FC Petrolul Ploiești

Petrolul Ploiești
Full name Fotbal Club Petrolul Ploiești
Nickname(s)
  • Lupii Galbeni (The Yellow Wolves)
  • Galben-Albaștrii (The Yellow-Blues)
  • Petroliștii (The Oilmen)
Founded 1924 (1924)
as FC Juventus București
Ground Ilie Oană
Ground Capacity 15,500[1]
President Daniel Capră
Coach Ionel Gane
League Liga I
2014–15 Liga I, 6th
Website Club home page

Fotbal Club Petrolul Ploiești (Romanian pronunciation: [peˈtrolul ploˈjeʃtʲ]), commonly known as Petrolul Ploiești, or simply as Petrolul, is a Romanian professional football club based in Ploiești, Prahova County, currently playing in the Liga I.

It was founded in 1924 as Juventus București, following the merger of Triumf București and Romcomit București. The Latin tradition cultivated by Juventus was illustrated by its emblem, which was based on the history of the foundation of Rome, where a she-wolf nursed Romulus and Remus.[2] The team's current home colors are yellow and dark blue. Accordingly, the players are nicknamed "The Yellow Wolves".

Petrolul have won the Liga I four times and the Cupa României three times since its establishment.

In February 2015 the club became insolvent, therefore participation in UEFA Europa League and UEFA Champions League is denied.[3]

History

Period Name
1924–1947 Juventus București
1947–1948 Distribuția București
1948–1949 Petrolul București
1949–1950 Competrol București
1950–1951 Partizanul București
1951–1952 Flacăra București
1952–1956 Flacăra Ploiești
1956–1957 Energia Ploiești
1957–1992 Petrolul Ploiești
1992–1993 FC Ploiești
1993– Petrolul Ploiești
Petrolul fans are best known in Romania for their 3D choreographies
The fans during the 2013 Romanian Cup Final in Bucharest

Early years

Their first national title came after six years, as Juventus were champions in the 1929–30 season. After the reorganisation of the Romanian football's division structure, Juventus played 7 consecutive seasons in Liga I, from 1933 to 1940. Following World War II, the club was promoted once again to Liga I, having finished in 1st place in the final Liga II season prior to the outbreak of war. From 1946–1952 Juventus had 6 consecutive seasons in Liga I;

They also changed their name numerous times, being known as Distribuția, Competrol, Petrolul, Partizanul and Flacăra. In 1952 the club moved to Ploiești, and changed its name to Flacăra Ploiești accordingly.

They have won the Romanian top division 4 times, the last time in the 1965–66 season.

Their best European performance to date was reaching the quarter-finals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1962–63. After eliminating Spartak Brno (Czechoslovakia) and Leipzig XI (German Democratic Republic), they were finally defeated by the Hungarian side Ferencvárosi TC. In the 1995-1996 season they also managed to defeat Welsh side Wrexham FC narrowly over two games.

Recent history

Petrolul won the 2010–11 Liga II, and were promoted to Liga I following a 7-year absence.

2012–13 season

They finished third in the 2012–13 Liga I, as well as winning Cupa României for the third time in their history. The third-place finish earned Petrolul a spot in the second qualifying round of the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League, with the club playing a European match following an 18-year absence.

2013–14 season

After defeating Víkingur Gøta and Vitesse Arnhem, they were eliminated in the Europa League play-off round by Swansea City. During the winter transfer window, the team brought Adrian Mutu, a former Romanian international, which attracted media attention.[4] In January 2014, German automobile manufacturer Opel became Petrolul's shirt sponsor.[5] In April, Petrolul had the chance to qualify for their second consecutive Cupa României final, but lost the second leg of the semi-final against rivals Astra Giurgiu (2–1), after a 0–0 result at home.[6] The fans blamed Petrolul's administration for selling two of their best players (Hamza Younés and Damien Boudjemaa), and bringing Adrian Mutu and Ianis Zicu, who did not live up to expectations. Some also considered that the new manager, Răzvan Lucescu, wasn't a suitable replacer for Cosmin Contra, who left the club for Getafe in March.[7] Petrolul came third in the Liga I for a second successive season, thus again participating in the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round.

