CS Pandurii Târgu Jiu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Pandurii Târgu Jiu

Full name	Clubul Sportiv Pandurii Lignitul Târgu Jiu
Nickname(s)	Alb-albaștrii (The White and Blues) Minerii (The Miners) Gorjenii (The Gorj County People)
Short name	Pandurii
Founded	1 February 1962
Dissolved	20 October 2022
Ground	Tudor Vladimirescu
Ground Capacity	12,518
League	Liga IV
2022–23	Liga IV, Gorj County, 13th (withdrew)
Home colours Away colours

Pandurii Târgu Jiu was a Romanian football club from Târgu Jiu, a city in Gorj County. The team was known as Pandurii for short.

The club was started in 1962 when two local teams, Flacăra-Unirea Târgu Jiu and CIL Târgu Jiu, joined together. One of their biggest achievements was finishing second in the Liga I (Romania's top football league) in the 2012–13 season. They also played in the final of the League Cup in 2015.

Pandurii Târgu Jiu also got to play in a big European competition for the first time in the 2013–14 season. They made it all the way to the group stages of the UEFA Europa League.

The team's colors were white and blue. They played their home games at the Tudor Vladimirescu Stadium, which can hold 12,518 fans.

History of Pandurii Târgu Jiu

Chart showing how Pandurii Târgu Jiu performed in national leagues each year.

How the Club Started (1962–2005)

Pandurii Târgu Jiu was formed in August 1962. It happened when two rival teams from the town, Flacăra-Unirea Târgu Jiu and CIL Târgu-Jiu, merged. The new club started in the fourth division of Romanian football. Their goal was to quickly move up to the third division.

They achieved this goal in June 1963, promoting to Divizia C (the third division). Their first game in this division was on September 1, 1963, against Siderurgistul Hunedoara. Pandurii won by a large score of 6–0!

In their early years, Pandurii usually finished in the top half of the standings. This made the club want to try for promotion to Divizia B (the second division). In the 1976–77 season, with a young team and coach Titus Ozon, their dream came true. Pandurii led the competition and won promotion to the second division. However, the second division was much tougher, and they were relegated back to Divizia C the very next season.

Over the next few years, the team often moved between divisions. They would promote to Divizia B and then be relegated after a few seasons. They played in Divizia B from 1979 to 1983, and again from 1986 to 1991. After spending ten years in Divizia C, they were promoted to the second league again in 2000. In 2004, they finished second, just behind Sportul Studențesc.

First Years in the Top League (2005–2011)

The team's good performance in previous seasons encouraged the club's management. They decided to aim for Pandurii's first appearance in Divizia A (the top league). With Emil Săndoi as coach, and a mix of young players like Tiberiu Lung and Sorin Vintilescu, and experienced players like Florin Popete and Romulus Buia, the team won promotion.

It was hard for Pandurii to stay in Divizia A. In their first season, they finished 15th, which was usually a relegation spot. But the Romanian Football Federation decided not to give Sportul Studențesc a license for the next year. This meant Pandurii, the first team below the relegation line, got to stay in the top league. After this close call, the management strengthened the team to avoid future relegation worries.

They brought in new players like Alexandru Păcurar and Ciprian Vasilache. The team finished 11th in the 2006–07 season. They managed to stay in the middle of the table for the next few seasons.

In 2010, they finished in a relegation spot again. However, they avoided relegation because Internațional Curtea de Argeș, a team that finished tenth, decided to close down. With many players from Internațional Curtea de Argeș, such as Vlad Chiricheș and Mihai Pintilii, Pandurii finished 13th the following season.

Rising Up and Playing in Europe (2011–2013)

In the 2011–12 season, the team reached its highest position ever, finishing seventh. For a while, they were even in fifth place, and fans hoped they might qualify for the Europa League.

The next season was even better! Pandurii finished as Liga I runners-up (second place) for the first time ever. This amazing achievement meant they qualified for the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League, which was the club's first time playing in a European competition.

They had a fantastic run in the Europa League. They beat teams like Levadia Tallinn, Hapoel Tel Aviv, and Braga. This allowed Pandurii to enter the Group Stage. They were placed in Group E with F.C. Paços de Ferreira, FC Dnipro, and ACF Fiorentina.

Top Performances (2013–2017)

On March 10, 2015, with Edward Iordănescu as coach, Pandurii beat FC Dinamo București in the semi-finals of the new Cupa Ligii (League Cup). This meant they reached their first ever cup final! On their way to the final, they even defeated one of Romania's big teams, FC Petrolul Ploiești. In the final, FC Steaua București beat Pandurii at the Arena Națională stadium. The match included a controversial penalty early on.

