FC Politehnica Iași (2010) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Politehnica Iași

Full name	Fotbal Club Politehnica Iași
Nickname(s)	Alb-albaștrii (The White and Blues) Trupa din Copou (Copou Squad)
Short name	Poli Iași
Founded	27 April 1945; 80 years ago (27 April 1945) (as Fotbal Club Politehnica Iași)
Ground	Emil Alexandrescu
Ground Capacity	11,390
Owner	Iași Municipality
Chairman	Cornel Șfaițer
Head coach	Tony
League	Liga II
2024–25	Liga I, 13th of 16 (relegated via play-offs)
Home colours Away colours

Fotbal Club Politehnica Iași, often called Politehnica Iași or Poli Iași, is a professional football club. It is based in the city of Iași, Iași County, in Romania.

The club is named after the Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iași. The first team was started in 1945. They played in blue and white at the Stadionul Emil Alexandrescu until 2010. That year, the original club stopped playing due to money problems.

Later in 2010, a new club was formed. It was called ACSMU Politehnica Iași. This happened when two other teams, Tricolorul Breaza and Navobi Iași, joined together. The new club started playing directly in the Liga II. It is seen as the continuation of the original team. It even bought the old team's colors, history, and records.

Between 2011 and 2016, the club was known as CSM Studențesc Iași. Then, it changed back to Politehnica Iași. The team first played in the top league, Liga I, in the 2012–13 season. They matched their best-ever finish by coming in sixth place in the 2017–18 season.

Politehnica Iași currently plays in the Liga II. Their team wears white and blue kits. They play their home games at the Stadionul Emil Alexandrescu. This stadium can hold 11,390 fans and was built in 1960.

Club History: From Old to New

Starting Fresh: 2010-2014

The first Politehnica Iași club began in April 1945. It closed down in 2010 because of unpaid money. In August 2010, a new club was created. It was named ACSMU Politehnica Iași. This happened when Tricolorul Breaza and Navobi Iași joined forces. The new club played in the Liga II. Their main goal was to get back to Romania's top football league.

Ionuț Popa became the manager of this new club. Grigore Sichitiu was chosen as the executive president.

In the summer of 2011, the club changed its name to Clubul Sportiv Municipal Studențesc Iași, or CSMS Iași. For the second half of the 2011–12 season, Florin Prunea, a former Romanian international player, became president. On June 2, 2012, the team won 4–2 against Farul Constanța. This win helped them get promoted to Liga I, after two years in the second league.

On August 29, Liviu Ciobotariu was named head coach. The team from Moldavia finished the 2012–13 season in 17th place. This meant they were sent back down to the second division. Even though they hoped to stay in the 2013–14 Liga I season, CS Concordia Chiajna took the last spot in the first league. This happened because FC Rapid București was moved down for financial reasons.

For the 2013–14 Liga II season, a promising young coach, Costel Enache, was brought in. He led a team that kept its talented young players. These included Alexandru Crețu, Adrian Avrămia, and Andrei Hergheligiu.

Back in the Top League: 2014-Present

Old logo, used from 2016 to 2018

After Marius Lăcătuș took over as manager from Enache, Politehnica finished first in the 2013–14 Liga II. This meant they were promoted back to Liga I. In the 2014–15 season, the club played in the Cupa Ligii for the first time. They beat ASA Târgu Mureș and moved to the last-16 round. There, they knocked out CFR Cluj, a former winner of the Romanian Cup and Liga I.

The 2015–16 Liga I season was one of the best for Politehnica Iași. The team finished seventh. They qualified for the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League. This was under the guidance of Italian coach Nicolò Napoli. The team had experienced players like Andrei Cristea, Bojan Golubović, Ionuț Voicu, and Branko Grahovac. In the second round of the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League, Politehnica played against Croatian team Hajduk Split. After a 2–2 draw in Iași, they lost 1–2 in Split. This meant they left the competition early.

On July 22, 2016, the club announced a name change. It went from CSM Studențesc Iași to CSM Politehnica Iași. This new name was more connected to the football history of Iași.

