 | |
| Full name | Fotbal Club RapidSA[1] |
|---|---|
| Nicknames |
|
| Short name | Rapid |
| Founded | 25 June 1923; 102 years ago (1923-06-25) asCFR București 2016; 9 years ago (2016) (refounded) asMişcarea Feroviară CFR București |
| Ground | Rapid-Giulești |
| Capacity | 14,048 |
| Owners | Dan Șucu (80%)[2] Victor Angelescu (20%) |
| Chairman | Victor Angelescu |
| Head coach | Constantin Gâlcă |
| League | Liga I |
| 2024–25 | Liga I, 5th of 16 |
| Website | www |
 Current season | |
Fotbal Club Rapid, commonly known asRapid București (Romanian pronunciation:[raˈpidbukuˈreʃtʲ]) or simply asRapid, is a Romanian professionalfootball club based inBucharest, that competes in theLiga I, the top tier ofRomanian football. It was founded in 1923 by employees of theGrivița workshops as theAsociația Culturală și SportivăCFR (lit. 'CFR Cultural and Sports Association').
Domestically, Rapid București is one of the most successful clubs in the country, having won three national titles, 13Cupa României, and fourSupercupa României. Internationally, its highest achievements are reaching the quarter-finals of the1972–73Cup Winners' Cup and the2005–06 UEFA Cup, and the final of the1940 Mitropa Cup—the latter not being played because ofWorld War II. Recently, the club was declared bankrupt in 2016, but was refounded and managed to return to the top flight in 2021.
From 1939, Rapid played its home matches in burgundy and whitekits at theValentin Stănescu Stadium, which was replaced by the newRapid-Giulești in 2022. The team has fierce local rivalries withFCSB,Dinamo București andSteaua București, as well as withPetrolul Ploiești.
On 25 June 1923, in a classroom of the primary school from theGrivița neighborhood,Bucharest, the employees of the Grivița workshops createdAsociația Culturală și Sportivă CFR ("CFR Cultural and Sports Association").[3] Teofil Copaci was chosen as the president of the association, whileGrigore Grigoriu became the first captain of the team. The squad was formed in September, following the merger of theAteliere andExcelsior teams. The first equipment was made out of burgundy fabric in the house of Grigoriu.[3]
On 28 October 1923, the team played its first game against Unirea Timișoara, which it lost 4–8. The second match, played over ten days, was againstGloria Arad, and was lost 1–2. Until 1932CFR played in the Bucharest Championship, not qualifying in the final tournament of the national league. During this period, the leaders of the team were: Teofil Copaci,Grigore Grigoriu, and Bozie Codreanu; other players included Stănică, Tudor, Molnar, Ștefănescu, Foran, Leoveanu, Constantinescu, Fetzko, Georgescu, Albert, Block, Filip, Itu I, Itu II, Pîrvulescu, Cichi, Schileriu, Svetcovschi, Oros, Ujlaki, Pop, Dobrescu I, Kelemen, Vlaiculescu, Ispas, Vintilescu, and Petrovici.
The club entered theDivizia A at the start of the1932–33 season, after several years of competing for the regional championship of Bucharest.[4] During the pre-war years, Rapid was one of Romania's top teams, regularly winning the cup, but never the championship, although they came close. Once Rapid lost the title because of a player'scandor. One of Rapid's players touched the ball with his hand in the penalty area during a decisive match againstVenus București, when Rapid needed a win to finish first in the league. At first, the referee didn't see it, but when he heard the audience protesting asked the player if he had touched the ball with his hand. The player admitted that he had.
| Period | Name |
| 1923–1937 | CFR București |
| 1937–1945 | Rapid București |
| 1945–1950 | CFR București |
| 1950–1958 | Locomotiva București |
| 1958–2016 | Rapid București |
| 2016–2017 | Mişcarea Feroviară CFR București |
| 2017–2018 | Academia Rapid București |
| 2018–2019 | Fotbal Club R București[5] |
| 2019–present | Fotbal Club Rapid 1923 |
Venus converted the penalty kick and managed a 1–1 draw to finish first in the league, instead of "the Railwaymen". The team's final season's standings in theDivizia A were:1932–33 – 2nd (Seria I),1933–34 – 4th (Seria I),1934–35 – 10th,1935–36 – 7th,1936–37 – 2nd,1937–38 – 1st (Seria I) (with the team losing the national championship final againstRipensia Timișoara 0–2),1938–39 – 6th,1939–40 – 2nd, and1940–41 – 2nd.[6]
In this period, the club's most successful time in this competition, Rapid won sevenRomanian Cups:1934–35,1936–37,1937–38,1938–39,1939–40,1940–41,1941–42, six of them won in consecutive years. The players in this winning effort included Roșculeț, Ujlaki,Vintilă, Wetzer II,Rășinaru,Cuedan,Barbu II,Rădulescu,Bogdan,Auer,Moldoveanu,Baratky,Raffinsky,Lengheriu, I.Costea,Sipos, Gavrilescu,Sadowski,Silvăț,Ghiurițan, Wetzer III, andFlorian.
In the summer of 1937, the club changed its name fromCFR București toRapid București, modeling their new name on that of the Austrian clubRapid Wien.
The "railway workers" were no longer topping the league standings, but they still had supportive fans, and some players were selected for the national team. During those years, the competition format changed after various reorganizations, and Rapid won theBessarabia Cup in 1942. They qualified for the final of theMitropa Cup (precursor of theUEFA Champions League). In 1940, Rapid played to two ties in the Mitropa Cup semi-finals and was drawn for the final, which was never played, due to the outbreak of World War II.
