ACS Poli Timișoara

The club was founded in 1921 by the Polytechnic University of Timișoara under the name Societatea Sportiva Politehnica.[3]

Its initial aim was to provide an opportunity for university students to work on their fitness within a competitive environment. The logistics of the sport proved problematic, as there were limited financial means available. Thanks to contributions gathered from university professors and employees, the club bought their first football kits, with white-black vertical stripes, and rented the "Patria" football stadium. It was not until 1928 that the club developed its own training grounds, "Politehnica", which were built by volunteers. Players for the team were chosen on merit from the pool of Timișoara students and high-schoolers, who trained after school hours during the week and played football on weekends. The football landscape in the city was already developed at that time, with CAT, RGMT and Chinezul dominating locally.

After spending three years in the District Championships II, Politehnica won promotion to the first tier in 1924, by defeating Kadima Timișoara. The club became established in the years to come, even finishing 2nd in the 1926–27 District Championships I, when Politehnica lost out to Chinezul by a single point, who were one of Romania's most famous football names at the time. However, the competitive level could not be easily sustained by a university club, as it was subject to the inflow and outflow of players conditioned by their student status. After a decline towards the end of the decade, the low-point came at the beginning of the 1930s, between 1931 and 1933, when due to insufficient material resources, Politehnica had to suspend its football activities. It reappeared in 1934 but remained a modest club, with mid-table classifications in the District Championships I, as well as the Divizia C and Divizia B, once they were founded. As war beckoned, the national championships were suspended and all football activities reduced to friendly matches and the "Cupa Eroilor" (1943–44).

Until the second World War, Politehnica was far from the number one Timișoara football club. Chinezul and then Ripensia won multiple Romanian championship, whereas the students's club failed to achieve similar results.[4] It did, however, propel several players to the Romania national football team, with the likes of Sfera, Ignuţa, Deheleanu, Chiroiu, Pop, Protopopescu and Sepi all wearing the national jerseys.[5]

With Romania under a communist regime, these decades were a challenge for Politehnica, as the club represented an educational institution of the highest tier. The numerous promotions and relegations between the first two national leagues were contrasted by the two Romanian cups won and the club's first forays into international football.

Politehnica was first promoted to Romanian top league, the Divizia A, in 1948,[6] and played under the name CSU Timișoara in the first season.[7] Shortly thereafter (from 1950[8]), the club was renamed Știința Timișoara, in line with the desired nomenclature of the times. In spite of suffering its first relegation in 1951,[9] the decade was an unusually consistent one, with the club returning swiftly to the top division[10] and staying there until the season 1959.[11] The high-point of the Ştiinţa years was winning the 1957–58 Romanian Cup, a 1–0 victory against Progresul București,[12] with the club finishing joint first in the league in the same season, but losing out on goal difference.

The next decade saw the club struggle to remain in the first league, particularly towards the end of the 60s. However, it was then that the club's modern identity started taking shape. Firstly, in 1963, the largest stadium in Timişoara was completed. It was initially named "1 Mai", honoring the socialist workers' day, before being renamed several times in the 90s and finally settling on Stadionul Dan Păltinişanu. Secondly, the club reverted to its previous name of Politehnica Timișoara[13] in 1966 and went to play during the next five decades on the then-erected stadium.

When Politehnica returned to the first league in 1973, after struggling to win promotion for several years, it went on to celebrate one of its best streaks in the top flight. With the likes of Emeric Dembrovschi and Dan Păltinişanu in the team, who both played for Romania and went on to become some of the most capped players in the club's history, and under the management of prof. Ion V. Ionescu, Politehnica lost that season's cup final. After managing a third place in the league with manager Angelo Niculescu in 1978, Politehnica took part in a continental competition for the first time. It was the 1978–79 UEFA Cup, where Poli defeated MTK Budapest (2–0 and 1–2), before going down to Honved Budapest (2–0 and 0–4) in the second round.[14]

The club remained steady and managed to win its second cup trophy the following season, by beating Steaua București with 2–1, after extra time.[12] Politehnica thereby qualified for the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, where it managed to eliminate Celtic Glasgow (1–0 and 1–2), before being defeated by West Ham United (1–0 and 0–4) in second leg.[15] In spite of losing another Romanian Cup final in 1981, the club qualified once more for the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, where they lost to Leipzig 2–5 on aggregate.[15]

After being relegated in 1983, Politehnica yo-yo-ed between Divizia A and the Divizia B, with promotions in 1984,[16] 1987,[17] 1989[18] and relegations in 1986[19] and 1988.[20] Fans ironically called this period as the 'ABBA years'. As the Romanian Revolution, which started in Timișoara, signalled the end of an era, Politehnica managed to grab its most impressive result yet in European competitions, by eliminating Atlético Madrid (2–0 and 0–1) in the 1990–91 UEFA Cup.[21]

