FCSB Bucharest – former Steaua – has needed nine years to regain the throne, which it has held so many times in the Romanian football record, by proclaiming itself league champion this Saturday after beating Farul Constanța led by Gheorghe Hagi 2-1 – also owner of the Black Sea club -, at the Arena Națională stadium. A goal from the right winger David Miculescu, who managed to beat goalkeeper Alexandru Buzbuchi with an unstoppable left-footed shot halfway through the first half, made the more than 30,000 fans burst with joy, who began to dream of their team fighting to enter again. in the long-awaited Champions League, a competition that has not been played since the 2012-2013 season.
After the restart, everything seemed on track until a great header from the Brazilian striker Rivaldinho, son of the former Barcelona star, lowered the mood with just over ten minutes remaining by tying the match with a splendid header after the kick-off. lack. After the tie, the locals did not give up and went on the attack to secure a victory that would consecrate their league triumph. A few moments later, striker Alexandru Băluță took advantage of the rebound of his blocked shot to score the goal that would take the team to the top. Not even the ‘King’, in reference to Hagi, could stop the team coached by Cypriot Elias Charalambous, who takes over from the losing team. Impeccable throughout the entire season, the ‘red and blue’ left behind bitter years for having finished second on five occasions.
“We have to see what this title means. Why did we get this title? If we don’t go to the European competition, it’s worthless, what do I do with the title? “I won it for nothing,” declared an elated Gigi Becali, the tycoon who acquired the entity in 2003 from the Ministry of Defense. The most recent title dates back to 2015 when, still called Steaua, it achieved with Costel Gâlcă – former player for Villarreal, Espanyol and Almería, among others – the long-awaited treble: league championship, Romanian Cup and League Cup. They had also not won since the play-off system was introduced, precisely the season after they lifted the trophy. Given the reason that the most successful team in the history of football in this Eastern European country, Gâlcă blamed it on bad luck or wrong decisions, despite having invested in important signings.
Currently, the team remains immersed in a judicial process. In 2017, Steaua – which means star in Romanian – was forced to change its name to FCSB due to litigation that ended with the decision of the Bucharest Court of Appeal to strip the club of the right to use the name. original and modify the shield. Despite the judicial setback, the hundreds of thousands of fans remained loyal to the club that had won 26 league titles since its creation in 1947 during the communist regime. However, the verdict against which Becali continues to fight in court strips the club of the record achieved by Steaua before the businessman bought it. That includes 20 leagues and the legendary European Cup that the Bucharest team won against Barça in Seville in 1986.
In response, the Ministry of Defense founded that year a new football team with the name and emblem of Steaua, which began in the fourth division and with Marius Lacatus, former Real Oviedo attacker, as coach. Two years ago he was on the verge of returning to the gold category of Romanian football, but a bureaucratic problem prevented him from playing in the promotion play-off. According to the regulations in force in Romania, teams that are not joint stock companies and belong to public institutions, as is the case with Steaua, are prohibited from competing in the First Division.
The ruling of the Court of Appeal, which can still be appealed, states that Steaua retains the titles from its foundation until 1998, at the same time that the FCSB does not have the right to use the brand, name and track record of the team. army between 2003 and 2017. However, five years of history (1998-2003) remain up in the air. According to the Romanian sports press, it would be FCSB Bucharest’s sixth league championship with this title.
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