After the war, Rapid returned to the Bucharest Championship in the 1945–46 season, finally finishing 4th. After this season the club returned to its old name,CFR (Căile Ferate Române – Romanian Railways), and entered the1946–47 Divizia A season, the first official national season after the end of the war, and ended in 5th place, two points away from 2nd place (Carmen București) and 13 from 1st place (ITA Arad). In the following season,1947–48, the team finished 3rd, behindCFR Timişoara andITA Arad. In the1948–49 season, "the White and Burgundies" finished 2nd, only five points behindIC Oradea. Also, on 20 March 1949,CFR București obtained the most lopsided victory in its entire history, 12–2 againstCFR Cluj.[7]
Under the influence of thecommunist regime installed in the country after 1945, the 1950s started with a change from an autumn-spring season to a spring-autumn one. In the1950 season Rapid becameLocomotiva, a name much closer to the Soviet version,Lokomotiv, a change imposed on all the teams that belonged to theRomanian Railways, but theGiuleștenii finished again in 2nd place. The first relegation to Liga II came in 1951 when the club was ranked 11th, losing a three-way contest by a goal againstLocomotiva Târgu Mureș andȘtiința Timișoara.[6] Promoted one year later, from 1st place in Liga II, with 10 points over the second-ranked (Locomotiva Iași), Rapid would finish the1953 season in 5th place.[8] In1954 seasonLocomotiva, in 12th place, was relegated for the second time. However, "The White and Burgundies" returned after only one year to Divizia A, following a good showing for the team, including a 4th-place ranking at the end of 1956, only 5 points behind 1st place (CCA București).[6]
In the1957–58 season, Romanian football returned to the autumn-spring system and "the Railwaymen" finished at the middle of the table, 8th out of 12. The end of the Soviet system also meant the end of Soviet team names, and in 1958 the team returned to the Austrian-inspired name of Rapid. In the following years, the team finished 4th and 10th at the end of the1958–59 and1959–60 seasons, respectively.[6]
In the 1950s, the squad included the following players:Valentin Stănescu,Gheorghe Dungu, Gh. Demeter,Dumitru Macri,Ion Mihăilescu, C. Simionescu, N. Cristescu, I. Ruzici, C. Socec,Ion Lungu,Bazil Marian,Andrei Rădulescu,Anton Fernbach-Ferenczi,Ștefan Filotti,Nicolae Roman, E. Avasilchioaie, D. Călin, L. Coman, A. Todor, N. Dodeanu, I. Langa, I. Olaru,Stere Zeană, and Gh. Milea, among others.
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The 1960s was one of the best periods for Giulești football. In1961, Rapid reached the final of the Romanian Cup, where they lost toArieșul Turda, 1–2, withNicolae Georgescu scoring in the 24th minute for the "White and Burgundy". The result was more surprising, as the winning team was, at that time, only aDivizia C member. The following season, Rapid—with a squad coached byIon Mihăilescu and composed of valuable players such asIlie Greavu,Ion Motroc,Dumitru Macri,Titus Ozon,Ion Ionescu orTeofil Codreanu, among others—eliminatedCSM Mediaș,Laminorul Roman,Metalul Târgoviște, andProgresul București. However, they suffered a dramatic defeat in the final, 1–5, against aSteaua București squad that would come to be recognized as the golden generation of that club.
For most of these seasons, the team could be found in the top half of the league:1960–61 – 3rd,1961–62 – 5th, and1962–63 – 8th. Then followed three great seasons for the squad, under theGrant Bridge, which finished 2nd three years in a row:1963–64 (7 points behindDinamo București),1964–65 (1 point behindDinamo București), and1965–66 (6 points behindPetrolul Ploiești). Nevertheless, they finished behind their rivalsDinamo andPetrolul. This motivated "the Railwaymen", who, at the end of the1966–67 season, had their best performance up until that time, their firstDivizia A title, with the following players:Răducanu Necula,Marin Andrei –Dan Coe,Nicolae Lupescu,Ion Motroc,Ilie Greavu, Constantin Jamaischi – Constantin Dinu-Buric,Nicolae Georgescu,Constantin Năsturescu,Teofil Codreanu,Viorel Kraus –Ion Ionescu,Emil Dumitriu, andAlexandru Neagu.Valentin Stănescu andVictor Stănculescu were their coaches.[9][10] In that season the title was won by two points overDinamo București and the season's top scorer wasIon Ionescu, with 15 goals.[11]
In the1967–68 European Cup, Rapid eliminated the Bulgarian champion,Botev Plovdiv, in the first round, but lost toJuventus, 0–1. In the1967–68 Division A season the team reached the final game of the Romanian Cup, which it lost toDinamo, 1–3 inovertime; placed 3rd in1968–69; and 2nd in1969–70.
Rapid's last strong season was in1970–71, when it finished in 2nd place, after which it started to slide towards the bottom half of the league table:1971–72 – 10th and1972–73 – 14th. Despite these lesser performances, in1972 Rapid reached the Romanian Cup final under coachBazil Marian, a team player in the 1950s, and won 2–0 againstJiul Petroșani, with goals scored byStelian Marin (3rd minute) andAlexandru Neagu (27th minute).[12] In the1971–72 UEFA Cup season Rapid had impressive results, eliminatingNapoli andLegia Warsaw before being stopped byTottenham Hotspur, 0–5. The1972–73 European Cup Winners' Cup was another good European campaign, and, after a 3–1 againstLandskrona BoIS of Sweden and a 4–2 againstRapid Wien, the team that had inspired the Romanian side so much in the past, Rapid was eliminated again by an English side, this timeLeeds United, 1–8.
