| Season | 2011–12 |
|---|---|
| Champions | CFR Cluj |
| Relegated | Târgu Mureș Voința Sibiu Sportul Studențesc Mioveni |
| Champions League | CFR Cluj Vaslui |
| Europa League | Dinamo București Steaua București Rapid București |
| Matches | 305 |
| Goals | 748 (2.45 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Wesley Lopes (27) |
| Biggest home win | CFR 6–1Sportul |
| Biggest away win | Gaz Metan 0–5Dinamo Mioveni 0–5Vaslui Ceahlăul 0–5Dinamo CFR 0–5Rapid Mioveni 0–5CFR |
| Highest scoring | Rapid 5–3Gaz Metan |
| Longest winning run | Vaslui (9)[1] |
| Longest unbeaten run | Rapid (12)[1] |
| Longest losing run | Mioveni (10)[1] |
| Highest attendance | Steaua 3–2Dinamo (47,698) |
| Average attendance | 4,855[2] |
2012–13 → | |
The2011–12 Liga I was the ninety-fourth season ofLiga I, the top-levelfootball league ofRomania. It began on 22 July 2011 and ended on 19 May 2012.[3] The defending champions areOțelul Galați.
Since Romania dropped from eighth to fourteenth place in theUEFA association coefficient rankings at the end of the 2010–11 season,[4] the league has lost itsUEFA Europa League playoff round berth. Further, the champions will not directly be entered into the group stage of theUEFA Champions League any more, but rather have to begin in the third qualification round.
The league was originally expected to comprise eighteen teams, fourteen teams from the2010–11 season and four teams eligible for promotion from the2010–11 Liga II. However, the exact composition of the league was further affected by the licensing controversies,see below.
Four teams from the 2010–11 season were relegated to their respective2011–12 Liga II division; these teams areUniversitatea Craiova,Unirea Urziceni,Victoria Brănești andSportul Studențesc. Unirea Urziceni were relegated just two seasons after they won the2008–09 Liga I. It was the fastest relegation of a former champion, Unirea being also the2009–10 Liga I runners-up.[5] After the relegation, the team was disbanded.[6] Universitatea Craiova was relegated for the second time in club history, ending a five-year tenure in the highest football league of Romania. After the relegation, the team was temporary excluded by FRF from all internal competitions.[7] Victoria and Sportul was supposed to make their immediate return to the second level, but Sportul remained in Liga I after the relegation ofTimișoara andGloria Bistrița on licensing problems,see below.
The teams promoted from2010–11 Liga II are Seria I winnersCeahlăul Piatra Neamț, Seria II winnersPetrolul Ploiești and Seria I runners-upConcordia Chiajna. Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț is returning to the first division after one year, Petrolul Ploiești after seven years, while Concordia Chiajna promoted for the first time in Liga I. After Seria II runners-upBihor Oradea were denied a Liga I licence (see below),Mioveni, third placed in Liga II respective series, was promoted instead.
| Universitatea Cluj | Steaua București | CFR Cluj | Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cluj Arena | Steaua | Dr. Constantin Rădulescu | Ceahlăul |
| Capacity:30,201 | Capacity:28,365 | Capacity:23,500 | Capacity:17,500 |
| Petrolul Ploiești | Dinamo București | Voința Sibiu | Oțelul Galați |
| Ilie Oană | Dinamo | Municipal | Oțelul |
| Capacity:15,073 | Capacity:15,032 | Capacity:14,200 | Capacity:13,500 |
| Rapid București | Location of Bucharest teams. | Sportul Studențesc | |
| Giulești-Valentin Stănescu | Regie | ||
| Capacity:11,704[i] | Capacity:10,020 | ||
| FC Vaslui | Pandurii Târgu Jiu | ||
| Municipal | Tudor Vladimirescu | ||
| Capacity:9,240 | Capacity:9,200 | ||
| Astra Ploiești | FC Brașov | ||
| Astra | Silviu Ploeșteanu | ||
| Capacity:9,000 | Capacity:8,800 | ||
| Târgu Mureș | Gaz Metan Mediaș | Mioveni | Concordia Chiajna |
| Trans-Sil | Gaz Metan | Orășenesc | Concordia |
| Capacity:8,200 | Capacity:7,814 | Capacity:7,000 | Capacity:5,123 |
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined underFIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
The start of the 2011–12 season was affected by multiple licensing controversies involvingTimișoara,Gloria Bistrița andBihor Oradea.