In June 2017, president Florin Prunea left after five years. Adrian Ambrosie then took his place. Many key players, like Lukács Bőle and Daisuke Sato, left the team. So, the team had to rebuild. They signed many international players from other countries. These included Denis Rusu, Kamer Qaka, Luwagga Kizito, and Platini. On February 24, 2018, Poli Iași lost 0–1 to Viitorul Constanța. Despite this, they became the first team from Moldavia to reach the Liga I play-off round. This play-off system started in 2015. Manager Flavius Stoican was very happy. They finished the league in sixth place. This matched the best result of the older FC Politehnica Iași team.

Old logo, used from 2023 to 2025

The Home Stadium

Politehnica Iași plays its home games at the Emil Alexandrescu stadium. It is in the Copou area of Iași. The stadium is close to the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University. It has space for 11,390 people to watch the games.

Emil Alexandrescu Stadium.

Fan Support

The main fan groups of Politehnica Iași are Băieții Veseli and Ultras. Both groups supported the original FC Politehnica Iași (1945) until it closed. They see the new team as its true continuation. They have friendly ties with Zimbru Chișinău. Another group, Settore Ultra, used to exist but now supports Oțelul Galați.

Team Rivalries

Politehnica Iași's biggest rival is Sporting Vaslui. Games between these clubs are called the "Moldovan Derby". This rivalry started in the 2001–02 Liga III season. Back then, the Vaslui club was trying to get promoted to the second division. Poli Iași also wanted to be promoted and won the championship. The rivalry grew stronger in the 2003–04 Liga II season. Again, both teams were fighting for promotion, and Poli Iași won. Another newer rival is Oțelul Galați. This is because of their friendly relations with Dacia Chișinău. Fans of Peluza Nord Iași often chant against them at almost every game.

There is also a smaller rivalry with FC Botoșani.

Club Achievements

National Leagues

• Liga I:
  • Best finish: 6th place in 2017–18
• Liga II:
  • Winners (3 times): 2011–12, 2013–14, 2022–23

Current Players

First-team squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Ionuț Ailenei 2 DF Mohammed Umar 4 DF Cláudio Silva 5 MF Samuel Gouet 6 DF Matija Boben (on loan from CFR Cluj) 8 MF Dudu Nardini 9 FW Xhuliano Skuka 12 GK Toma Niga 13 DF Cătălin Creț 16 MF Darius Dobrean 19 FW Sekou Camara

No. Position Player 20 DF Ștefan Ștefanovici 21 MF Matei Tănasă 24 MF Julián Marchioni (3rd captain) 26 DF Mihai Adăscăliței 27 DF Rareș Ispas 42 DF Guilherme 77 MF Denis Ciobanu 80 MF Romario Moise 88 GK Jesús Fernández 98 MF Vlad Ilie 99 FW Tailson

Other players under contract

No. Position Player 3 DF Nicolás Samayoa (on loan from Comunicaciones)

Players on Loan to Other Teams

No. Position Player GK David Feșteu (to Știința Miroslava) DF Dragoș Ungurenașu (to Știința Miroslava) MF Andrei Gheorghiță (to FCSB) MF Diego Farcaș (to Știința Miroslava)

No. Position Player MF Alexandru Hrib (to Știința Miroslava) MF Robert Niamțu (to Știința Miroslava) FW João Paulino (to Ordabasy)

Club Leadership

Administrative Staff Role Name Owner Iași Municipality President Cornel Șfaițer Vice-president Ilie Gheorghică Board Members Cristian Amironesei Vlad Ciobanu General Manager Florin Briaur Sporting Director Mugurel Cornățeanu Head of Youth Development Cezar Honceriu Team Manager Marius Onofraș Last updated: 29 January 2025 Source: Board of directors

Coaching Staff Role Name Head coach Vasile Miriuță Assistant coach Francisc Dican Goalkeeping coach Radu Sardescu Fitness coach Stelian Isac Club doctor Valeriu Chirica Medical assistant Andrei Gîdea Physiotherapists Alexandru Enea Alin Neagu Masseur Tudor Crețu Kit men Gheorghe Ungheanu Last updated: 29 January 2025 Source: Technical staff

Famous Former Players

The players listed below have played for their country's national team. Some also played many games and scored many goals for Politehnica Iași.

Famous Former Managers

Team Statistics and Records

League Performance Over the Years

European Competitions History

Season	Competition	Round	Opponent	Home	Away	Aggregate
2016–17	UEFA Europa League	2Q	Hajduk Split	2–2	1–2	3–4

European Cups Overall Statistics

See also

In Spanish: CSM Politehnica Iași para niños