At the end of the1973–74 season, the "White and Burgundies" finished 16th, with the same number of points asJiul Petroșani, but this time the club from theJiu Valley would win because of higher scores. Rapid was relegated for the third time in its history, only 7 years since its first national title. The squad had a strong following season and was promoted after only one year spent in the second league, finishing 1st in the 2nd series, 6 points ahead of 2nd placeProgresul București.[8] "The Railwaymen" seemed to want to convince everyone that relegation was nothing but a regrettable error; so, they also won the Romanian Cup in the same season, surprisingly, being a second echelon team. In the1974–75 Cupa României campaign, Rapid advanced by eliminating strong teams such asDinamo București (2–1),Jiul Petroșani (1–0),Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț (1–0), andSteaua București (1–1, 6–5 onpenalties). In the final they encounteredUniversitatea Craiova, the Divizia A defending champions, a club that was fielding its first golden generation (known as "The Champion of a Great Love"), led from the pitch by its legend,Ion Oblemenco. Rapid won 2–1, inextra time, with goals scored byNicolae Manea, andIon Oblemenco scoring for Craiova.[13][14][15]
Back in Divizia A, Rapid had two mediocre seasons:1975–76 – 14th and1976–77 – 16th, being relegated again, 10 years since being champions of Romania. After this relegation began one of the darkest periods in the history of the club at their stadium nearGrant Bridge, with 6 consecutiveDivizia B seasons: 1977–78 – 4th, 1978–79 – 6th, 1979–80 – 2nd, 1980–81 – 3rd, 1981–82 – 2nd and 1982–83 – 1st. This period led to a fierce rivalry withPetrolul Ploiești andProgresul București. A 1980 match, againstProgresul, saw a record attendance, for a Divizia B match, of over 50,000 spectators.[16] The subsequent return to the first division was due to coachesValentin Stănescu (who also brought the first title in 1967) andViorel Kraus. The players were Ion Gabriel, Manu, Popescu, Paraschiv, Pirvu, Șișcă, Tiță, Iancu, Cojocaru,Ion Ion,Nicolae Manea, Ad. Dumitru, Petruț, Ispas, C. Dumitriu, Avram,Marian Damaschin, Marta, Lazăr, Koti, Săftoiu, A. Mincu, and Petre Petre.
Rapid then had a disappointing record in Divizia A:1984–85 – 11th,1985–86 – 8th,1986–87 – 14th,1987–88 – 13th, and1988–89 – 17th. In these five seasons "the Railwaymen" recorded the biggest loss in the history of the club, 0–9 againstCorvinul Hunedoara (14 August 1985), as well as the biggest loss inGiulești Stadium, 2–8 againstSteaua București (3 May 1989).[4] After these poor performances, the1988–89 Cupa României season saw the "White and Burgundies" gaining the semi-finals of the competition, when they were eliminated by Steaua București, 2–3, with a decisive goal scored in the last minute. The team was relegated toDivizia B for the fifth time. TheGiuleștenii then had a good season in the 2nd series of the second league—finishing 1st with 22 victories, 5 draws, 7 defeats, 61 goals scored and 32 conceded, 49 points, 4 more than the second place (Drobeta-Turnu Severin) and 11 more than the third place (Unirea Alba Iulia)—and were again promoted.[8]
Promoted back to the top league, in the next season Rapid finished 11th, 4 points away from the relegation zone.[6] What followed was two seasons of progress in which "the Railwaymen" finished 7th, then 4th. In 1993, the club was bought byGeorge Copos and began probably one of the most fruitful periods in the history of "the White and Burgundies".
After the 4th-place finish at the end of the 1993 season, Rapid returned to theEuropean Cups after 18 years of absence, but was eliminated inthe first round by the Italian sideInter Milan, 1–5 on aggregate. In 1994, the club finished 4th again in Divizia A, but no one risked a prognosis for a team whose fortunes so oscillated. The1994–95 UEFA Cup season again brought two tough opponents for the Giulești side:Charleroi ofBelgium, which they eliminated 3–2 on aggregate, andEintracht Frankfurt, which eliminated Rapid 2–6 on aggregate, especially due to the 0–5 defeat byWaldstadion. In the Divizia A, they again finished in 4th place, but this time with no qualification for the European Competitions.
In the1995–96 season the team finished 3rd, qualifying again for theUEFA Cup.[6] After a 2–0 victory on aggregate againstLokomotiv Sofia, "the Railwaymen" were eliminated byKarlsruher SC, 2–4 on aggregate, the second time a German side eliminated them. The squad finished 8th at the end of the1996–97 season.
WithMircea Lucescu as the new coach, Rapid had a very good1997–98 season, the best one in the last 22 seasons. In the championship, the team finished 2nd, only two points behindSteaua București, missing the chance of a title, the first one since 1967. In the last match of the season, with over 20,000 fans travelling from Bucharest, Rapid only managed a 2–2 draw againstUniversitatea Craiova, a result which was heavily contested after Rapid had a clear goal denied by the referee.[6] Without title, Rapid focused on the Romanian Cup, where they won their 10th title, but the first one since 1975. In the final, they again metCraiova, withLucian Marinescu's 67th-minute goal securing the trophy. This triumph returned the team back to the UEFA Competitions, this time the1998–99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. The1998–99 season started off badly. After an 8–2 on aggregate win againstGrevenmacher in the qualifying round, Rapid was again eliminated quickly, this time in the first round byVålerenga, with a 2–2 on aggregate and 2 goals scored in theGiulești Stadium by the Norwegian club. In the championship, Rapid had one of the best seasons in the history of Divizia A, finishing 1st with 89 points and winning the much-desired title of champion of Romania, the 2nd one in the history of the club.[6] This performance was obtained under coachesMircea Lucescu (24 rounds),Nicolae Manea (5 rounds),Dumitru Dumitriu (4 rounds), andMircea Rednic (1 round), with the following players:Marius Bratu,Bogdan Lobonț –Daniel Chiriță,Adrian Iencsi,Dorel Mutică,Ștefan Nanu,Vasile Popa,Răzvan Raț,Mircea Rednic,Nicolae Stanciu (C),Ion Voicu –Bogdan Andone,Constantin Barbu,Mugur Bolohan,Zeno Bundea,Dănuț Lupu,Ovidiu Maier,Marius Măldărășanu,Ioan Sabău,Cezar Zamfir –Ionel Ganea,Radu Niculescu,Daniel Pancu,Sergiu Radu, andMarius Șumudică.[17][18][10] The team also includedCristian Dulca,Lucian Marinescu, andStefan Nanu, who left during the winter break.[9][10]
The1999–2000 season was again a good one for Rapid. However, despite the fact that they were in 2nd place, with 15-point over 3rd place (Steaua București), they could not equal the nearly perfect season ofDinamo București, who ended in 1st place, by 12 points.[6] Rapid also could not retain the Romanian championship, being eliminated in the semi-finals byFC U Craiova, 2–3 on aggregate. TheUEFA Champions League was a great disappointment, the team being eliminated by the Latvian sideSkonto, 4–5 on aggregate.