2014–15 season

Petrolul signed a one-year kit deal with American sportswear company Nike, after the association with Puma came to an end.[8] The club confirmed on its official website that Opel will continue being the shirt sponsor until the end of the season.[9] Acıbadem Healthcare Group also became the medical sponsor until the end of the season, with an extension option being available.[10] Using many players that would normally be substitutes and having a player sent off in the second half, Petrolul was beaten by Universitatea Cluj in the Cupa Ligii (English: League Cup) round of 16, a competition which was reenacted after fourteen years of pause.[11] After eliminating Flamurtari Vlorë, "The Yellow Wolves" confronted Czech side Viktoria Plzeň in the Europa League third qualifying round, a club which in the previous season took part in the Champions League group stage. After a draw at Ploiești (1–1), Petrolul impressively beat Viktoria scoring four goals and conceding only one.[12] The Romanian side's captain, 35-year-old Adrian Mutu, played a big role in his team's qualification, scoring both home and away.[13] However, losing both of the play-off legs against Dinamo Zagreb of Croatia, Petrolul yet again missed the chance of advancing to the group stage. On 16 September, coach Răzvan Lucescu was sacked.[14] Gheorghe Mulțescu took his place one day later.[15] After many rumours, Adrian Mutu eventually broke his contract with "The Oilmen", on the 26th.[16] He was the best paid footballer, and was often criticised for playing bad. Cosmin Contra, Petrolul's coach from October 2012 to March 2014, said that the signings of Adrian Mutu and Ianis Zicu (both joined in January 2014) were a "failure".[17] On 25 November, president Daniel Capră, general director Marius Bucuroiu and five other persons faced preventive detention for 24 hours, being suspected of tax evasion and money laundering.[18] The loss would amount to 15.4 million euros. The press suggested that these criminal matters could cause serious financial problems for Petrolul and important players might want to leave the club.[19] On 10 January 2015, ex-Standard Liège coach Mircea Rednic replaced Gheorghe Mulțescu on the bench.[20] At the beginning of February, due to president Capră still being under detention, the club faced financial problems and entered insolvency, meaning that the participation in UEFA Europa League and UEFA Champions League is denied.[3] During the winter transfer window, five footballers left Petrolul, including important ones like Juan Albín and Soni Mustivar. However, among others, Mircea Rednic convinced 31-year-old striker Mohamed Tchité, who spent most of his professional career in Belgium, with Standard Liége, Anderlecht and Club Brugge, and in Spain with Racing de Santander, to be part of the team until the end of the season at the least.[21] He made his début on 5 March in the first leg of the Romanian Cup semi-final against rivals Steaua București, scoring his team's only goal in a 1–1 draw.[22] On 3 April, Petrolul missed the qualification to the Cupa României final for the second year in a row, losing the semi-final second leg against Steaua at Arena Națională.[23] However, only a week later, "The Yellow Wolves" defeated them in the championship, after more than 15 years.[24] Curaçaoan winger Gevaro Nepomuceno netted the only goal of the match.[25] On 5 May, it was announced that manager Mircea Rednic left "The Yellow-Blues".[26] Assistant coach Valentin Sinescu continued as the caretaker of the team. Eventually, Petrolul finished the season on a disappointing place six.[27]

2015–16 season

Due to the financial problems, the club had to terminate or not extend the contracts of seventeen players, including Pablo de Lucas, Victoraș Astafei and Jean Sony Alcénat.[28] On 3 June 2015, Tibor Selymes became the head coach of "The Oilmen".[29] On the 11th, the club's reorganisation plan was voted, therefore bankruptcy was avoided for the time being.[30] Nike remained the kit manufacturer, while Superbet, a gambling company, replaced Alexandrion as the main sponsor of the team.[31] "The Yellow Wolves" settled their pre-season training stage at Zlatibor, in the neighbouring country Serbia. The stage started on June 21 and ended on July 4.[32] The club tested and signed new footballers during this period, generally ones who played in the French lower divisions, like Abdellah Zoubir, Ismail Hassan or Nicolas Farina. Ex-Dynamo Moscow midfielder Adrian Ropotan returned to Romania, six years after he left Dinamo București.[33] Petrolul also convinced Brazilian goalkeeper Peterson Peçanha to extend his contract.[34] On 11 July, Petrolul played its first official game of the season against Steaua București, in the Liga I. The match ended goalless.[35] However, the next seven matches brought three defeats, three draws and only one victory. Being last in the league table, also due to a deduction of six points for failure to comply with licensing requirements, Petrolul sacked Selymes and replaced him with its former player Eusebiu Tudor.[36]

Grounds

Petrolul plays its home matches on the Ilie Oană Stadium. It can host UEFA Europa League semifinals and UEFA Champions League group matches, and is ranked as a UEFA Category 4 stadium.[37] It was inaugurated in September 2011 and has a current capacity of 15,500 spectators.[1] The construction is built on the site of the former Ilie Oană Stadium, which was completed in 1937. It is named after Ilie Oană, a famous player and coach.

