FC Botoșani facts for kids
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| Full name | Asociația Fotbal Club Botoșani | |||
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| Short name | Botoșani | |||
| Founded | 2001 | |||
| Ground | Municipal | |||
| Capacity | 7,782 | |||
| Owner | Valeriu Iftime | |||
| Chairman | Marian Ignat | |||
| Head coach | Liviu Ciobotariu | |||
| League | Liga I | |||
| 2023–24 | Liga I, 14th of 16 | |||
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FC Botoșani is a professional football club from Romania. They are based in the city of Botoșani and play in Liga I, which is Romania's top football league.
The club was founded in 2001. In 2013, just twelve years later, FC Botoșani made history. They became the first team from their home county to reach the highest level of Romanian football. The team also played in a European competition for the first time in the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League season.
FC Botoșani players wear mostly white kits for home games. Their away kits are usually blue. They play their home matches at the Municipal stadium, which can hold 7,782 fans.
Contents
Club History: From Past to Present
Early Football in Botoșani
Before World War II, a team called Venus was the main football club in Botoșani. After the war, this team changed its name several times. It was known as Flamura Roșie, Textila, and Unirea. These teams usually played in local championships or the third division. They didn't achieve many big wins.
In 1973, the team became CS Botoșani. This club won its league series in 1975 and moved up to Divizia B (the second division) for one year. They returned to Divizia B in the 1977–78 season but were relegated again.
In 1979, CS Botoșani promoted to Divizia B for the third time. In the 1979–80 season, they reached their highest position ever, finishing 3rd. This was a record for any Botoșani football team at that time. After this success, the team's performance dropped.
A very famous Romanian player, Nicolae Dobrin, finished his career at CS Botoșani. He played for the team in the 1985–86 season and also managed the team. CS Botoșani stayed in Divizia B for 11 seasons, which was the longest time for any Botoșani team. But in 1990, they were relegated to Divizia C. By 1993, the team was relegated to the county league and then stopped playing.
Another team, Unirea Botoșani, played from 1998 to 2000. It later joined with Poli Iași.
How FC Botoșani Started (2001–2013)
The current club, Fotbal Club Botoșani, was created in 2001. It was founded by Salavastru and Sfaițer, with help from the local government. The club started playing in Divizia C (the third division).
In 2004, the team moved up to Divizia B (the second division). In 2005, Valeriu Iftimie became the president. He started new projects for the club, similar to French football clubs. This meant the main team played in Divizia B. There was also a second team for young players in the third league. The club also opened a special center to train children and teenagers to become future players for the main team.
Since the 2005–06 season, FC Botoșani's matches have been broadcast live on "Radio AS." This was a new thing, as no radio station had done this before. FC Botoșani played in the second division for nine seasons in a row. In the 2005–06 season, they finished 4th, which was their best result until 2013. In the 2012–13 season, FC Botoșani won their league series. This meant they were promoted to Liga 1 for the very first time!
Reaching the Top League and Recent Years (2013–Present)
When FC Botoșani joined Liga I in the 2013–14 season, their main goal was to stay in the league and not be relegated. At the start of that season, FC Botoșani was special because it was the only team in Liga I that had only Romanian players.
FC Botoșani played their first Liga I match on July 21, 2013. It was a 0–0 draw against CFR Cluj. Many players were new to the top league. In their next game on July 26, FC Botoșani won their first Liga I match, beating Gaz Metan Mediaș 2–1 away from home. On August 25, they won their first home game in the top league, beating FC Vaslui 1–0. After this good start, the team had a tough time, and their manager, Cristian Popovici, was replaced. Leontin Grozavu took over and helped the team avoid relegation.
The next season started well with important wins against strong teams like Astra Giurgiu and Dinamo București. At the end of the season, FC Botoșani qualified for the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League! This was their first time in a European competition. They got this chance because some other clubs couldn't get the special licenses needed for UEFA games.
On July 2, 2015, FC Botoșani played their first European match. It was a 1–1 draw against Spartaki Tskhinvali in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League. In the second game, played in Georgia, FC Botoșani won 3–1. This victory meant they moved on to the next round, where they played against Legia Warsaw.
In the 2019–20 season, FC Botoșani had their best performance in Liga I, finishing 4th. This allowed them to qualify for the UEFA Europa League again after five years. They won their first match in this competition, beating Ordabasy from Kazakhstan 2–1 away from home. However, they were later knocked out by Shkëndija from North Macedonia after losing 0–1 at home.
Home Stadium
FC Botoșani plays its home games at the Botoșani Municipal Stadium. The stadium is located close to the city center. It has 7,782 seats and features a special track for running.
Fan Support
The most passionate fans of FC Botoșani are organized into groups called Dark Hooligans, Renegații, and BT Pride.
Rivalries
FC Botoșani's main rival is Foresta Suceava. More recently, they have also developed a rivalry with Politehnica Iași.
Club Achievements
Domestic Leagues
- Liga II (Second Division)
- Winners (1): 2012–13
- Liga III (Third Division)
- Winners (1): 2003–04
- Runners-up (1): 2001–02
Team Players
First-team squad
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Other players under contract
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Players on loan to other clubs
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Club Leadership
Board of Directors
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Coaching Staff
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Records and Statistics
European Competitions History
FC Botoșani has played in the UEFA Europa League a few times. Here's how they've done:
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home Score | Away Score | Total Score |
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| 2015–16 | UEFA Europa League | First Qualifying Round |  Spartaki Tskhinvali |
1–1 | 3–1 | 4–2 |
| Second Qualifying Round |  Legia Warsaw |
0–3 | 0–1 | 0–4 | ||
| 2020–21 | UEFA Europa League | First Qualifying Round |  Ordabasy |
N/A | 2–1 | N/A |
| Second Qualifying Round |  Shkëndija |
0–1 | N/A | N/A |
Overall European Stats
Here are the total numbers for FC Botoșani in European competitions:
| Competition | Seasons | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference |
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| UEFA Europa League | 2 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 8 | −2 |
| Total | 2 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 8 | −2 |
League Performance Over the Years
This table shows where FC Botoșani has finished in the league each season:
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Famous Former Players
These are some of the well-known players who have played for FC Botoșani. They either played for their country or had more than 50 games for the club.
- Romania
Florin Acsinte- Paul Batin
- Mihai Bordeianu
- Andrei Burcă
- George Cârjan
- Andrei Chindriș
- Marius Croitoru
- Ciprian Dinu
- Andrei Dumitraș
- István Fülöp
- Attila Hadnagy
- Denis Haruț
- Cătălin Golofca
- David Lazar
- Olimpiu Moruțan
- Răzvan Oaidă
- Paul Papp
- Bogdan Racovițan
- Mihai Roman I
- Mihai Roman II
- Gabriel Vașvari
- Albania
Enriko Papa
- Argentina
Jonathan Rodríguez
- Bulgaria
Radoslav Dimitrov- Plamen Iliev
- Cameroon
Joyskim Dawa- Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui
- Croatia
Marko Dugandžić
- Curaçao
Quenten Martinus
- France
Hamidou Keyta
- Germany
Christopher Braun
- Greece
Aristidis Soiledis
- Guinea
Sekou Camara
- Italy
Diego Fabbrini
- Lithuania
Deivydas Matulevičius
- Nigeria
Junior Pius
- North Macedonia
- Stefan Ashkovski
- Syria
Notable Former Managers
- Marius Croitoru
- Costel Enache
- Leontin Grozavu
- Cristian Pustai
- Cristian Popovici
See also
In Spanish: Fotbal Club Botoșani para niños