The2000–01 season started withAnghel Iordănescu as the new coach and finished withMircea Rednic at the helm. Post-season competition consisted of a 3–1 victory overMika ofArmenia, in the qualifying round, and a 0–1 loss toLiverpool, in the first round, which resulted in a 4th place in the European championship and a quarter-finals elimination in the Romanian Cup, after a 1–2 loss toDinamo. The next season, withViorel Hizo as the new coach, Rapid made another good run and finished 3rd in the league, and lasted two-rounds in the2001–02 UEFA Cup: a lopsided 12–0 on aggregate victory overAtlantas, followed by an unexpected 0–0 tie, atParc des Princes, againstPSG, losing in the second round 0–1, by a goal byAloísio in the 93rd minute. Finally, the match was called 0–3 after the floodlight system shut down.[19] On the other hand, "the Railwaymen" won their 11th Romanian Cup, after a final in which they registered a 2–1 victory againstDinamo București, with goals scored byMarius Măldărășanu andDaniel Pancu, and withMircea Rednic as the new coach.
The2002–03 season saw the club win its third league title,[6] finishing 1st with by 7 points overSteaua București The team lasted the usual two rounds in theUEFA Cup: 5–1 againstGorica and 1–2 againstVitesse, being eliminated, by penalties, byFC Argeș, in the second round of the Romanian Cup. The squad was coached byMircea Rednic and was composed of the following players:Ionuț Curcă,Emilian Dolha,Răzvan Lucescu, Boban Savič –Nicolae Constantin,Adrian Iencsi,Vasile Maftei,Dănuț Perjă,Răzvan Raţ,Florin Șoavă,Ion Voicu –Valentin Bădoi,Roberto Bisconti,Emmanuel Godfroid,Nicolae Grigore,Róbert Ilyés,Ioan Sabău –Florin Bratu,Daniel Niculae andRobert Niță.[20][9][10]
The2003–04 season was below expectations. Starting under coach Mircea Rednic, continued withDan Petrescu, and ending underViorel Hizo, Rapid finished 3rd, 15 points out of 1st place, which was held byDinamo București.[6] In theUEFA Champions League, theRapidiștii metAnderlecht in a 0–0 tie, in theValentin Stănescu Stadium, followed by a 2–3 defeat, inConstant Vanden Stock Stadium, after Rapid had led 2–0; and the team was again eliminated in the first rounds of the competition. The2004–05 season started with a new coach,Răzvan Lucescu, and "the White and Burgundies" finished again in 3rd place, six points out of 1st place. In theRomanian Cup they were eliminated in the first round by theDivizia B sideDacia Unirea Brăila, 0–1.
The 3rd place in the league qualified the club for the2005–06 UEFA Cup season. Rapid had the best European season in the history of the club, starting from the first round of the competition, qualifying for the first time for the group stage, and only being eliminated in the quarter-finals. The team's run was the following: 10–0 on aggregate againstSant Julià fromAndorra, 4–1 againstVardar, and an unexpected 2–1 on aggregate againstFeyenoord, and qualifying for the group stage. They were assigned to Group G, where they gained 3 victories:Rennes (2–0),Shakhtar Donetsk (1–0),PAOK (1–0), while losing only one match, againstStuttgart (1–2). If in the past Rapid was eliminated by German clubs such asKarlsruher SC orEintracht Frankfurt, now the team was transformed in a real "killer" against the German sides, after a 3–0 victory againstHertha in the Round of 32 and a 3–3 tie, with an away goal scored againstHamburg. "The Burgundy Eagles" were stopped only in the quarter-finals by another Romanian side,FCSB, 1–1 on aggregate, with a goal scored by FCSB in Giulești. This was one of the most memorable seasons in the history of Rapid, FCSB, and Romanian football. Rapid also lost the Romanian title toFCSB, but won theRomanian Cup, after a 1–0 victory overDinamo București.[21] The squad in the 2005–06 European campaign was coached byRăzvan Lucescu and included the following players:Dănuț Coman,Ionuț Curcă,Apoula Edel,Mihai Mincă –Marius Constantin,Nicolae Constantin,Vasile Maftei,Dănuț Perjă,Marius Postolache,Ionuț Rada,Adrian Rusu,Ionuț Stancu –Valentin Bădoi,Emil Dică,Gigel Ene,Nicolae Grigore,Artavazd Karamyan,Marius Măldărăşanu,Valentin Negru,Romeo Stancu –Mugurel Buga,Lucian Burdujan,Viorel Moldovan,Daniel Niculae,Daniel Pancu, andCiprian Vasilache.
In the following two seasons, Rapid ended in 4th (2006–07) and 3rd (2007–08) places, with another Romanian Cup title in 2007, in a final won 2–0 againstPolitehnica Timișoara inDan Păltinișanu Stadium. In theUEFA Cup, they were constant participations, with another group-stage presence in the2006–07 season, but finishing 4th, in a group withPSG,Mladá Boleslav,Hapoel Tel Aviv, andPanathinaikos, missing qualifying for the semi-finals. The next season saw a first-round elimination, toFC Nürnberg.
After the2007–08 season, the financial situation of Rapid was complicated, partly by the criminal conviction of the owner,George Copos, on charges of tax evasion, illegal transfers, and misuse of the lottery.[22][23] The team performances also declined. After finishing 3rd in 2007–08, Rapid occupied mid-level places three times over the next five years:2008–09 – 8th,2009–10 – 7th and2012–13 – 9th. Still, the team had a last burst of success in the2010–11 and2011–12 seasons, when, under coachesMarius Șumudică,Marian Rada, andRăzvan Lucescu, they achieved two consecutive 4th-place rankings, with a new presence in theUEFA Europa League. They finished the2011–12 UEFA Europa League season in the group stage, after they eliminated Polish sideŚląsk Wrocław in the play-off round, making only 3 points in a group withHapoel Tel Aviv,PSV Eindhoven, andLegia Warsaw occupying last place. Next season was slightly weaker, with Rapid eliminated in the third qualifying round, after a two-legged match againstHeerenveen, previously having eliminated the Finnish clubMYPA, 5–1 on aggregate.