Milestones

Rivalries

Main article(s): Former Ploiești derby

Petrolul's traditional, historic rival is Rapid București. Petrolul and Rapid fans have maintained a strong rivalry, despite long periods of not meeting when one or the other were playing in the second division. Petrolul won the 1965–66 Divizia A, while Rapid finished second. The following season, Rapid won its first national title after a match played on the Ilie Oană Stadium. These events are said to have started the rivalry.[39]

Petrolul maintains a mild rivalry with Astra Giurgiu, its former local enemy. Astra promoted for the first time to the Divizia A in 1998. It played in Ploiești until September 2012, when it was moved to Giurgiu by its owner, Ioan Niculae. Even after the move, the rivalry continues between the governances of the clubs.[40]

Rivalries with Steaua București and Dinamo București also exist.

Honours

Domestic

Liga I:

Liga II:

  • Winners (8): 1940–41, 1954, 1976–77, 1981–82, 1984–85, 1988–89, 2002–03, 2010–11
  • Runners-up (1): 1980–81

Cupa României:

Supercupa României:

Players

First team squad

As of 23 April 2016.[41]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 Romania GK Alberto Cobrea (Captain)
5 Romania MF Dan Bucșa
6 Italy DF Giuseppe Prestia
8 Algeria MF Karim Ziani
9 Italy FW Michele Paolucci
11 Cyprus FW Marcos Michael
12 Romania GK Iustin Popescu (on loan from Dinamo București)
13 France DF Fabrice Begeorgi
14 Romania DF Cristian Pulhac
15 Switzerland FW Janko Pacar
16 Romania DF Alexandru Benga
17 France MF Abdellah Zoubir
No. Position Player
21 France MF Ludovic Guerriero
22 Romania DF Dean Beța
23 Romania MF Daniel Stana
25 Romania DF Constantin Mișelăricu
30 Romania MF Dacian Varga
37 Romania DF Alexandru David
40 Romania DF Roberto Alecsandru
42 Romania FW Victoraș Astafei
77 Romania MF Bogdan Gavrilă (on loan from Dinamo București)
90 Romania FW George Mareș
— Romania DF Andrei Peteleu
— France FW Cheick Alan Diarra

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
20 Romania GK Mirel Bolboașă (at Universitatea Cluj)
No. Position Player

Transfers

Club officials

As of 13 February 2016.[42]

Board of directors

Role Name
President Romania Daniel Capră
CEO Romania Marius Bucuroiu
Chief executive Romania Alexandru Crângu
Director of marketing Romania Iuliano Ene
Secretary general Romania Valentin Mateescu
Economic department Romania Gabriel Toma
Communication with supporters Romania Octav Preda
Ticket office manager Romania Ionuț Dumitrache
Director of youth academy Romania Claudiu Toader
Safety officer Romania Florian Radu

Current technical staff

Role Name
Coach Romania Ionel Gane
Assistant coach Romania George Biţă
Goalkeeping coach Romania Cătălin Grigore
Fitness coach Romania Cristian Dragotă
Team manager Romania Cristian Vlad
Youth coach (Under 20s) Romania Bogdan Zahiu
Youth coach (Under 18s) Romania Cristian Iordache
Youth coach (Under 17s) Romania Claudiu Toader
Youth coach (Under 15s) Romania Iulian Cojocaru
Youth coach (Under 13s) Romania Marius Manolache
Storeman Romania Bebe Ionița
Storeman Romania Vlad Ionița
Club Doctor Romania Romeo Popescu
Masseur Romania Iulian Samoilă
Masseur Romania Răzvan Negoiță

European record

As of 9 August 2015.

The club have participated in 8 editions of the club competitions governed by UEFA, the chief authority for football across Europe, and 12 editions of European competitions overall.

