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| Full name | Asociația Fotbal Club UTA Arad | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames |
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| Short name | UTA | ||
| Founded | 18 April 1945; 80 years ago (1945-04-18) asIT Arad 2013; 12 years ago (2013) (refounded) asUTA Bătrâna Doamnă | ||
| Ground | Francisc von Neuman | ||
| Capacity | 12,700 | ||
| Owners | UTA Supporters Association Arad Municipality | ||
| Chairman | Florian Voinea | ||
| Head coach | Adrian Mihalcea | ||
| League | Liga I | ||
| 2024–25 | Liga I, 10th of 16 | ||
| Website | uta-arad.ro | ||
 Current season | |||
Asociația Fotbal Club UTA Arad (Romanian pronunciation:[ˈutaaˈrad]), commonly known asUTA Arad or simplyUTA (Uzina Textilă Arad;lit. 'Textiles Factory of Arad'), is a Romanian professionalfootballclub based in the city ofArad,Arad County that competes in theLiga I, the top tier ofRomanian football.
The team was founded in 1945 asIT Arad, and has won six national titles and twoCupa României. Domestically, UTA is one of the most successful Romanian sides of the 20th century, sharing withChinezul Timișoara the record for the most title wins by a club not fromBucharest, earning it the nicknameCampioana Provinciei ("Provincial Champion"), a record which ended after the conclusion of the2020–21 season whenCFR Cluj claimed its seventh Liga I trophy. UTA Arad's decline began with a transfer to thesecond division in 1979, after which it rarely appeared in the top flight before being dissolved in 2014. UTA Arad was eventually promoted from theLiga IV[1] and managed to return to the Liga I in 2020.
The team plays in red and whitecolors at the newFrancisc von Neuman Stadium, which was opened in 2020. UTA holds a long-standing rivalry with neighbouringSSU Politehnica Timișoara, with whom it contests theWest derby.[note 1]
The club was founded on 18 April 1945 under the name ITA Arad, by Francisc von Neuman, owner of Întreprinderea de Textile Arad (lit. 'Arad Textile Enterprise'). The club’s colors, white and red, were inspired byArsenal, reflecting Neuman's admiration for the English team. ITA played its first match on 27 May 1945, a 2–3 defeat against Banatul Sânnicolau Mic.[2][3]
On 1 September 1946, theFrancisc von Neuman Stadium was inaugurated with a 1–0 win overCiocanul București.[4]
ITA entered theNational Football Championship in the1946–47 season, which was the first held after the Second World War, and won the national title in its debut top-flight campaign, finishing eleven points ahead of runners-upCarmen București. Coached successively by Zoltan Opata (rounds 1–13), Zoltan Blum (14–19), andGusztáv Juhász (20–26), the squad featuredAlexandru Marky,Gyula Lóránt,Gheorghe Băcuț,Adalbert Pall,Francisc Mészáros,József Pecsovszky,Adalbert Kovács,Ioan Reinhardt,Andrei Mercea,Mátyás Tóth, andLadislau Bonyhádi, who was the league's top scorer with 26 goals.[3]
In the1947–48 season, ITA secured a second consecutive league title with a record-breaking goal difference of 129 to 31. Bonyhádi set another record by scoring 49 goals that season. Under Gusztáv Juhász, the team also won theCupa României, defeatingCFR Timișoara 3–2 in thefinal. New additions to the team includedMoise Vass,Zoltan Farmati,Nicolae "Coco" Dumitrescu, andIosif Stibinger. However, during the1948–49 season, under coachCarol Burdan, the club’s performance declined, and ITA finished in 9th place.[3]
In the1950 season, the club changed its name to Flamura Roșie and won another national title. That same year, it reached theCupa Românieifinal but lost 1–3 toCCA București. Coached by Francisc Dvorzsák, the team blended established veterans with new players such as Iosif Catranici, Silviu Boitoș, Mihai Mihai Carpineț, Virgil Huzum, József Kapás, Adalbert Țipei, and Ladislau Ristin. In the subsequent1951 season, the Textile Workers finished in 4th place.[3]
József Pecsovszky, regarded by many as the greatest footballer in the club’s history,[5] left for CCA București ahead of the1952 season. His absence was keenly felt, as the team, now under coachGheorghe Albu, experienced a decline and finished only in 8th place.
The1953 campaign, however, marked a resurgence. Under coachColoman Braun-Bogdan, the club secured 3rd place and won theCupa României defeatingCCA București 1–0 in thefinal. Alongside several players from previous successful seasons, the squad also featured key contributions from Francisc Kiss, Gavril Szücs,Gavril Serfözö, Nicolae Popa, Gheorghe Wencesla, Mircea Popovici, and Gheorghe Lupeș.[3]
In1954, Flamura Roșie secured its fourth league title under Braun-Bogdan’s guidance. The squad featured veterans likeDumitrescu,Mercea,Farmati, Kapás, andSerfözö, as well as players such as Francisc Kiss, Iosif Fuleiter, Radin Dușan, Ladislau Sereș, Toma Jurcă, Ilie Don,Gheorghe Váczi,Iosif Szakács, Nicolae Popa, Ion Manole, andVichentie Birău.