On 10 May 2013, the Disciplinary Commission of theRomanian Football Federation decided not to grant theLiga I license to the club for the2013–14 season. At the end of the season the club was sold byGeorge Copos to Nicolae Cristescu and Adrian Zamfir.[24]
On 6 July theFRF Executive Committee decided that 18 teams would participate in the first league.Mircea Sandu announced that a play-off betweenConcordia Chiajna (which relegated on the pitch) and Rapid (which was relegated on legal terms) would be held to decide the 18th team. This match took place on 13 July 2013 inDinamo Stadium and was won by "the Railwaymen" 2–1.[25]Concordia challenged the legality of this play-off match, as Rapid had no license forLiga I. After two rounds had already been played, on 2 August 2013 theCourt of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decided that the organization of the play-off match was irregular andConcordia must remain in the top league, Rapid being relegated.[26]
Relegated for the sixth time to the second league, and after a period of 23 years spent in the top league with excellent performances, Rapid gathered all its forces, despite a poor financial situation and an under-funding from the new owners. Under coachViorel Moldovan, former player on the team, "the Burgundy Eagles" had a good season, finishing 2nd in the regular season, as well as in the play-off round of the2013–14 season, right behindPolitehnica Iași and two points aboveUnirea Slobozia, ensuring their promotion to the first league.[8] On 17 May 2014, the Licensing Commission of the Romanian Football Federation again decided not to grant the necessary license, this time for the2014–15 season ofLiga I. Rapid decided to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but could not initially afford the€30,000, trial fee. The money for the fee was eventually donated by club supporters, and CAS admitted the appeal, forcing theRomanian Football Federation to grant Rapid a license for the Liga I season.
In the meantime, the club was bought by Valerii Moraru, a Moldovan businessman; but under coachesIonel Ganea,Marian Rada,Cristian Pustai, andCristiano Bergodi, the team had a very weak season, finishing only 16th, out of 18, and being relegated back toLiga II, for the seventh time.[27]
Back inLiga II, withDan Alexa as a coach, Rapid had a solid season, despite the fact that debts suffocated the club; and the under-funding by the new owner did not help. At the end of the2015–16 season, Rapid was promoted, being in 1st place, three points ahead ofDunărea Călărași.[8] However, the club did not recover financially; the team kept only a few players and no coaches. After filing for bankruptcy, FC Rapid could not sign any new contracts, so it could not build a team for the2016–17 season.[28] Finally, on 14 December 2016, Rapid was officially declared bankrupt, after a half-season of inactivity.[29]
In summer 2016, after it became clear that the team could no longer be enrolled in the championship, the idea of setting up somewhere in the lower leagues appeared, more exactly, in the Bucharest Championship,Liga V. A split between the supporters and the people directly involved in the club appeared, resulting in two new clubs,AFC Rapid București andMişcarea Feroviară CFR, after initially not less than four teams had been announced; but most of the projects did not survive.[30] IfAFC Rapid, owned by ex-Rapid marketing director, Horia Manoliu, who was in fact an old executive of the parent club, between 2001 and 2006.Mişcarea Feroviară was founded by the members of the Rapid Aristocratic Club. Both teams had an excellent run and were promoted toLiga IV.
The two clubs did not seem to have the force to succeed in the with the new promotion. So, in summer 2017, at the initiative ofSector 1 Municipality, the sports association,Academia Rapid București, was set up and enrolled in theLiga IV –Bucharest series. This club is run by former Rapid players such asDaniel Niculae (president),Daniel Pancu (technical director),Nicolae Stanciu (manager), andConstantin Schumacher (coach). By the time the auction for the bankrupt company's brand was finalized, Academia Rapid concluded a lease agreement for a period of one year. This team has proven to be popular among supporters, who consider it the moral successor of the parent club.[31] In the same summer,Mișcarea Feroviară disappeared.
Academia Rapid had a great season and won2017–18 Liga IV Bucharest after a tough duel withSteaua București. Also, theRomanian Cup trophy for Bucharest preliminary rounds entered the club's treasury and the phoenix club of Rapid qualified for the next season'sLiga III after a two-legged promotion play-off match against FC Singureni, theGiurgiu County champions, which they won 17–1 on aggregate.[32][33]
On 12 June 2018, after 18 auctions which saw the price of the Rapid brand fall by about€3 million, Academia Rapid bought the FC Rapid București brand, officially becoming the successor to the original club.[34][35][36] The transaction was made for the amount of€406,800, thus giving legitimacy to the new entity, even though it had already been accepted by most supporters and legends of the club as the successor of the original club, a fact confirmed in the championship match againstSteaua București on 14 April, when 37,000 fans attended the match in theArena Națională.
The start of the2018–19 season came with a number of difficulties for Rapid. Despite being 1st in the league, the football produced by the team suffered, and, as a result, coachConstantin Schumacher was replaced with former-playerDaniel Pancu, which also led to the departures ofDaniel Niculae andVasile Maftei. On 24 November, Rapid played its last game inGiulesti, which was going to be demolished later that year to make space for a new Category 4 Stadium. They would play future matches atRegie until the completion of their new stadium. On 12 May, Rapid mathematically obtained the promotion toLiga II with a 3–0 win against the main contender, Unirea Slobozia. They finished the season in first with 75 points, 11 ahead of second place.[37][38]
The new2019–20 season saw Rapid in the Romanian second Division, withDaniel Pancu as the head coach of the team. Victories against 1st and 2nd-ranked teams,UTA Arad (2–0) andCS Mioveni (5–1), gave the team hope for promotion, and Rapid found themselves in 3rd place after the first half of the season. The winter break came, and after a poor start to the second half of the season, Daniel Pancu was sacked from the club.Dan Alexa was appointed as the new head coach of the team. Exactly as with Daniel Pancu, Dan Alexa didn't succeed in giving the club a boost; so, he was sacked from the club in a few months' time. After Dan Alexa, Adrian Iencsi was hired as head coach; he also didn't perform. As the club had no more ideas of whom to bring on the team, they let Mihai Iosif, the assistant coach of the club, become the new head coach. Iosif did what none of his predecessors could do, and brought Rapid to the first Romanian League (Liga I). Rapid began the2021–22 season in the Liga I very well, with five consecutive wins and no goals conceded in seven matches, which is a record in Romania.