By state order, all public institutions were forced to relinquish and reorganize any owned sports clubs in 1991, to effectively privatize them. As a result, alongside the newly organized football club appeared a non-profit association, AFC Politehnica Timișoara.[22] The latter, consisting of previous club players and staff, was mandated with owning and protecting the club records and intellectual property.[23]

The club's swan song near the top of Romanian football for the next decade was to be the 1991–92 season. Poli finished 5th and also reached the Romanian Cup final, only to lose it on penalties against Steaua București. The consequent participation in the 1992–93 UEFA Cup, saw the club draw against Real Madrid (1–1 in Timișoara), before being defeated in the return leg (0–4).[21] Politehnica lost several key players in the years after the forced privatization, which slowly lead to the team's downfall. In fewer than twenty four months from their draw against Real, the club was relegated to the Divizia B in 1994.[24] Despite a fast return to the first league in 1995,[25] Poli failed to consolidate their position and were soon relegated once more after the 1996–97 season.[26]

An inability to rebound lead to mounting financial pressures. The club was temporarily owned by a Timișoara based businessman between 1998 and 2000, before the local authorities accepted the bid of an Italian investor, Claudio Zambon, to take over Politehnica.[27] Despite an initial financial outlay, Poli finished 15th and was relegated to the third league, Divizia C, where it had last played in 1938. To avoid such an outcome, Zambon and the local authorities struck a deal with a league two club, Dacia Pitești, and purchased their license to participate in the Divizia B. After failing to earn promotion to top flight, the 2001–02 season posed an insurmountable challenge for Politehnica. Zambon's departure following disagreements with the local authorities meant the club found itself in dire financial straits. Forced to use mostly youth players, Politehnica finished the season dead last, with one win and four draws to its name, but negative eight points in the standings, due to unpaid debts. Once again the club was bound to be relegated to the third division.[28]

In 2002, AEK Bucharest were promoted to Liga I, Romanian football's top division, for the first time,[29] whereupon Anton Doboș, the club's owner, moved it to Timișoara. It was renamed Politehnica AEK Timișoara after merging with CSU Politehnica, a club owned and run by the Politehnica University, and received the full support of local authorities and white-purple fans. After a rocky first season, which required a spectacular relegation play-off against Gloria Buzău[30] to avoid demotion, Poli AEK consolidated during the next season, finishing on a safe mid-table position. Moreover, starting with the 2004–05 season, the team changed its name to FCU Politehnica Timișoara, trying to reestablish its former identity.[31]

Financially difficulties looming, Politehnica changed ownership once more. Former president Anton Doboș stayed on at the club for another year in a new position, while Balkan Petroleum Ltd., owned by Marian Iancu, took full charge. Significant investments in the transfer market transformed the club overnight, as it received the nickname "EuroPoli" for its newly found ambitions to reach the top of Romanian football.

During the takeover by Marian Iancu, a dispute regarding the proprietary rights for the club name, colors and records arose. After prolonged litigation, Politehnica was forced to change its name to FC Timișoara, following a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. It was deemed that the colors and records dating before 2002 were lost in favor of former Politehnica Timișoara owner, Claudio Zambon. The Italian had struck a deal with AFC Politehnica, the non-profit association which owned said proprietary items, when he left Timișoara during the 2001–02 season.[32]

Results on the pitch improved immediately after the takeover, but a leap to the Liga 1 podium proved elusive until 2008–09, when Politehnica finished runner-up, a feat repeated two seasons later. The club did, however, rejoin European football the season before that by qualifying for the UEFA Cup[33] – sixteen years after its last appearance against Atletico Madrid. More European appearances followed, culminating with the qualification for the 3rd preliminary round of the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League.[34] The team defeated the reigning UEFA Cup champions Shakhtar Donetsk, but were eliminated from the competition during the Playoff Round, which still meant the club would take part in the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League group stage.[35]

In November 2010, the Romanian Court of Appeal returned Politehnica's name, colors and records to FC Timișoara.[36] However, at the end of the season, despite finishing second in the Liga I standings, the club was relegated to Liga II after failing to meet the licence requirements to play in the first division.[37] Under the name of Politehnica Timişoara, they took part in the 2011–12 Liga II season and finished first, but were again denied the licence to play in Liga I. Consequently, the club filed for bankruptcy and was dissolved in September 2012.

In the summer of 2012, ACS Recaș, a club just promoted to the Liga II, was moved to Timișoara and renamed ACS Poli Timișoara[38][39] after the dissolution of FC Politehnica Timișoara.[40] The new club is co-owned by the City Council and the County Council and has the backing of the Politehnica University of Timișoara, all three being active members in the legal entity running the club. However, the ultras supporters rejected the move and decided to support an alternative project in the lower leagues, ASU Politehnica Timişoara.

