Politehnica AEK Timisoara
Politehnica AEK Timisoara is a football (soccer) club from Romania.
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Fotbal Club Timişoara is a Romanian football (soccer) club which was established in 2002 and is currently playing in Romania's top league, Liga I. Politehnica AEK Timisoara was born when Anton Doboş, owner of AEK Bucureşti, moved Politehnica AEK Timisoara to Timişoara after obtaining promotion to Liga I, finishing 1st in the Divizia B 2001–02 season of Liga II, Seria 1. However, there is an issue regarding Politehnica AEK Timisoara's rights to the history of FC Politehnica Timişoara, as former owner Claudio Zambon has been claiming he is the rightful holder of Politehnica AEK Timisoara records. Despite all this controversy, FC Timişoara remains one of the most popular football clubs in the country. Since joining the first league in the 2002/2003 season, it has always had the highest average attendance at home matches.
Politehnica AEK Timisoara also has a 2nd team, FC Timişoara II, which currently plays in the Romanian Liga III. It aims to train and promote talented youth for the first team.
History
The 2002/2003 season had double meaning for FC Timişoara (FC Politehnica AEK Timişoara at the time) as it was the first season in history, and also the first season in Liga I. The team finished 14th, and was able to remain in Liga I for the next season only after a play-off against Gloria Buzău.
In the 2003/2004 season the side grew more mature, learning from last season's mistakes, finishing an honorable 8th place.
The 2004/2005 campaign had been dramatic for the team, as they desperately struggled in the first half of the season and looked set for relegation at the winter break. However, the arrival of BKP was decisive, as the new sponsor did not shy away from investing in the team. After acquiring Romanian internationals Cosmin Contra and Viorel Moldovan, as well as a few other players from FC Naţional Bucureşti, including their coach at that time, Cosmin Olăroiu, Poli gently slid upwards in the table. Far from being relegated, Politehnica AEK Timisoara finished 6th (out of 16 teams) after an excellent second half season.
The club's strong finish that season, the new players that arrived, and the good practice match results in the preseason campaign (including a 2-2 draw against Italian giants Juventus) has ensured that Poli was expected to do very well in the 2005/2006 Divizia A season, perhaps even challenge the big Bucharest teams.
However, the rather poor start of the season led to the sacking of Cosmin Olăroiu after the 12th match day. Romanian football legend Gheorghe Hagi took over, finally returning to Romanian football after 15 years (excluding a short spell as coach of the National team in 2001). His stay also ended abruptly, after only six months, when he resigned following a series of bad results. His place was taken by the second in command, Iosif Rotariu, for the remainder of that season.
2006/2007 started off on the same mediocre note, but Politehnica AEK Timisoara stayed around the first five places in the league for most of the season. As a consequence of Politehnica AEK Timisoara board's dissatisfaction, Politehnica AEK Timisoara had no less than four managers through the year. Sorin Cîrţu had been appointed just before the season began, as he was the last manager to have won the league with a non-Bucharest team. Although Poli acquired the services of Ştefan Grigorie and Dan Alexa from Dinamo Bucureşti and Andrei Cristea from Steaua Bucureşti, Cîrţu only lasted a couple of weeks on the team's bench. He was subsequently replaced by Alin Artimon, who had been in charge of the youth department at the club, but despite some good results, the young manager folded under the pressure and resigned after a home draw against Dinamo. Second team manager Iosif Rotariu was in charge of Politehnica AEK Timisoara for a short while, before Artimon's and Hagi's assistant manager, Valentin Velcea was appointed manager until the end of the season. He achieved some good results in the league and qualified for the Romanian Cup final, after defeating Steaua in Bucharest, but the team's bad performances at the end of the season (which left them standing 7th in the final league standings) and the 0-2 loss against Rapid in the RC final, at the Dan Păltinişanu Stadium, left the fans dissatisfied by what had generally been another season of mediocrity.
2007/2008
It had been rumored for several months before Dušan Uhrin, Jr was officially announced as the next Poli manager, that he would be the one for whom expectations would be made for 2007/2008. The Czech manager impressed everyone with his calm and clear rationales, being labeled as one of the few gentlemen of Romanian football. He took over a weakened team, Ifeanyi Emeghara and Mihăiţă Pleşan having departed for Steaua at the season debut. On the other hand Ionel Ganea came to Poli as part of a player exchange which saw Ştefan Grigorie leave to Rapid, then Marian Aliuţă and Cristian Dancia were signed on free transfers and two Slovenian internationals, Dare Vršič and Dejan Rusič were also bought to strengthen the team.
By the end of 2007 Politehnica AEK Timisoara was third in the standings with 32 points and had an average of over two goals scored per match. However, Poli's defensive record was much worse than it had been in previous years and it seemed that this was the team's most significant weakness that had to be tended to.
A few days into the winter transfer window, the white-violets announced the transfers of Miloš Brezinský from FC Slovan Liberec and Balázs Borbély from Artmedia Bratislava. Elvio Raul Martinez, Tiberiu Bălan and Carlos Alberto Lourenco Milhazes were also brought on loan. Politehnica AEK Timisoara also terminated their deal with FCM Reşiţa, so that all of Politehnica's players there returned to Timişoara.
In January, Marian Iancu stated he would retire from Politehnica AEK Timisoara unless the City and County Councils would become co-investors at the football team. After a month of pressures, both Councils decided to offer a sponsorship, but refused to join Politehnica AEK Timisoara's ownership. The involvement was satisfactory for Mr. Iancu, who went on to say that BKP will continue offering their financial support.