The official colors of the club are white and burgundy, from those of the capital of Romania. These can be found on the coat of arms and equipment used throughout its long history. These were chosen by Teofil Copaci,Grigore Grigoriu, Dumitru Constantinescu, Géza Ginzer, Tudor Petre, and Franz Hladt, who founded the club. The first equipment was made from burgundy cloth in Grigore Grigoriu's house, and the boots with crampons were reconditioned from used boots from Ateliere.
The crest of the Rapid Bucharest was usually composed of the CFR-ist symbol. In a short period after the beginning of the communist system in Romania, Rapidul was forced by the communist authorities to return to the nameCFR Bucharest. In 1950, it would becomeLocomotiva Bucharest, with a redsteam locomotive as its symbol. From 1958, the club renamed itselfRapid Bucharest, adopting the logo that changed relatively little until the purchase of the club byGeorge Copos, who changed the coat of arms upon his arrival. In 2001, Rapid's current crest was chosen. It turned out that the source of inspiration is, it seems, an emblematic club of Europe, namelyBenfica Lisbon, the most successful club inPortugal, on whose emblem appears a legendaryeagle.
The Rapid anthem, also known as "We are everywhere at home", was composed byVictor Socaciu, with lyrics byAdrian Păunescu. This anthem was born in June 1980, at the Flacăra editorial office, Adrian Păunescu meeting with Victor Socaciu, Ovidiu Ioanițoaia, a sports journalist atFlacăra magazine, and with Victor Niță, also fromFlacăra. The motifs for the hymn came quickly to Păunescu, and he started composing on the spot. At the same time, Ovidiu Ioanițoaia was writing the dictated verses on a napkin. At the centenary of the club, the football club and the sports club created a music album, on which the president of the club Daniel Niculae also sang.
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| Location | 18 Giulești Way,Giulești,BucharestBucharest,Romania |
|---|---|
| Owner | CS Rapid București |
| Capacity | 14,047 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 26 February 2019 |
| Opened | 26 March 2022 |
| Architect | Construcții Erbașu |
The history ofGiulești-Valentin Stănescu Stadium begins in 1934; on 31 March, CFR began the construction of a field on the Giulești Road. The field would have a width of 65 m and a length of 105 m.
At first, the mayor of Bucharest did not want to authorize the construction of the first stadium, because it did not fit in the systematization of the capital. Eventually, authorization was given; and in April 1936 it was estimated that the stadium would be ready in September. The construction did begin in that year but it lasted more than two. The chief architect was Gheorghe Dumitrescu.
The stadium was inaugurated on 10 June 1939. At the time, it was the most modern stadium in Romania, a smaller replica ofArsenal'sHighbury Stadium, with a capacity of 12,160 seats. Among the guests at the opening ceremony wasKing Carol II and his son, futureKing Michael of Romania.
The construction of the north stands was finished in the mid-1990s, with the capacity increased to 19,100 seats. In 2003, the pitch was changed and was considered to be the best in Romania at the time. Floodlights were installed in the summer of 2000. The stadium got the name of "Valentin Stănescu" in 2001, in respect of the manager who won the first championship for Rapid, but it is still commonly known as "Giulești Stadium", from the name of the neighborhood it is located in. Landmarks near the stadium are theGrant Bridge, Giulești Theatre,Gara de Nord (North Station), and theGrivița Railway Yards.
The stadium was closed on 24 November 2018, and the demolition process took place from 10 January to 7 May 2019, making room for the modern 14,000-seatRapid Arena. The new stadium's construction will be funded by the Romanian government andUEFA, after Bucharest was announced as one of the host cities forUEFA Euro 2020.[39]
After the closing of Giulești Stadium, Rapid moved temporarily on theRegie Stadium inBucharest, the former home ground ofSportul Studențesc. Regie Stadium was closed in 2014 after a conflict between Sportul and the stadium's owner, a fact that led to its degradation. Before moving, the white and burgundies needed to invest in the reconstruction of their new stadium, which began in January 2019.[40]
After its promotion inLiga I in the summer of 2021, the team played its home fixtures at theArena Națională. The newStadium Rapid-Giulești, known as Superbet Arena for sponsorship reasons, was inaugurated on 26 March 2022. It cost €67 million and can hold up to 14,050 spectators.
Located in the north-western side ofBucharest, in theBucharest Noi district, the ProRapid sports center was purchased by the then ownerGeorge Copos at the request ofMircea Lucescu, the coach who won the second championship, and was inaugurated in 1998. Initially, the complex had four football fields and a modern training facility. But, over the years, the structure has deteriorated due to the carelessness of the owners. Still, at the end of the 90s, "Pro Rapid" was considered the most modern training base in the country.
The facility spans five hectares and includes several playgrounds, three tennis courts, and an indoor swimming pool. There is a building where the players used to train. The facility is surrounded by Lake Străulesti, around which several buildings are distributed: the second building in order of size houses the living accommodations for the players on the first floor, medical rooms on the ground floor (including physiotherapy and rehabilitation), changing rooms (for players and coach), and a gym. The accommodation for the players of the youth teams is located in a building that includes a bar and a restaurant. In June 2016, the company SC FC Rapid SA was declared bankrupt by the Bucharest Court and the ProRapid base entered a period of continuous deterioration. At the moment, the football team is training at the Coresi training base.
