impress in 1978 by defending its Romanian Cup trophy, won a year before againstOlimpia Satu Mare and a sixth place in the league. The1978–79 season ended with fourth place and in theUEFA Cup Winners' Cup,Fortuna Düsseldorf eliminated the team in the first round.
Craiova Maxima (The Maximum Craiova) was the second generation of Universitatea. It was a squad composed of many players who grew up close to the first golden team and formed the basis of theRomania national football team including:Ilie Balaci,Rodion Cămătaru,Costică Ștefănescu,Zoltan Crișan,Ion Geolgău,Aurel Beldeanu,Costică Donose andSilviu Lung, among others.
At the end of the1979–80 season, it was crowned the champion of Romania for the second time. The squad consisted of Boldici,Lung –Negrilă,Tilihoi,Ștefănescu,Ungureanu,Balaci,Beldeanu,Crişan,Donose,Cămătaru,Geolgău,Cârțu,Irimescu,Purima andCiupitu – with coachesValentin Stănescu andIon Oblemenco.[11] Universitatea'sUEFA Cup campaign eliminatedWiener SC andLeeds United until it was beaten in the third round by German football clubBorussia Mönchengladbach, 1–2 on aggregate.
In the1980–81 season, the team was managing the historical double, the cup, and the championship. As a result of this performance, the students qualified for the1981–82 European Cup, whereCraiova Maxima became more and more visible by eliminatingOlympiacos andKB, being stopped in the quarter-finals byBayern Munich, 1–3 in aggregate, a historical performance for the Romanian football at that time.
The long-standing presence in the European Cups affected the team, which finished only on second place. They later qualified in the UEFA Cup throughout the1982–83 season, being the first team in the history of Romania that qualified in a European Cup semi-finals. Under the management ofConstantin Oțet andNicolae Ivan, the team took outFiorentina (Serie A runners-up),Bordeaux, andKaiserslautern. In the semi-final, Universitatea encounteredBenfica, two times European champions and three timesEuropean Cup finalists at that time. After two draws, the Portuguese side advanced to the final on aggregate away goals. In the Divizia A, the team finished again in second place.
Throughout the rest of the 1980s, Universitatea Craiova ranked in the following places:1983–84 (3rd),1984–85 (4th),1985–86 (3rd),1986–87 (5th),1987–88 (5th),1988–89 (5th), and1988–89 (3rd). The team had a constant presence in the European Cups eliminating teams such asReal Betis,Olympiacos,AS Monaco andGalatasaray, but they never got past the third round. The Students also lost a Romanian Cup final in 1985, 1–2 againstSteaua București.
In 1991, CS Universitatea Craiova had its last Romanian cup.Prunea,Mănăilă,Săndoi,Ad. Popescu,Mogoşanu,Ciurea, Olaru,Cristescu,Zamfir,Badea,Pigulea,Agalliu,Craioveanu andNeagoe were the last players that have kissed the championship trophy, along with coachesSorin Cârţu and Ștefan Cioacă.[11]
In 1991, Universitatea Craiova conquered its last national title andRomanian Cup, under the management ofSorin Cârțu.
However, in the same year, the CS Universitatea Craiova sports club dissolved its football section,[17] andFotbal Club Universitatea Craiova continued its tradition until the early 2010s—until 1994, the club was still controlled by theMinistry of National Education. FC U won a Romanian Cup in 1993 and reached three finals, in 1994, 1998, and 2000. There was faulty management during the 1990s and early 2000s, which led to the 2005 relegation, when 41 consecutive years of Divizia A were celebrated.
On 20 July 2011, the club was temporarily excluded by theRomanian Football Federation[18] for failing to withdraw their dispute with former coachVictor Pițurcă from a civil court, as per article 57 of the FRF statute which states that the Football Federation solves all the sportslawsuits.[19] However, the article allows disputes regardingemployment contracts to be adjudicated in civil court.[20] The exclusion decision was approved by the FRF General Assembly on 14 May 2012.[21] All of the squad players were declaredfree agents and later signed with other clubs.
I believe that this team [CS U Craiova] is the successor of the one established in 1948, under the auspices of the Senate of theUniversity of Craiova.