On 30 May 2011, theRomanian Football Federation denied licences to four 2010–11 Liga I teams, Timișoara, Gloria Bistrița, Universitatea Craiova and Victoria Brănești, while a fifth team, Unirea Urziceni, did not apply for a licence.[54] Of these five teams, Timișoara and Gloria Bistrița had achieved qualification for the 2011–12 season on competitional grounds. A final decision by the executive committee of the FRF on the matter, particularly on the question to which league both teams will be incorporated, was scheduled for 2 June 2011, but eventually postponed to 20 June 2011. As a direct consequence from the licence denial, Timișoara were not allowed to participate in the2011–12 UEFA Champions League.
On 6 June 2011, the FRF announced that Bihor Oradea, runners-up in the 2010–11 Liga II Seria II and therefore having earned promotion, did not meet requirements for a Liga I licence.[55]
On 11 June 2011, a FRF communique stated that the executive committee doesn't have the power to change the Licensing Commission decisions.[56] However, on 20 June, the FRF Executive Committee decided that for the next three years the licences will not matter for Liga I promotion. Therefore, Timișoara, Gloria Bistrița and Bihor Oradea could play in the 2011–12 Liga I season.[57] The decision was reverted on the same day, after an intervention of FRF president, Mircea Sandu. The only chance for the three teams to play in the next season would be a favorable decision fromCourt of Arbitration for Sport for their appeals.[58]
On 22 June 2011, FRF announced that Sportul Studențesc will retain their Liga I place and Mioveni will promote instead of Bihor Oradea. FRF decided also that a play-off round will be played betweenSăgeata Năvodari andVoința Sibiu for the last remaining place in Liga 1.[59] On 2 July, in Săgeata Năvodari, the first match of the play-off was a goalless draw. Voința Sibiu promoted for the first time in history in Liga I after a 2–0 victory in the second match of the play-off.
On 8 July, Court of Arbitration for Sport announced that the appeals from Timișoara, Bihor and Bistrița will be heard in an expedited manner in order to have a decision before the start of the season.[60] On 18 July, CAS announced that the appeals were dismissed. The challenged decisions taken by the competent authorities in Romania and by UEFA were confirmed in their entirety.[61]
Two of the most supported teams, Steaua București and Rapid București started the season without a contract with their traditional home grounds,Ghencea andGiulești.
TheMinistry of National Defense, owner of Ghencea, denounced the contract with Steaua for unpaid debts. A new agreement is expected to be signed.[62] Meanwhile, because Steaua's home ground was suspended for the first two stages because of the incidents in the 2010–11 Romanian Cup final and the 2011 Romanian Supercup, the team played the first two home matches atConstanța andPloiești. Further matches was played in Ploiești and Buzău. Numerous other stadiums were considered by the Steaua ownerGeorge Becali for a new home: the newArena Națională,[63]CFR Cluj stadium,[64]Buzău[65] andAstra stadium.[66] Ghencea owners invited Steaua to return to Ghencea, but only after the debts (around 560.000 euro) will be fully paid.[67] However, Steaua played further matches on Astra and Buzău stadiums and National Arena. George Becali declared at the beginning of November that the team will settle on the National Arena until the end of 2011.[68]
Rapid played the first game match onRegie, because they were suspended for the incidents created by fans during the last match of the2010–11 Liga I.[69] Because of debts towardsCS Rapid București, owners of Giulești, they were still unable to use their traditional home stadium. CS Rapid București agreed to sign a new contract if a part of the debts were paid until the coming match of the fourth stage against Concordia Chiajna.[70] The match was eventually played on theNicolae Dobrin Stadium in Pitești. Before the sixth stage, Rapid presidentDinu Gheorghe announced there is not yet an agreement and thus the match with FC Brașov will be played on Regie.[71] On 12 September, a temporary accord was signed between the two parts, meaning that Rapid will return to their traditionally home ground for at least two matches.[72] On 11 October 2011, was signed a contract for the entire season.[73]
On 25 September 2011, Vasile Avram, the president of Romanian Referees Commission (CCA), has been arrested on suspicion of taking bribes from a businessman close toTârgu Mureș.[74] Further information revealed that in the same investigation are involved the presidents of other two clubs,Dinamo București andVaslui,[75] and the heads of Romanian Football Federation,Mircea Sandu, and Romanian Professional Football League,Dumitru Dragomir.[76] It is still unclear how the 2011–12 Liga 1 season will be affected by these investigations. Vasile Avram was released after 58 days of arrest with some restrictions, but the process will continue.[77] However, he was already replaced as the president of CCA with Ion Crăciunescu.[78]
Also, in October 2011National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) started the investigation of the members of Romanian Football Federation Execute Committee, accusing them of abuse in the Universitatea Craiova temporary exclusion of all competition after last season relegation. Following the exclusion, all the Craiova's players was declared free of contract.[79]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CFR Cluj(C) | 34 | 21 | 8 | 5 | 63 | 31 | +32 | 71 | Qualification toChampions League third qualifying round |
| 2 | Vaslui | 34 | 22 | 4 | 8 | 58 | 29 | +29 | 70 | |
| 3 | Steaua București | 34 | 19 | 9 | 6 | 47 | 26 | +21 | 66 | Qualification toEuropa League third qualifying round |