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Rapid București is, according to a 2013 survey, the third-most supported club in Romania and the second in the Bucharest metropolitan area, around 20% of football lovers in the city being supporters of Rapid.[41] A unique organization in the country is the "Aristocratic Club of Rapid", which was founded in 2000. Its members include well-known artists, who aim to defend the history of Rapid and maintain its traditions.[42][43]
However, at the beginning, being the railway club, drew its supporters mostly from people linked with the workers. The first waves of new fans came at the beginning of the 1930s, when Rapid's legendary golden team won the hearts of many people delighted by their spectacular play and the consecutive wins of theRomanian Cup between 1935 and 1942 .
In 1967, actor Mihai Ioan organised and taught the supporters how to sing chants, thus becoming the first leader of the gallery in the club's history.[18][44] Currently, Rapid ultras are represented byPeluza Nord and also formerly byTribuna II (t2 Rapid). Until 2002, Rapid Bucharest had a head of the gallery who stood at the head of the fans for 32 years, Constantin Mincea, Geamgiul. He is known for chanting against the communist party duringRomania's communist regime, Rapid's fans had some chants that targeted theCeaușescu family, theRomanian Communist Party (PCR), and clubs they considered as being protected by the regime, such asSteaua București,Dinamo București,Victoria București,Olt Scornicești, andFlacăra Moreni.[45] Rapid fans were the first in Romania to support the ultras movement in the 1980s, but the first ultras groups were founded in 1998, named asOfficial Hooligans,Bombardierii, andUltras Unione. Later, others appeared such as:Maniacs,Brigada 921,Grant Ultras 06, Radicals,Torcida Visinie,Chicos del Infierno (CDI) 2005,Ultra' Stil,Legiunea Chitila,Devil's Gate,Granata Girls,SVRB,Colletivo,RHV,Original,Capitali,Legione Titan, and there were also groups in the provinces, in cities such as:Iași,Pașcani,Piatra Neamț,Zalău, andTârgu Mureș. In 2007, the ultras group,Pirații, moved to the second stands of the stadium, following divergences with the leader of thePeluza Nord. They were followed by other brigades from thePeluza Nord.
t2 Rapid (Piratii, CDI, Ultra' Stil) does not have a leader, distinguishing it from the other group. Over time there have been many conflicts between the two factions, and as a result, the members ofTribuna II groups left definitely, founding a new team,ACS Rapid-Frumosii Nebuni ai Giulestiului.[46] One of the most publicized incidents in Romanian football was the "Bricheta" case, when theBucharest derby was stopped and Rapid lost 0–3.[47]
The supporters fromPolitehnica Timișoara and Rapid are bound by a friendship of 30 years. The beginnings of this friendship was at the final of theRomanian Cup in the1980-81 season, when the Rapid-Pandurii andPolitehnica Timișoara-U Craiova matches were played together.[48] The Olten people present at the match showed solidarity, which is why the Timişoara and Giulești supporters had to support each other. After the Revolution, the supporters from the rapid gallery came to Timisoara with wreaths that they laid at the heroes' cemetery, to commemorate those who died in December 1989.[49]
The club's most important rivalries are against neighbouringFC Steaua București.[note 1] The two clubs have played each other over 130 times, beginning with Rapid's 1–0 victory on November 4, 1947. Several matches throughout the years between Steaua and Rapid have ended in serious clashes between fans. The two teams are notable for their dominance of Romanian football, alongsideDinamo. The conflict has become even fiercer after Steaua passed Rapid in an all-Romanian quarter-final of the2005–06 UEFA Cup. The rivalry also extends to other sports. The local sports newspapers said that the two teams were linked in this quarter-final by the Number 41 tram which links theGhencea Stadium with theValentin Stănescu Stadium. The rivalry also extends to other sports.
Another bitter rival of Rapid isPetrolul Ploiești, which was previously based in the capital and with which it contests the Primus Derby, the oldest football derby in Romania. This is a fierce one where the galleries fight in increasingly beautiful choreographies and push their favorites. The first episode of the Petrolul-Rapid rivalry was in the1965-66 season, Petrolul and Rapid fought for the title of Romanian champion, and Prahoven won. The team trained at that time byConstantin Cernăianu prevailed over the rival and won the last championship title in the history of the club. A year later, Rapid got revenge and won the first title, after a draw inPloiesti. In the battle withDinamo for the first place, the Giuleșteni needed a point in the match with Petrolul in the last stage.Rică Răducanu and his colleagues got the equaliser, score 0-0, and the Rapid supporters returned on foot from Ploiesti, as they had promised before the match.
Among the thousands of fans was Ioana Radu, the well-known popular music singer and a big fan of the rapidists. At the end of the1973-1974 season, both teams were relegated together toDivision B. In the period 1978–1982, both teams were in Division B. The culminating match between the two took place in the spring of 1982, at Stadionul Steaua, in front of 35,000 spectators, in the 30th stage ofDivision B. The Rapidists prevailed with a clear 5–1 win. Another landmark match between the two teams was the final of theRomanian Cup in 1995, at the end of which Petrolul won the second cup in their history, after defeating Rapid on penalty kicks. During the 1983-2004 period, both teams were in Division A, with Petrolul subsequently relegating at the end of the 2003–04 season. The rivalry also extends to other sports.
Rapid had other Bucharest rivals, such asDinamo Bucuresti,Progresul București, andVenus București, as well as derbies against teams of the Romanian Railways such asCFR Cluj andCFR Timișoara. Other, less important rivalries are withUniversitatea Cluj,Farul Constanța,Universitatea Craiova, andUTA Arad.
Rapid is a joint-stock company since 1992. The property is divided as follows: 50% is attributed to Victor Angelescu and Dan Sucu, and the remaining 3% belongs to Academia Rapid Bucharest 1923. After a first bankruptcy, FC Rapid could no longer register new contracts, so they could not build a team to enter the2016–17 season. Finally, on 14 December 2016, Rapid was officially declared bankrupt after half a season of inactivity. Since 1992, the giulestea club was led by the businessmanGeorge Copos, who then led the club to two championships in 2013. After his conviction in the Transfer File, he sold the club to Nicolae Cristescu, who led the club only 3 years, it then being bought by Valerii Moraru.