On 20 July 2011, the Romanian Football Federation decided to disaffiliate withFC Universitatea Craiova,[23] but the decision was found controversial in court.[24] Consequently, in the summer of 2013, local authorities of Craiova, supported byPavel Badea and associated with Club Sportiv U CraiovaSA (CS U), reestablished the football section of CS U Craiova.[25] CS U claimed that it owns all of the Universitatea honours,[26] and that the sports club did not offer its records to FC U Craiova, which was considered a new club; this was confirmed injustice in June 2016[27] and reaffirmed byLPF in November 2017.[7] CS Universitatea Craiova is the rightful owner of the brand and records – accepting the1992–93 Cupa României, claimed[9] but not officially part of CS U's honours.[28]
On 14 August 2013, CS Universitatea Craiova was provisionally affiliated to the Romanian Football Federation, following complications with a licensing file.[29] After resolving the issues, the club was introduced inLiga II, the second tier of the Romanian league system. Universitatea made its season debut on 27 August, with a 6–1 success overPandurii II Târgu Jiu in the fourth round of theRomanian Cup.[30] In the2013–14 Liga II season, CS Universitatea Craiova and FC U Craiova met in two direct matches, which hid the true identities of the clubs. CS Universitatea Craiova promoted back toLiga I in 2014 after 23 years of absence, while FC U Craiova was permanently excluded, but later reappeared under the name of FC U Craiova 1948 in 2017.
After the promotion, Universitatea ended the2014–15 campaign in fifth place.[31] This result was followed by eighth place in the2015–16 season and a fourth place at the end of the2016–17 season, the latter ensuring return to European competitions. The comeback in thethird qualifying round of theUEFA Europa League was Italian sideAC Milan, with Craiova leaving the competition after 0–3 on aggregate.[32][33] On 27 May 2018, Universitatea won its first trophy since its reinstatement after beating second-tier clubHermannstadt in theCupa României final. The game ended 2–0 and was hosted by theArena Națională inBucharest.[34] One month later, the Romanian Football Federation approved an application to rename the society from Club Sportiv U Craiova SA to U Craiova 1948 Club Sportiv SA.[1] As the winner of Cupa României, Craiova subsequently took part in the2018 Supercupa României, which they lost 0–1 toCFR Cluj on home ground.[35]
.jpg)
Two years later on 3 August 2020, in a home ground game against CFR Cluj, Universitatea Craiova came close to winning its first national league since the1990–91 season.Dan Nistor opened the scoring for Craiova in the 11th minute, but their title contenders won the final fixture of theseason 3–1, thus becoming champions for a third consecutive year.[36] On 28 August 2025, Craiova secured its first-everleague phase qualification in European competitions, after defeatingİstanbul Başakşehir 3–1 at home and 5–2 on aggregate in theConference Leagueplay-off round.[37]
Stadionul Ion Oblemenco (Ion Oblemenco Stadium) was a multi-purpose stadium in Craiova, and it was originally named Central Stadium. It was used mostly for football matches and would hold up to 25,252 people before it was demolished in 2015. The stadium was opened on 29 October 1967, with the national teams ofRomania andPoland tying after scoring two goals each.
It hosted many matches during the Craiova Maxima era, such as the 1981–82 European Cup quarterfinal againstBayern Munich and the 1982–83 UEFA Cup semi-final againstBenfica. Following the death of Universitatea Craiova legendIon Oblemenco in 1996, the stadium was renamed in his honour. In 2008, the stadium underwent a major renovation, and in 2015 it was entirely demolished.
The newIon Oblemenco Stadium, with a capacity of 30,929 seats, was inaugurated on 10 November 2017 with afriendly match between Universitatea Craiova and Czech clubSlavia Prague.[38]
Universitatea Craiova has many fans inCraiova, especially in the region ofOltenia; in Romania, they are the third-most supported team in the country afterFCSB andDinamo București, as shown in a 2016 survey.[39]Many ultras groups exist, but in 2013, a strong division among the fans occurred due to the uncertainty regarding the true identities of the two clubs which claim the record of Universitatea. Sezione Ultra' 2000 and Utopia from Peluza Nord chose to support CS Universitatea Craiova,[40] while Praetoria and Ultras 2004 from Peluza Sud 97 choseFC U Craiova. Later in 2017, Ultras Craiova 2004 left FC U and decided to remain neutral.[41]
After some time, given the fact that CS Universitatea Craiova acquired most of the records, many new groups were founded:Peluza Nord Craiova:North Lions,[42] Vechiul Spirit Ultras, Nord Oltenia, Gruppo Sibiu, Gruppo Capitala, Ponsiona and UNU MAI UNIT.