| 4 | Rapid București | 34 | 18 | 10 | 6 | 54 | 29 | +25 | 64 | Qualification toEuropa League second qualifying round |
| 5 | Dinamo București | 34 | 18 | 8 | 8 | 57 | 32 | +25 | 62 | Qualification toEuropa League play-off round[a] |
| 6 | Oțelul Galați | 34 | 15 | 7 | 12 | 34 | 29 | +5 | 52 | |
| 7 | Pandurii Târgu Jiu | 34 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 47 | 40 | +7 | 47[b] | |
| 8 | Universitatea Cluj | 34 | 11 | 14 | 9 | 46 | 37 | +9 | 47[b] | |
| 9 | Concordia Chiajna | 34 | 13 | 6 | 15 | 42 | 52 | −10 | 45[c] | |
| 10 | Brașov | 34 | 13 | 6 | 15 | 39 | 34 | +5 | 45[c] | |
| 11 | Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț | 34 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 36 | 46 | −10 | 42 | |
| 12 | Astra Ploiești | 34 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 36 | 43 | −7 | 41[d] | |
| 13 | Gaz Metan Mediaș | 34 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 39 | 54 | −15 | 41[d] | |
| 14 | Petrolul Ploiești | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 42 | 45 | −3 | 39 | |
| 15 | Târgu Mureș(R) | 34 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 34 | 47 | −13 | 35 | Relegation toLiga II |
| 16 | Voința Sibiu(R) | 34 | 8 | 8 | 18 | 24 | 45 | −21 | 32 | |
| 17 | Sportul Studențesc București(R) | 34 | 6 | 12 | 16 | 33 | 55 | −22 | 30 | |
| 18 | Mioveni(R) | 34 | 2 | 6 | 26 | 20 | 77 | −57 | 12 |
| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CFR Cluj | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Vaslui | 18 | 14 | 9 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Steaua București | 8 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Rapid București | 1 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Dinamo București | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Oțelul Galați | 12 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Pandurii Târgu Jiu | 8 | 5 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| Universitatea Cluj | 6 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| Concordia Chiajna | 12 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
| Brașov | 3 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 10 |
| Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț | 8 | 11 | 15 | 11 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 11 |
| Astra Ploiești | 17 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Gaz Metan Mediaș | 12 | 18 | 14 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 13 |
| Petrolul Ploiești | 3 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 14 |
| Târgu Mureș | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Voința Sibiu | 8 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Sportul Studențesc București | 3 | 5 | 10 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| Mioveni | 15 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| Home \ Away | AST | BRA | CEA | CFR | CON | DIN | GAZ | MIO | OȚE | PAN | PET | RAP | SPO | STE | TGM | UCL | VAS | VOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astra Ploiești | 1–4 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | |
| Brașov | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 2–1[a] | 4–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 3–0 | |
| Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–5 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–1 | |
| CFR Cluj | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–4 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–5 | 6–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | |
| Concordia Chiajna | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 2–0 | |
| Dinamo București | 3–0 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–0[b] | 4–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–0[c] | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | |
| Gaz Metan Mediaș | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–5 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–5 | 1–1 | 3–0 | |
| Mioveni | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–5 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 4–2 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–5 | 1–2 | |
| Oțelul Galați | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–4 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 3–0 | |
| Pandurii Târgu Jiu | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 5–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 5–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | |
| Petrolul Ploiești | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–1[d] | 1–1 | 3–4 | 1–5 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–1[d] | 0–0 | 0–1[d] | 0–3 | 0–3[e] | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 4–1 | |
| Rapid București | 3–2 | 1–1[f] | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–0[g] | 0–0 | 5–3 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–0[h] | 3–0 | |
| Sportul Studențesc București | 0–4 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 1–0 | 2–2 | |
| Steaua București | 2–1 | 1–0[b] | 1–0 | 1–1[b] | 2–1[b] | 3–2[b] | 0–0 | 4–0[i] | 2–1[j] | 1–2[k] | 2–1 | 0–0[b] | 4–1 | 2–0[k] | 2–1[l] | 0–1 | 1–0[b] | |
| Târgu Mureș | 2–2 | 0–0 | 4–3 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 3–3 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 0–0 | |
| Universitatea Cluj | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–0[m] | 2–3 | 1–1[m] | 0–0 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 3–2[m] | 2–0[m] | 1–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | |
| Vaslui | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| Voința Sibiu | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 |
Source:Liga1.ro(in Romanian)
| CFR Cluj[91][92] |
|---|
Goalkeepers:Beto Manager:Jorge Costa |