FC Botoșani facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Botoșani

Full name	Asociația Fotbal Club Botoșani
Nickname(s)	Botoșănenii (The Botoșani People) Roș-alb-albaștri (The Red, White, and Blues) Moldovenii (The Moldavians)
Short name	Botoșani
Founded	2001; 24 years ago (2001)
Ground	Municipal
Ground Capacity	7,782
Owner	Valeriu Iftime
President	Marian Ignat
Head coach	Leontin Grozavu
League	Liga I
2024–25	Liga I, 12th of 16
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Asociația Fotbal Club Botoșani, usually called FC Botoșani, is a professional football club from Botoșani, Romania. They play in Liga I, which is the top football league in Romania.

In 2013, just twelve years after the club started, FC Botoșani made history. They became the first team from their county to reach the top Romanian league. They also played in a European competition for the first time in the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League season.

The team's nickname is Botoșănenii, meaning "The Botoșani People". They wear mostly white kits for home games and blue for away games. Their home stadium is the Botoșani Municipal Stadium, which can hold 7,782 fans.

Club History

Early Football Teams in Botoșani

Before World War II, the main football team in Botoșani was called Venus. After the war, the team changed names several times. It was known as Flamura Roșie, Textila, and Unirea. These teams mostly played in local championships or the third division. They did not achieve much success.

In 1973, the team became CS Botoșani. This team won its league in 1974–75 Divizia C and moved up to Divizia B for the first time. However, they only stayed there for one year. They returned to Divizia B in the 1977–78 season but were relegated again.

In 1979, CS Botoșani was promoted to Divizia B for the third time. In the 1979–80 season, they reached their highest position ever, finishing 3rd. This was the best result for any Botoșani football team at that time. After this, the team's performance dropped.

A 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 a record for a Botoșani team. 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. This team later joined with Poli Iași.

FC Botoșani: How It Started (2001–2013)

The current club, Fotbal Club Botoșani, was founded in 2001. It started in Divizia C, which is the third league. In 2004, the team was promoted to Divizia B (the second league).

In 2005, Valeriu Iftimie became the president. He wanted the club to be like French football clubs. This meant having a main team in Divizia B, a second team for young players in the third league, and a youth academy. The academy would train young players for the future.

Since the 2005–06 season, FC Botoșani's matches were broadcast live on "Radio AS". This was new for the city. FC Botoșani played in the second division for nine years in a row. Their best finish was 4th place in 2005–06. This record was broken in the 2012–13 season when FC Botoșani won their league and were promoted to Liga I for the first time.

Reaching the Top League (2013–Present)

This chart shows how FC Botoșani's league finishes have changed since the club started in 2001.

When FC Botoșani joined Liga I in 2013, their main goal was to avoid being relegated. At the start of the 2013–14 season, FC Botoșani was the only team in the top league with only Romanian players.

Their first Liga I match was on July 21, 2013. It was a 0–0 draw against CFR Cluj. Many of their players were new to the top league. In their next match on July 26, they won their first Liga I game, beating Gaz Metan Mediaș 2–1 away from home. On August 25, FC Botoșani won their first home game in the top league, beating FC Vaslui 1–0.

After this good start, the team had a difficult period. Manager Cristian Popovici was replaced by Leontin Grozavu. Grozavu helped the team fight hard to stay in the league.

The next season started well with 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 qualified because several other clubs could not get the necessary licenses.

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 in Georgia, FC Botoșani won 3–1, moving on to the next round. There, they played against Legia Warsaw.

In the 2019–20 season, FC Botoșani reached the championship play-offs for the first time. They finished 4th, which is their best Liga I performance ever. This also meant they qualified for the UEFA Europa League again after five years. They won 2–1 against Ordabasy from Kazakhstan in the first round. 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 close to the city center. It has 7,782 seats and a special running track for all weather.

Fan Support

FC Botoșani has several fan groups, known as ultras. These groups are called Dark Hooligans, Renegații, and BT Pride. They support the team loudly during matches.

Team Rivalries

FC Botoșani's main rival is Foresta Suceava. Recently, they have also developed a rivalry with Politehnica Iași. These rivalries make matches exciting for fans.

Club Achievements

Domestic Competitions

League Titles

• Liga II (Second League)
  • Winners (1): 2012–13
• Divizia C / Liga III (Third League)
  • Winners (1): 2003–04
  • Runners-up (1): 2001–02

Team Players

First-team squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Luka Kukić 3 DF Michael Pavlovič 4 DF Andrei Miron (Captain) 5 MF Răzvan Creț 6 DF Riad Šuta 7 MF Sebastian Mailat 8 MF Aldaír 9 FW Enzo López 10 FW Ștefan Bodișteanu 11 FW Zoran Mitrov 12 MF Friday Adams 13 GK Alin Ciobanu 15 MF Denis Ștefan 16 DF Luca Popa 17 MF Ștefan Pănoiu

No. Position Player 19 FW Antonio Dumitru 20 DF Romario Benzar 27 MF George Sorodoc 28 DF Charles Petro 30 DF Alexandru Țigănașu (3rd captain) 33 MF Gabriel David 37 MF Mihai Bordeianu (Vice-captain) 41 FW Andrei Dumiter 44 DF Rijad Sadiku 67 MF Enriko Papa (4th captain) 70 FW George Gligor 73 MF Narcis Ilaș 77 FW Alexandru Cîmpanu 99 GK Giannis Anestis

Other players under contract

No. Position Player 80 FW Codrin Cărăușu

Club Leadership

Board of Directors Role Name Owner Valeriu Iftime President Marian Ignat Vice-president Petru Parfenov Board Members Ovidiu Jitaru Doru Popa Petru Parfenov Administrative Director Dumitru Brânză Marketing Director Cristian Postolache Technical Director Mihai Ciobanu Sporting Director Daniel Șchiopu Marketing Agent Cristinel Bursuc Youth Center Director Alexandru Chirilă Youth Center Coordinator Tiberiu Honciuc Press Officer Cristian Prisăcariu Responsible for Order and Safety Ioan Dănilă Team Manager Mihai Roman Last updated: 3 September 2024 Source:

Current Coaching Staff Role Name Head coach Leontin Grozavu Assistant coach Andrei Patache Nicolae Roșca Goalkeeping coach Alin Bordeanu Fitness coaches Vasile Gheorghe Ovidiu Chiribici Club doctors Ioana Iftime Eduard Gurău Medical Assistant Daniel Hodinescu Kinetotherapist Dumitru Brânză Masseur Silviu Siminiciuc Last updated: 17 July 2025 Source:

Team Records and Statistics

European Competitions History

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
2015–16	UEFA Europa League	1Q	Spartaki Tskhinvali	1–1	3–1	4–2
		2Q	Legia Warsaw	0–3	0–1	0–4
2020–21	UEFA Europa League	1Q	Ordabasy	N/A	2–1	N/A
		2Q	Shkëndija	0–1	N/A	N/A

Notes

• 1Q: First qualifying round
• 2Q: Second qualifying round

All-Time European Statistics

League Performance Over Time

Famous Former Players

These players have played for their national teams or have played more than 50 games for FC Botoșani.

Famous Former Managers

See also

In Spanish: Fotbal Club Botoșani para niños