Valentin Velcea continued as head coach,[41] while the roster consisted mostly of the core ACS Recaș players and several players from FC Politehnica.[42] At its conception, the club, established as an NGO, was primarily financed by the local authorities,[43][44][45] as Timișoara mayor Nicolae Robu insisted control should not be forfeited to private investors.[46] After initially playing in black/white/yellow kits, in order to avoid legal complications while the court ruled over the rightful owner following the bankruptcy of FC Politehnica, the club returned to its historic white-purple colors starting with the 2015–2016 season.[47][48][49][50][51] As of February 2016, ACS Poli Timişoara is the sole and full owner of all the rights pertaining to and deriving from the Politehnica Timișoara brand and records, following a court decision which nullified the original agreement between the founding club and record holders, and Marian Iancu's insolvent club.[1]

From a competitive perspective, the club failed to equal the achievements of the Marian Iancu era. A yo-yo-ing between the first two leagues, reminiscent of the Politehnica's travails in the 1980s, ensued. The situation was amplified by the fact that the financing received from the local authorities was deemed illegal in the summer of 2015, which left the club without its main financial benefactor.[52] The highlight season for the new Poli came about in 2016–2017, when the club started with a 14 points penalty, as it failed to reach a points minimum the previous year and recorded unpaid debts.[53] In spite of this, Poli, under the management of Ionuţ Popa, rallied to reach the relegation play-off in the dying minutes of the season and defeated rivals UTA Arad 5–2 on aggregate.[54] Moreover, the club reached the first national cup final, finishing runner-up in the Cupa Ligii, while also reaching the semi-finals of the Romanian Cup.

The following season was another struggle and Poli suffered a reversal of fortunes as they were relegated by courtesy of a goal scored late in the last matchday.[55] With financial pressures mounting, the club declared insolvency[56] during the 2018–2019 Liga 2 season and struggled to stay competitive, becoming involved in another fight to avoid relegation. In order to mitigate costs, it was also forced to relocate from the Dan Păltinişanu stadium to the Electrica stadium.

• Liga I
  • Runners-up (2): 2008–09, 2010–11
• Liga II
  • Winners (12): 1947–48, 1952, 1959–60, 1964–65, 1972–73, 1983–84, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1994–95, 2001–02, 2011–12, 2014–15 (record)
  • Runners-up (2): 1970–71, 2012–13

• Romanian Cup
  • Winners (2): 1957–58, 1979–80
  • Runners-up (6): 1973–74, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1991–92, 2006–07, 2008–09
• Cupa Ligii
  • Runners-up (1): 2016–17

As of 15 March 2020[64]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player — GK Markos Gakos — GK Robert Popeț — GK Cristian Toma — DF Dănuț Bilia — DF Adrian Chiriac — DF Sebastian Foca — DF Narcis Plută — DF Raul Popa — DF Michel Rosenblum — MF Sinișa Sporin (Captain) — DF Bogdan Turdean — MF Marius Călin

No. Position Player — MF Alexandru Daminescu — MF Cristian Daminuță — MF Alexandru Dincă — MF Denis Dorobanțu — MF Nafi Iseini — MF Cristian Mitre — MF Patrick Peter — MF Sergiu Românu — FW Darius Buzdugan — FW Adrian Sevici — FW Marius Staicu — FW Flavius Toboșaru

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player — GK Mario Contra (to ASU Politehnica Timișoara) — DF Radu Motreanu (to ASU Politehnica Timișoara)

No. Position Player — MF Dorin Codrea (to ASU Politehnica Timișoara)

Competitive, professional matches only. Only pertains to 2012 onwards.

As of 1 March 2019

	Name	Years	League	Cup	Other	Total
1	Cristian Bărbuț	2012–2017	120	11	2	133
2	Alin Șeroni	2012–2014; 2016–2018	102	10	2	114
3	Cristian Scutaru	2012–2017	100	9	1	110
4	Gabriel Cânu	2014–2018	96	7	2	105
5	Alexandru Popovici	2013–2017; 2018	94	10	1	105

Competitive, professional matches only. Appearances, including substitutes, appear in brackets. Only pertains to 2012 onwards.

As of 1 March 2019

#	Name	Years	League	Cup	Other	Total	Ratio
1	Szabolcs Szekely	2012–2015	18 (57)	2 (2)	0 (0)	20 (59)	0.34
2	Pedro Henrique	2014–2017	16 (40)	2 (3)	2 (2)	20 (45)	0.44
3	Octavian Drăghici	2016–2019	16 (64)	3 (8)	1 (1)	20 (73)	0.27
4	Cristian Bărbuț	2012–2017	13 (120)	1 (11)	1 (2)	15 (133)	0.11
5	Alexandru Popovici	2013–2017	12 (94)	2 (10)	0 (1)	14 (105)	0.13