Competition S P W D L GF GA GD
UEFA Champions League / European Cup 3 8 2 1 5 8 15 –7
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup / European Cup Winners' Cup 2 6 2 2 2 4 7 –3
UEFA Europa League / UEFA Cup 3 14 7 2 5 25 20 +5
UEFA Intertoto Cup[43] 1 6 1 1 4 6 14 –8
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup[44] 3 13 9 0 4 14 11 +3
Total 12 47 21 6 20 57 67 –10

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt partner
1924–1999 Unknown Unknown
1999–2001 Meding Sport Petrom
2001–2003 Adidas
2003–2004 Lotto
2005–2008
2008–2009 Unknown Petrom
2009–2010 Consiliul Local Ploiești
2010–2011 Hummel
2011–2012 Adidas
2012–2013 Macron Romprest
2013–2014 Puma Opel[5]
2014–2015 Nike[8]
Alexandrion
2015–2016 Superbet[45]

Managers

References

  1. 1 2 "Stadion" [Stadium]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian).
  2. ↑ "Istorie" [History]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian).
  3. 1 2 "Insolvența, un nou ȋnceput, nicidecum finalul!" [Insolvency, a new beginning, not the end!]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian). 7 February 2015.
  4. ↑ "Ambitious Mutu back in Romania with Petrolul". UEFA. 14 January 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Parteneriat FC Petrolul - Opel" [FC Petrolul - Opel Partnership]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian). 15 January 2014.
  6. ↑ "Am ratat dramatic finala Cupei României!" [We dramatically missed the Romanian Cup final!]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian). 16 April 2014.
  7. ↑ "Scandal la Ploiești! Suporterii au întrerupt antrenamentul și a fost nevoie de intervenția jandarmilor" [Scandal in Ploiesti! The fans have stopped the training and the policemen intervened]. DigiSport (in Romanian). 17 April 2014.
  8. 1 2 "Petrolul va purta echipament Nike în sezonul viitor" [Petrolul will wear Nike kits next season]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian).
  9. ↑ "Opel rămâne sponsorul oficial al FC Petrolul" [Opel continues being FC Petrolul's official sponsor]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian). 27 July 2014.
  10. ↑ "Acibadem a devenit sponsorul medical al FC Petrolul" [Acıbadem became Petrolul's medical sponsor]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian). 3 June 2014.
  11. ↑ "U Cluj - Petrolul 1-0. N'Koyi, eliminat după un gest stupid" [U Cluj - Petrolul 1-0. N'Koyi, sent off because of a stupid gesture]. DigiSport (in Romanian). 20 July 2014.
  12. ↑ "Petrolul and Hajduk heroics stun Europe". UEFA. 7 August 2014.
  13. ↑ "Mutu a marcat un gol superb cu Viktoria Plzen! A 3-a reușită în ultimele 3 meciuri" [Mutu scored a wondergoal against Viktoria Plzeň! It is his third goal in the last three matches]. DigiSport (in Romanian). 7 August 2014.
  14. ↑ "Răzvan Lucescu nu mai este antrenorul Petrolului" [Răzvan Lucescu is not Petrolul's coach anymore]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian). 16 September 2014.
  15. ↑ "Bun venit, Gheorge Mulțescu!" [Welcome, Gheorghe Mulțescu!]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian). 17 September 2014.
  16. ↑ "FC Petrolul a reziliat contractul cu Adrian Mutu" [FC Petrolul broke Adrian Mutu's contract]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian). 26 September 2014.
  17. ↑ "Transferurile lui Mutu și Zicu, criticate de fostul antrenor al Petrolului: "Au fost un eșec!"" [The signings of Mutu and Zicu, criticised by a former coach: "They were a failure!"]. DigiSport (in Romanian). 26 September 2014.
  18. ↑ "Finanțatorul Dan Capră și directorul general al Petrolului, Marius Bucuroiu, reținuți pentru 24 de ore!" [Petrolul's president Dan Capră and general director Marius Bucuroiu, arrested for 24 hours!]. DigiSport (in Romanian). 25 November 2014.
  19. ↑ "Colaps total la Ploieşti. Mandate de arestare pentru acţionarii clubului în dosarul de evaziune fiscală. Reţinerea finanţatorului Capră provoacă plecarea unor jucători importanţi" [Total collapse at Ploieşti. Warrants for the club's shareholders in the tax evasion case. The arrest of president Capră causes the departure of some important footballers]. ProSport (in Romanian). 26 November 2014.
  20. ↑ "Mircea Rednic a revenit pe banca Petrolului!" [Mircea Rednic returned to Petrolul!]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian). 10 January 2015.
  21. ↑ "Petrolul l-a achiziționat pe Mohamed Tchité" [Petrolul signed Mohamed Tchité]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian). 25 February 2015.