On 12 June 2018, after 18 auctions during which the price of the Rapid brand dropped by approximately 3 million euros, Academia Rapid bought the Rapid Bucharest brand, officially becoming the successor of the original club. The transaction was for the sum of €406,800, thus giving legitimacy to the new entity, although it had already been accepted by most of the club's supporters and legends as the club's successor. On 26 July 2018 Victor Angelescu bought approximately 40% of the club's shares and later in 2022, he acquired the majority of the shares, becoming the majority shareholder of the Giulestean club. On 24 May 2022 businessman Dan Sucu purchased 50% of the club's shares.
In its history, the club has participated 69 seasons inLiga I and 15 seasons inLiga II: these statistics place it in third place for number of participations in Liga I, afterDinamo Bucuresti andFCSB .
Rapid has played in 88 editions of theRomanian Cup, the first time in 1933–34, winning 13 editions, while in theRomanian Supercup they have had twelve appearances, the first in 1998, the last in 2007. European competitions involve participation in 95 European cup matches, in 4 competitions over 22 seasons. The club has won theRomanian Cup 13 times and have played in 6 finals of this event; they also triumphed in four of the sixRomanian Supercup matches in which they participated. In terms of European cups, Giulestenii triumphed in the Balkan Cup in 1964 and in the European Railway Championship in 1968 and played in the final of the European Railway Championship in 1961 and 1971.
Since the establishment of the championship, the team finished first three times, second 14 times, obtaining the worst ranking in the 1973-74 championship with a final 16th place, from which it obtained relegation to the second division of Romania. The Cherry Eagles finished Division A with the best offense in the tournament on many occasions and with the best defense six times.
Between 1990 and 2012 Rapid achieved the most important results in the club's recent history, winning two league titles and advancing in European cups. The most capped player for the team isNae Stanciu who played for 12 years. Furthermore,Ion Ionescu is the team's top scorer with 107 goals. The most seasons as team captain wasDumitru Macri, who was captain for 14 years, when he played 221 matches.Ilie Greavu is the second-most selected player, with 294 games for Rapid, followed byConstantin Năsturescu, who played 288 games for Giulesti.Daniel Pancu is the club's second top scorer with 94 goals in 265 games, followed bySandu Neagu who scored 92 goals. n total, 88 coaches have led Rapid.
The first coach wasMarin Himer, who coached the team from 1923 to 1925, while the longest serving Rapid coach wasValentin Stanescu, who remained in charge of the team for five seasons. WithValentin Stănescu he won the first championship in 1967, and was followed byMircea Lucescu who won the championship in 1999 and withMircea Rednic the championship in 2003.
Rapid's most successful coach isValentin Stănescu with whom Giulesteni managed historical performances, led the team when they won theBalkan Cup twice and the national championship in 1966. One of Giulesti's most famous coaches wasIon Motroc who spent 9 years as a player; as a coach he caused one of the biggest surprises of Romanian football, by winning theRomanian Cup from the Second Division.Razvan Lucescu led from 2004 to 2007, when he managed the club's greatest European performance, finishing fourth in Romania'sUEFA Cup.Ștefan Auer won back-to-back Romanian Cups in the interwar period; Iuliu Baratky also won back-to-back Romanian Cups. Bazil Marian was the manager who returned the cup to Giulesti after a 30-year spell. In the history of Rapid there have been many presidents, the first was Teofil Copaci, who founded the club and led Rapid in the interwar period. The club was led by theMinistry of Transport in the period before the leadership ofGeorge Copos, under whom Dinu Gheorghe was club president. Afterwards, this position varied from person to person; among the most important leaders of Rapid wereGrigore Sichitiu,Nicolae Manea. In 2003, the president Ioan Becali andDan Petrescu were prompted by their status as 'Dinamo' and 'Steaua' fan to kiss the Rapid flag, this was a remarkable moment of the 2000s.
As Rapid is currently one of the most popular football team in Romania, a good number of musicians, TV, and film directors have been inspired from ideas linked to the Giulesti-based club. Popular references, however, appeared only after the Romanian Revolution, as, before, mass-media programmes were mostly being controlled by the communist regime. ThePrima TV comedy showTrăsniții in one episode, showed the Pupaza character in the role of a Rapid supporter. Also, in 2022 the series onPro TVLas Fierbinti had some characters as Rapid fans.
Several other examples from music can be attributed as Rapid-related. Apart from club anthems played throughout time byAdrian Păunescu. Rapid has a lot of supporters, many of whom are celebrities in Romania: for example Fărâmită Lambru,Maria Tanase,Dan Grigore,Horia Brenciu,Mircea Geoană,Ion Iliescu, andNicolae Vacaroiu.
The book Glasul roților de tren byIoan Chirilă is one of the most famous books about sports in Romania . This book has become abible for Rapid supporters.
| Season | Match | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitropa Cup | |||
| 1938 | Rapid – Újpest | 4 – 0 | |
| 1938 | Rapid – Genoa | 2 – 1 | |
| 1940 | Rapid –MTK Budapest | 3 – 0 | |
| UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | |||
| 1972–73 | Rapid – Rapid Wien | 3 – 1 | |
| 1975–76 | Rapid – Anderlecht | 1 – 0 | |
| UEFA Cup / Europa League | |||
| 1971–72 | Rapid – Napoli | 2 – 0 | |
| 1971–72 | Rapid – Legia Warsaw | 4 – 0 | |
| 1994–95 | Rapid – Eintracht Frankfurt | 2 – 1 | |
| 1996–97 | Rapid –Karlsruhe | 1 – 0 | |
| 2005–06 | Rapid – Feyenoord | 1 – 0 | |
| 2005–06 | Rapid – Rennes | 2 – 0 | |
| 2005–06 | Rapid – Shakhtar Donetsk | 1 – 0 | |
| 2005–06 | Rapid –Hertha Berlin | 2 – 0 | |
| 2005–06 | Rapid –Hamburger SV | 2 – 0 | |
| 2012–13 | Rapid –Heerenveen | 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.
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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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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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The footballers enlisted below have had international cap(s) for their respective countries at junior and/or senior level and/or more than 100 appearances for FC Rapid București.
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Notes
Citations
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