In the 2015–16 season of Liga I, Pandurii had many successes. They had the same coach and players like UEFA Europa League winner Cristian Săpunaru, Dan Nistor, Ioan Hora, and Mihai Răduț. Narcis Răducan was the president. In April 2015, they became the first team to win a match in Liga I using the new play-off and play-out system. On February 6, 2016, they secured a spot in the competition play-offs and a place in a European competition for the next year, after beating ASA 2013 Târgu Mureș. During this season, they had their longest unbeaten streak, going about 10 games without a loss. At the end of the season, Pandurii finished in third place, qualifying for the UEFA Europa League for the second time. This time, they entered in the third qualifying round.

Return to Lower Leagues (2017–Present)

Even though the team started the 2016–17 season quite well, with players like Lucian Sânmărtean joining, and playing against Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. in the Europa League, problems began in the second half of the season. The main sponsor started having financial difficulties and stopped funding the team. Many players left, so young players from the second team and other clubs were brought in. Sadly, after 12 seasons in Liga I, Pandurii was relegated for the first time since their 2005 promotion. They fought hard to avoid it until the very last game.

For the 2017–18 Liga II season, Pandurii prepared with players promoted from their youth teams. They also moved to Motru to play their games until their new stadium in Târgu Jiu was finished in 2019.

After the 2020–21 Liga II season, Pandurii was relegated to Liga III. This was the first time they had been in the third division in 21 years.

Home Stadium

The club plays its home matches at the new Tudor Vladimirescu Stadium, which opened in 2019.

Club Achievements

Here are some of the awards and achievements Pandurii Târgu Jiu has earned:

Domestic Competitions

Youth Competitions

Club Rankings

This table shows Pandurii Târgu Jiu's ranking in Europe, based on the UEFA coefficient as of November 1, 2018. The coefficient is a score that UEFA uses to rank clubs based on their performance in European competitions.

Rank	Team	Points
304	Universitatea Craiova	3.190
305	Dinamo București	3.190
306	Pandurii Târgu Jiu	3.190
307	Politehnica Iași	3.190
308	Târgu Mureș	3.190

Records and Statistics

Here are some interesting facts and numbers about Pandurii Târgu Jiu:

In Romania

• They played in the Liga I (top league) for 12 seasons.
• They participated in the Liga I play-offs 1 time.
• Their longest time without losing a game in Liga I was 10 matches (in 2015–16).
• They are ranked 30th out of 98 teams in the Liga I all-time table.
• Their best result in the Cupa României (Romanian Cup) was reaching the Semi-finals (in 2006–07).
• They played in the Cupa Ligii (League Cup) for 3 seasons.
• They are the most successful football team from Gorj County.

In European Competitions

• They played in the UEFA Europa League for 2 seasons.
• Their best result in the UEFA Europa League was reaching the Group Stages (in 2013–14).
• Their biggest win in the UEFA Europa League was 4–0 against Levadia Tallinn (in 2013–14).

League History Over the Years

This table shows where Pandurii Târgu Jiu finished in the league each season and how they did in the Romanian Cup.

European Cup History

Pandurii Târgu Jiu played in the UEFA Europa League. Here's how they did:

Notes

• 1Q: First qualifying round
• 2Q: Second qualifying round
• 3Q: Third qualifying round
• PO: Play-off round

Season	Competition	Round	Opponent	Home Game Score	Away Game Score	Total Score
2013–14	UEFA Europa League	2Q	Levadia Tallinn	4–0	0–0	4–0
		3Q	Hapoel Tel Aviv	1–1	2–1	3–2
		PO	Braga	0–1	2–0 (after extra time)	2–1
		Group E	Fiorentina	1–2	0–3	4th
			Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk	0–1	1–4
			Paços de Ferreira	0–0	1–1
2016–17	UEFA Europa League	3Q	Maccabi Tel Aviv	1–3	1–2	2–5

All-Time European Statistics

This table shows Pandurii Târgu Jiu's overall performance in European competitions.

Famous Former Players

These are some of the well-known players who have played for Pandurii Târgu Jiu. Many of them have also played for their national teams or played over 100 games for Pandurii.

Famous Former Managers

These are some of the notable coaches who have managed Pandurii Târgu Jiu:

See also

In Spanish: CS Pandurii Târgu Jiu para niños