In 1955, Pecsovszky returned to the team, and the following two seasons saw Flamura Roșie finish mid-table, ending 5th under the guidance of Francisc Dvorzsák in1955 and 6th in1956, withIoan Reinhardt on the bench.
In the 1970–71, the team took fourth place and participated again in the European Champion Clubs' Cup, eliminating the trophy holder at that time,Feyenoord,[6] after a 1–1 atRotterdam and 0–0 in Arad.
In the 1971–72 season the team became vice-champion of Romania and participated in theUEFA Cup, reaching the quarterfinals after overtakingAustria Salzburg (4–1, 1–3),Zagłębie Wałbrzych (1–1, 2–1) andVitória Setúbal (3–0, 0–1). They were eliminated in the quarter-finals byTottenham Hotspur; the first game was at home where they lost 2–0.[7][unreliable source?] The second leg at away atWhite Hart Lane in London was a 1–1 draw,[8] however this was not enough and Arad were knocked out 3–1 on aggregate.
The team's decline started in the 1975–76 season, and after it placed 17th in the 1978–79 season, it was reassigned toDivizia B.[citation needed]
After finishing 3rd in Series III of Divizia B in the1979–80 season, UTA returned toDivizia A following two years in the second division. Guided by coach Ștefan Czako, the team secured 1st place in Series III in the1980–81 season. The lineup includedDuckadam — Bîtea, Kukla, Hirmler, Giurgiu —Șchiopu, Vaczi, Mușat — Cura, Csordaș, Tisza (Coraș). Other players in the squad were Lovaș, Vuia, Marcu, Iova, Takats, Vușcan, Bodi, and Țirban.[9] The stay in the top tier lasted only one year, ending with a 17th-place finish in Divizia A at the end of the 1981–82 season.[10]
Between 1984 and 1991, UTA occupied the following positions in the third Series of Divizia B: 13th in 1984–85, 4th in 1985–86, 10th in 1986–87, 3rd in 1987–88, 2nd in 1988–89, 2nd in 1989–90, 5th in 1990–91. It also placed in the second Series of Divizia B: 2nd in 1991–92 and 1st in 1992–93.[10]
Between 1995 and 2002, UTA occupied the following positions in the 2nd Series of Divizia B: 5th in 1995–96, 13th in 1996–97, 11th in 1997–98, 2nd in 1998–99, 6th in 1999–2000, 7th in 2000–01 and 1st in 2001–02.[10]
In the summer of 1999, UTA Arad disputed a play-off match atAlba Iulia againstRocar București for promotion in Divizia A, a match in which it lost 0–2. Coach Francisc Tisza organised the following team: Pap – Diaconescu,Botiş, G. Radu (50' Ciubăncan),Găman (76' Baciu),Panin –Todea, Almaşan, Zaha – Mariş,Cl.Drăgan (69' Turcan).[11]
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UTA Arad did not play in this league because after an assignment agreement withLiberty Salonta, UTA took the place of Liberty in Liga I and vice versa in theLiga III.[12][13]
Thus, the team qualified inLiga I for the 2006–07 season. After club president Nicolae Bara signed with coachMarius Lăcătuş and under his leadership, UTA occupied the 12th place at the end of the season.[14]
In August 2013, businessman Adrian Marțian took over Giovanni Catanzariti's majority stake, promising the financial recovery of the club and bringing back the good results, but by November he lost the support of the supporters andFlavius Domide asked him to leave the club to competent people from Arad.[15][16]
Another team, supported by a part of UTA fans, calledUTA Bătrâna Doamnă, was founded in 2013 by former player Marius Ţucudean. It was enrolled inLiga IV instead of UTA II and received the logo, the record and the colors of UTA from UTA Supporter Club in March 2014, becoming officially UTA Arad. The Liga II team had to change their name to FC UTA SA. At the end of the 2013–14 season of Liga II, UTA SA was excluded from the championship byFRF for not attending two matches and relegated to the 6th League, where it did not sign up and was dissolved.[17]
UTA Bătrâna Doamnă, promoted in the Liga III at the end of the season after a promotion play-off match againstHunedoara County champion Retezatul Hațeg, won 2–0.[18]
After only one season in the Liga III, the club was promoted back to the Liga II after finishing first in the fourth Series of the league, four points ahead ofNuova Mama Mia Becicherecu Mic.[19]
In their first season after returning to the Liga II, UTA, now known asUTA Bătrâna Doamnă finished second in the second Series of the championship and qualified for a Liga I promotion play-off againstDunărea Călărași andVoluntari. It eliminated Dunărea Călărași 5–4 on aggregate, but lost 1–3 against Voluntari and remained for another season in the Liga II.[20][21]
In the 2016–17 season, UTA finished third and qualified again for a promotion play-off againstPoli Timișoara, one ofPolitehnica Timișoara successors, andASU Politehnica Timișoara. UTA lost to both teams (1–2, 1–3).[22]
| Name | Period |
| ITA Arad | 1945–1949 |
| Flamura Roșie Arad | 1950–1957 |
| UTA Arad | 1958–2014 |
| UTA Bătrâna Doamnă Arad | 2014–2017 |
| UTA Arad | 2017–present |
In the summer of 2017, FRF has officialized thatUTA Bătrâna Doamnă changed its name back to FC UTA Arad being the official and legal successor of the old club.[23]
UTA Arad plays its home matches at theStadionul Francisc von Neuman. Ranked as aUEFA Category 4 stadium, it can hostUEFA Europa League semi-finals andUEFA Champions League group stage matches.
