Levski's today's rival in the Champions League – Romanian Universitatea Craiova, is far from the idea of an ordinary football club.
This is an emblem of rebellion, torn by decades of scandals, party intrigues from the era of Nicolae Ceausescu and an unprecedented schizophrenia that gave birth to two rival teams in the same city.
While the Blues prepare to defend their lead in Romania, our media delved into the most absurd and curious moments in the history of the “Students“ from Oltenia.
The Political Context: Darlings of the Intelligentsia and a Thorn in Ceausescu's Side
The club was founded in 1948 by a group of students and professors. During the communist regime in Romania, football was totally dominated by the capital's giants Steaua (the army team) and Dinamo Bucharest (the team of the Securitate secret police).
Against this backdrop, Universitatea Craiova became a symbol of the provincial rebellion against the dictatorship. The team was nicknamed “Campioana Unei Mari Iubiri“ (The Champion of One Great Love) and became the first Romanian club to reach the semi-finals of a European tournament (the 1983 UEFA Cup). Their successes infuriate the authorities in Bucharest, which regularly tries to steal their best players through military orders or party coercion.
Curiosities and scandals: One team in court, the other with -94 points
The biggest curiosity about Craiova is the fact that in the 21st century the city split in two due to insane legal battles. In 2011, the original club went bankrupt and was expelled from the federation. Two years later, in 2013, the local municipality revived the authentic sports club KS Universitatea Craiova (Levski's current rival).
At the same time, however, former owner Adrian Mititelu created his own clone - FC U Craiova 1948. 10 years of lawsuits followed about who owns the history and the cups. In the end, the Supreme Court of Romania ruled in favor of Levski's current rival.
To make the absurdity complete, Mititelu's parallel club went down in history with an unprecedented anti-record. Due to brutal financial problems and debts, the team was sanctioned and started its campaign with a mind-boggling penalty of minus 94 points.
What kind of bird is the current boss Mihai Rotaru?
Unlike its bankrupt predecessors, Levski's current rival enjoys immense financial stability, thanks to its boss - Mihai Rotaru. He gained control of the club in 2013.
Rotaru is a 54-year-old big businessman, whose fortune, according to Romanian media (including analyses by Digi Sport and Gazeta Sporturilor) is estimated at over 300 million euros. He amassed his millions through investments in agriculture, real estate and energy.
In Romania, Rotaru is known as the “silent millionaire“ - he avoids the cheap media circus unlike his colleague Gigi Becali in Steaua, but he rules the club with an iron fist. He is not shy about changing coaches at the slightest insubordination and has invested tens of millions in the club's base. His project is extremely ambitious, with the goal for the season being a mandatory entry into the main phase of the European tournaments.