Petrolul Ploieşti
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Petrolul Ploieşti is a Romanian football (soccer) club based in Ploieşti.
It is one of the strongest pre-World War II Romanian clubs. Founded in Bucharest in 1924 as Juventus Bucureşti, by fusion of Triumf Bucureşti and Romcomit Bucureşti, the last one being the team of the Romanian-Italian Commerce Bank. In 1952 it moved at Ploieşti and was merged with Partizanul Ploieşti.
[edit] Chronology of the names
| Year(s) | Name |
|---|---|
| 1924 - 1947 | Juventus Bucureşti |
| 1947 - 1948 | Distributia Bucureşti |
| 1948 - 1949 | Petrolul Bucureşti |
| 1949 | Competrol Bucureşti |
| 1950 | Partizanul Bucureşti |
| 1951 | Flacara Bucureşti |
| 1952 - 1956 | Flacara Ploieşti |
| 1956 - 1957 | Energia Ploieşti |
| 1957 - 1992 | FC Petrolul Ploieşti |
| 1992 - 1993 | FC Ploieşti |
| 1993 - 2003 | FC Petrolul Ploieşti |
| 2003 | Petrolul Astra Ploieşti |
| 2003 - 2005 | Petrolul Ploieşti |
(source [1])
Other sources (see [2] - registration required) mention the name Energia Bucureşti for a short time in 1950.
They have been winners of the Romanian championship (Divizia A and its predecessors) in 1930, 1957-1958, 1958-1959 and 1965-1966 and, unofficially, in 1930. They also won the Romanian Cup in 1962-1963 and 1994-1995.
At this moment, a lot of confusion surrounds Petrolul as some irregularities took place at the 2003 fusion with the other important club from the town, Astra Ploieşti. It has been said that it was not a real fusion, but a transaction which allowed Astra to use the name Petrolul Astra, later changed even to Petrolul. The team which was known as Petrolul Ploieşti was in fact, relegated directly in the fourth league, as they refused to play in the same league with Astra (if they would accept, than Astra won't be allowed to use the same name). In an Oriental saga, at the beginning of the 2003-2004 season in the registry of the Romanian Football Federation, there were two teams called Petrolul Ploieşti with the same history, one playing in the second league and one on the fourth.
Soon after that, Rompetrol (owner of Petrolul trade mark and history) has denounced the agreement and as of 2005-2006 season there are 2 Petrolul Ploieşti teams, one in the fourth league and another in the second league, Divizia B (source [3], notice that Petrolul Ploieşti is at the same time competing in the quarters, as another Petrolul Ploieşti is eliminated in round 6 by Poiana Câmpina). Besides them, the team known as Petrolul Ploieşti only in 2003, owned by the Rompetrol unions and by the leader of those unions, Liviu Luca, has been renamed back to Astra Ploieşti and plays in the second league.
At the beginning of the 2006-2007 Romanian Liga II, Petrolul hired ex-Genoa coach Rino Lavezzini, bringing to Ploiesti players like Stefano Citterio (Pro Sesto) and Christian Sagna (FK Luduva). The team will play all it's home matches 50 km away from Ploiesti, in Mogosoaia, since the Ilie Oana stadium is being renovated.