  22. ↑ "Tchite, debut cu gol la Petrolul: "Steaua e favorită acum, dar am avut două penalty-uri neacordate". Povestea spectaculoasă a jucătorului de 14,5 milioane de euro" [Tchité, goal at début for Petrolul: "Steaua has the first chance to qualify now, but we should have had 2 penalties." The story of the 14.5 million euro player]. ProSport (in Romanian). 5 March 2015.
  23. ↑ "Visul frumos s-a terminat!" [The beautiful dream is over!]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian). 3 April 2015.
  24. ↑ "Cadoul perfect pentru Rednic" [The perfect birthday gift for Rednic]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian). 10 April 2015.
  25. ↑ "Nepomuceno a adus victoria Petrolului cu prima sa reușită în Liga 1. "Totul se va schimba acum"" [Nepomuceno brought Petrolul's victory with his first Liga 1 goal. "Everything will be different from now"]. DigiSport (in Romanian). 9 April 2015.
  26. ↑ "Despărţire de Mircea Rednic" [Mircea Rednic parting]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian). 5 May 2015.
  27. ↑ "Eșec la final de campionat" [Fail at the end of the championship]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian). 27 May 2015.
  28. ↑ "Despartire de Pablo de Lucas, Sebastián Gallegos, Ioan Filip si Victor Astafei" [Pablo de Lucas, Sebastián Gallegos, Ioan Filip and Victor Astafei left the team]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian). 28 May 2015.
  29. ↑ "Oficial: Tibor Selymes – antrenor principal; Mihai Joița – director sportiv" [Official: Tibor Selymes - head coach; Mihai Joița - sports director]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian). 3 June 2015.
  30. ↑ "Multumiri pentru votul de ieri" [Thanks for the yesterday's vote]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian). 12 June 2015.
  31. ↑ "Parteneriat între FC Petrolul Ploiești și Superbet" [Partnership between FC Petrolul Ploiești and Superbet]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian). 17 June 2015.
  32. ↑ "Două săptămâni la Zlatibor" [Two weeks in Zlatibor]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian). 17 June 2015.
  33. ↑ "Adrian Ropotan a semnat cu FC Petrolul Ploiești" [Adrian Ropotan signed with FC Petrolul Ploiești]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian). 24 June 2015.
  34. ↑ "Oficial: Peterson Peçanha a semnat un nou contract cu FC Petrolul" [Official: Peterson Peçanha signed a new contract with FC Petrolul]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian). 30 June 2015.
  35. ↑ "Start încurajator: 0-0 pe "Arena Națională"" [Encouraging start: 0-0 at "National Arena"] (in Romanian). FC Petrolul Ploiești. 11 July 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  36. ↑ "Eusebiu Tudor: "O provocare pe care nu puteam să o refuz"" [Eusebiu Tudor: "A challenge I could not refuse"] (in Romanian). FC Petrolul Ploiești. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  37. ↑ "Stadionul Ilie Oană din Ploieşti, cotat de UEFA la patru stele" [Ilie Oană from Ploieşti, ranked as a UEFA Category 4 stadium]. Adevărul (in Romanian). 10 May 2012.
  38. ↑ "Petrolul s-a întors acasă" [Petrolul is back at home]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian). 24 September 2011.
  39. ↑ "Petrolul-Rapid, un derby pe stil vechi" [Petrolul-Rapid, a classic derby]. evz.ro (in Romanian). 16 August 2014.
  40. ↑ "Fanii Petrolului jigniţi dur de Ioan Niculae! Patronul Astrei se ia şi de clubul din Ploieşti: "Nu are nici un palmares"" [Petrolul's fans, insulted by Ioan Niculae! He also talks about the club from Ploiești]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 16 April 2014.
  41. ↑ "Echipă" [Squad]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian). 27 September 2015.
  42. ↑ "Staff" [Staff]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian). October 2014.
  43. ↑ The Intertoto Cup was founded in 1961–62, but was only taken over by UEFA in 1995. Petrolul have participated in the 1990 edition. The results are included in the total statistics.
  44. ↑ There is a controversy concerning the value of Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. While it is viewed as the predecessor to the UEFA Cup, it was not organised by UEFA. Consequently, UEFA do not recognise the competition as a major honour.
  45. ↑ "Parteneriat între FC Petrolul Ploieşti şi Superbet" [Partnership between Petrolul Ploiesti and Superbet]. FC Petrolul Ploiești (in Romanian).

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