Poli ended the season in sixth position, which ensured them qualification to the UEFA Cup, because the Romanian Cup final was played between CFR Cluj (league Champions which therefore qualified for the UEFA Champions League) and FC Unirea Urziceni (who finished fifth in the standings). It was the first time in sixteen years that a team from Timişoara achieved European qualification.
Poli managed to score 57 goals, more than any other first league side for the season. Moreover, for the first time in over three decades, a team outside of Bucharest managed to not lose in any encounter with FC Dinamo Bucureşti, FC Rapid Bucureşti and FC Steaua Bucureşti.
2008/2009
At the end of the 2008/2009 season, FC Timişoara achivied its best performance in history, finishing 2nd in the Liga I 2008-09. Also Politehnica AEK Timisoara played a second Romanian Cup final, but lost to CFR Cluj. The managers that achieved theese performances are Dušan Uhrin, Jr, Gavril Balint and Valentin Velcea.
Chronology of the names
Supporters
CVUCS
Commando Viola Ultra Curva (stadia) Sud (in short CVUCS) is one of the most famous football fan groups in Romania. The fans, located in the southern sector of the stadium, are renowned for their unwavering support for their team, and their "Anti-Bucharest" chants and attitude, which are mainly directed towards arch rivals Dinamo Bucureşti and Steaua Bucureşti. Largely regarded the most important rivalry though is the local rivalry with UTA Arad, a team based 50 kilometers away from Timisoara, in Arad. Often there are violent encounters before and after venues of the two teams.
There is an ongoing friendship between fans of Poli and those of Rapid Bucuresti.
Poli is Politehnica AEK Timisoara with the highest number of attendances at home matches, despite having achieved only a mid-table position in the last season. The spectacles performed by CVUCS match after match are both a visual delight and a heart-warming experience for fans of the "Alb-Violet" team.
Protest for club record
On the March 17, 2007, ten thousand fans marched from Politehnica AEK Timisoara stadium to the city center, protesting against the decision of the Tribunal Arbitral du Sport, which deemed that FC Timişoara was not allowed to use Politehnica AEK Timisoara name, colours, emblem and insignias of FC Politehnica Timişoara any longer, as they belonged to Politehnica AEK Timisoara owned by Claudio Zambon. His team currently plays in a small town next to Bucharest, in the Romanian fourth league.
In the week preceding the event, after FIFA announced it would maintain the initial CAS decision, the supporters wrote a manifest which they sent to several major newspapers around the world. The manifest was quickly translated in five languages: English, German, French, Spanish and Italian. Moreover, the fans spread out fliers through Timişoara, posting the manifest all over the city in just a few hours. Subsequently, over 20,000 people came to watch the match against FC Politehnica Iaşi which took place that Saturday. Despite the defeat (0-1), over half the number marched peacefully to the town center, where they stayed for several hours, chanting for their team and listening to speeches made by the local authorities, former players and the leaders of the supporter groups.
After Politehnica AEK Timisoara was docked six points in early September 2008 for not fully complying with the CAS decision, the fans took to the streets in a spontaneous protest on the 4th of September. After blocking one of the main roads into Timisoara, from where they were dispersed by local police through the use of tear gas, the over one thousand supporters marched towards the city center. On the way their numbers increased to five thousand and after reaching their destination, they chanted in support for Poli and against the Romanian Football Federation, who they blamed not only for the lost points, but for the part they played in disowning FC Timișoara of their club records.
This underlying issue brought the fans together in another protest on the 7th of September, when about ten thousand supporters gathered once more in the city center, in an organized protest this time. Similarly to the meeting in 2007, speeches were held by significant local figures and chants were sung. Another protest is planned for the 9th of September, as the fans aim to push national authorities into investigating the alleged frauds committed by the RFF, in the hope that once these are uncovered, FC Timişoara will be allowed to return to its former name and colours.
The fans created a website,
Achievements
- Runners-up (1): Liga I 2008-09
- Runners-up (2): Cupa României 2006–07, Cupa României 2008–09
Reserves and youth team
Notable former and present players
(have played at least 30 matches for Politehnica AEK Timisoara or scored a minimum of 15 goals)
-
Romania
- Romulus Buia
- Cristian Silvăşan
- Cosmin Contra
- Viorel Moldovan
- Gabriel Caramarin
- Mihăiţă Pleşan
- Ovidiu Petre
- Gabriel Torje
- Bănel Nicoliţă
- Gheorghe Bucur
- Marius Popa
- Dan Alexa
- Costel Pantilimon
- Srdjan Luchin
- Valentin Badoi
Armenia
- Artavazd Karamyan
- Arman Karamyan
Costa Rica
- Winston Parks
Czech Republic
- Lukáš Magera
Ghana
- Emmanuel Osei
Nigeria
- Ifeanyi Emeghara
- Abiodun Agunbiade
Portugal
- Carlos Alberto Lourenco Milhazes
Senegal
- Gueye Mansour
Slovakia
- Miloš Brezinský
- Marián Čišovský
- Balázs Borbély
Slovenia
- Dejan Rusič
- Dare Vršič
Notable former coaches
- Gheorghe Mulţescu
- Cosmin Olăroiu
- Gheorghe Hagi
- Dušan Uhrin, Jr
- Gavril Balint
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Related pages
AS Gaz Metan Medias, CFR Cluj, CS Fotbal Club Otopeni, Dinamo Bucuresti, FC Arges Dacia Pitesti, FC Farul Constanta, FC Vaslui, Fotbal Club Steaua Brasov, Gloria Bistrita, Gloria Buzau, Otelul Galati, Pandurii, Politehnica AEK Timisoara, Politehnica Iasi, Rapid Bucuresti, Steaua Bucuresti, Unirea Urziceni, Universitatea Craiova