The first match at the stadium was a Liga I game played between UTA Arad and Voluntari, which ended in a goalless draw.[24] Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the game was played without spectators.
The first match with spectators was the 2021women's Romanian Cup final betweenU Olimpia Cluj andHeniu Prundu Bârgăului,[25][26] which ended with a 1–0 win in extra-time for the Cluj team.
The first international game played on the arena was the friendly goalless draw between UTA Arad andKolubara Lazarevac.[27]
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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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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Board of directors[edit]
| Current technical staff[edit]
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| Competition | S | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balkans Cup | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 12 | –8 |
| UEFA Champions League /European Cup | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 17 | –14 |
| UEFA Europa League /UEFA Cup | 2 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 14 | –1 |
| Total | 5 | 22 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 20 | 43 | –23 |
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The footballers enlisted below have had international caps for their respective countries at junior and/or senior level. Players whose name is listed inbold represented their countries at junior and/or senior level on through the time's passing. Additionally, these players have also had a significant number of caps and goals accumulated throughout a certain number of seasons for the club itself as well.
Alexandru AlbuLiviu AntalAlexandru AlbuPaul AntonIon AtodireseiMircea AxenteGheorghe BăcuțIonuț BălanCristian BălgrădeanGavrilă BirăuVichentie BirăuIoan BogdanSorin BotișDan StuparLadislau BrosovszkyMarcel CorașMarius CurtuiușFlavius DomideClaudiu DrăganLucian DroncaHelmut DuckadamFlorian DumitrescuNicolae "Coco" DumitrescuAdrian GămanGheorghe GorneaIoan HoraFlorin HidișanCristian IanuAlexandru IonițăSilviu IorgulescuFlorin IacobDamian IsacEmerich JeneiAdalbert KovácsClaudiu KeșerüIosif LereterAdrian LucaciDennis ManCristian MelinteBogdan MaraAlexandru MarkyAndrei MerceaDavid MiculescuCristian MihaiIlie MoțAdalbert PallCristian PaninNicolae PanteaIon PârcălabMircea PetescuAdrian PetreEugen PojoniPaul PopoviciCornel RâpăIoan ReinhardtCiprian RusMircea SasuPetru ȘchiopuViorel SimaIosif SlivățIosif StibingerSorin StrătilăDumitru TârțăuCristian TodeaMihai Țârlea IMihai Țârlea IIGeorge ȚucudeanAdrian UngurGheorghe VácziConstantin VargaNorbert VargaMoise VassPetre Steinbach (1947–1948)Cicerone Manolache (1976–1977)Ion "Jackie" Ionescu (1977–1979)Marcel Pigulea (1986–1987)Aurel Țicleanu (1991–1992)Ionuț Popa (1993)Ion Moldovan (1995)Ion "Jackie" Ionescu (1996–1997)Ionuț Popa (1997–1998)Ionuț Popa (2000–2002)Ilie Stan (2004)Marius Lăcătuș (2006–2007)Ionuț Popa (2009–2010)Roland Nagy (2010–2012)Adrian Falub (2012–2013)Eugen Trică (2013–2014)Adrian Falub (2014)Roland Nagy (2014–2016)Adrian Falub (2017)Ionuț Popa (2018–2019)László Balint (2019–2022)Ionuț Badea (2022)László Balint (2022–2023)Mircea Rednic (2023–2025)
Zoltan BlumGheorghe MulțescuColoman Braun-BogdanNicolae "Coco" DumitrescuNicolae PanteaGusztáv JuhászZoltan OpataIoan ReinhardtNotes
Citations