In March 2018, FC U Craiova supporters attending a friendly game betweenRomania andSweden at theStadionul Ion Oblemenco booed CS U playerAlexandru Mitriță upon beingsubstituted out.[43] They also broke chairs, and as a response, CS U fans symbolically used insecticide to "get rid of the stench" left over by Peluza Sud 97 ultras.[44]
Universitatea Craiova is rivals withDinamo București. It first developed at the end of the1972–73 season; the two finished with an equal number of points in the national championship, but Dinamo was awarded the title due to having a slightly superior goal difference.[45][46]Another event that contributed to the rivalry between the two teams is that on October 21, 2004, during the match between Craiova and Dinamo, “Poștașu”, a Craiova's gallery leader at the time, entered the field and threw a Craiova scarf at Claudiu Niculescu. Niculescu was playing for Dinamo, having transferred from Craiova. His gesture was a reaction to Niculescu's departure, considered a betrayal by Craiova supporters.
Știința also has less intense rivalries with three other clubs from thecapital:Steaua București,FCSB, andRapid București. Throughout time, the club had local competition with sides such asExtensiv Craiova and, from 2013, FC U Craiova, the aforementioned entity that claims the Universitatea record. The 2010s also saw the start of a minor rivalry againstPandurii Târgu Jiu, another team from Oltenia.[47]
Note: As of November 2017,LPF attributes all Universitatea Craiova trophies won between 1948 and 1991 to this entity.[7][8] The ownership of these honours is disputed withFC U Craiova 1948, which acted as the continuation of Universitatea Craiova after the sports club dissolved its football section in 1991.[17] Another court order from 2018 suggested that neither of the current clubs actually hold the original honours.[10] On 10 July 2023, the Timișoara Court of Appeal established that the historical record achieved until the end of1990–91 season belongs to CS U Craiova.[48]
Notable wins
| Season | Match | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Cup / Europa League | |||
| 1973–74 | Craiova – Fiorentina | 1 – 0 | |
| 1979–80 | Craiova – Leeds United | 2 – 0 | |
| 1979–80 | Craiova – Borussia Mönchengladbach | 1 – 0 | |
| 1982–83 | Craiova –Fiorentina | 3 – 1 | |
| 1982–83 | Craiova – Bordeaux | 2 – 0 | |
| 1982–83 | Craiova –Kaiserslautern | 1 – 0 | |
| 1983–84 | Craiova – Hajduk Split | 1 – 0 | |
| 1984–85 | Craiova – Real Betis | 1 – 0 | |
| 1984–85 | Craiova – Olympiacos | 1 – 0 | |
| 1986–87 | Craiova – Galatasaray | 2 – 0 | |
| 1986–87 | Craiova – Dundee United | 1 – 0 | |
| European Cup Winners Cup | |||
| 1977–78 | Craiova – Dynamo Moscow | 2 – 0 | |
| 1985–86 | Craiova –AS Monaco | 3 – 0 | |
| European Cup / Champions League | |||
| 1981–82 | Craiova –Olympiacos | 3 – 0 | |
| 1981–82 | Craiova – KB Copenhagen | 4 – 1 | |
| UEFA Intertoto Cup | |||
| 1996 | Craiova – Spartak Trnava | 2 – 1 | |
| UEFA Conference League | |||
| 2022–23 | Craiova – Zorya Luhansk | 3 – 0 | |
| 2024–25 | Craiova – NK Maribor | 3 – 2 | |
| 2025–26 | Craiova – FK Sarajevo | 4 – 0 | |
| 2025–26 | Craiova –İstanbul Başakşehir | 3 – 1 | |
| 2025–26 | Craiova – Rapid Wien | 1 – 0 | |
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Board of directors[edit]
| Current technical staff[edit]
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gavril BalintConstantin GâlcăGheorghe MulțescuEugen NeagoeVictor PițurcăMirel RădoiLaurențiu ReghecampfEmil SăndoiThis 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.
_pictogram.svg)
