# Dan Păltinișanu Stadium (1963)

The Dan Păltinișanu Stadium (Romanian: Stadionul Dan Păltinișanu) is a former multi-purpose stadium in Timișoara, Romania. It was the second-largest stadium in Romania, with a seating capacity of 32,972. Until its closure in 2022, it was used mostly for football matches by the local team, SSU Politehnica Timișoara. The stadium was named after footballer Dan Păltinișanu (1951–1995) who played 10 seasons at FC Politehnica Timișoara. The stadium will be demolished for the construction of a new arena with 32,000 seats.

## History

The stadium was officially inaugurated on 1 May 1963, then named 1 May. The construction of the stadium was done with the workers from the city's factories. Its structure was similar to the one used to build most of the Romanian stadiums of that time, i.e. compacted earth. This constructive solution proved to be extremely problematic, as the compaction of the earth over time led to the deterioration of the stadium. The original capacity was 40,000 on benches, but in 2005, when the plastic seats were installed, the capacity was reduced to 32,972. The floodlighting system, with a density of 1,456 lx, was inaugurated in 2003, at a match against Petrolul Ploiești. Following two general renovations, in 2002 and 2008, the venue was able to host UEFA Champions League games. It was a four-star establishment with all the facilities required for the team, internet for the press room, 30 cameras for video surveillance, electrically heated pitch, an automated irrigation system and a modern scoreboard.
The Romania national football team were also a tenant. The first game played by the national team at Dan Păltinișanu was in March 1983 against Yugoslavia. Since then another six games were played, the last one in March 2010 against Israel.
The stadium has long been in an advanced state of degradation, and will be demolished to make way for a new arena with 32,000 seats. It was finally closed on 25 February 2022, as it no longer met the quality standards. The last event on the stadium was a Liga 2 match between Poli Timișoara and Petrolul Ploiești during which the floodlight dimmed twice and thus the city team lost at the "green table".

## Events
### Association football

International football matches :
| Date | Competition | Home | Away | Score | Attendance |
| 30 March 1983 | Friendly | Romania | Yugoslavia | 0–2 | ~25,000 |
| 28 August 1985 | 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification | Romania | Finland | 2–0 | ~35,000 |
| 23 April 1986 | Friendly | Romania | Soviet Union | 2–1 | ~25,000 |
| 20 November 2002 | Friendly | Romania | Croatia | 0–1 | ~38,000 |
| 6 June 2007 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying | Romania | Slovenia | 2–0 | 27,850 |
| 3 March 2010 | Friendly | Romania | Israel | 0–2 | ~18,000 |
International football clubs matches :
| Date | Competition | Home | Away | Score | Attendance |
| 13 September 1978 | UEFA Cup | Politehnica Timișoara | MTK Hungária | 2–0 | ~25,000 |
| 1 November 1978 | UEFA Cup | Politehnica Timișoara | Budapest Honvéd | 2–0 | ~20,000 |
| 1 October 1980 | European Cup Winners' Cup | Politehnica Timișoara | Celtic | 1–0 | ~48,000 |
| 5 November 1980 | European Cup Winners' Cup | Politehnica Timișoara | West Ham United | 1–0 | ~45,000 |
| 19 August 1981 | European Cup Winners' Cup | Politehnica Timișoara | Lokomotive Leipzig | 2–0 | ~34,000 |
| 19 September 1990 | UEFA Cup | Politehnica Timișoara | Atlético Madrid | 2–0 | ~48,000 |
| 7 November 1990 | UEFA Cup | Politehnica Timișoara | Sporting CP | 2–0 | ~38,000 |
| 16 September 1992 | UEFA Cup | Politehnica Timișoara | Real Madrid | 1–1 | ~50,000 |
| 18 September 2008 | UEFA Cup | Politehnica Timișoara | Partizan | 1–2 | 25,000 |
| 5 August 2009 | UEFA Champions League | Politehnica Timișoara | Shakhtar Donetsk | 0–0 | 32,000 |
| 18 August 2009 | UEFA Champions League | Politehnica Timișoara | Stuttgart | 0–2 | 33,446 |
| 1 October 2009 | UEFA Europa League | Politehnica Timișoara | Dinamo Zagreb | 0–3 | 30,000 |
| 22 October 2009 | UEFA Europa League | Politehnica Timișoara | Anderlecht | 0–0 | 36,893 |
| 2 December 2009 | UEFA Europa League | Politehnica Timișoara | Ajax | 1–2 | 38,085 |
| 5 August 2010 | UEFA Europa League | Politehnica Timișoara | MYPA | 3–3 | 18,000 |
| 19 August 2010 | UEFA Europa League | Politehnica Timișoara | Manchester City | 0–1 | 34,695 |

### Concerts

| Date | Artist | Tour | Attendance |
| 10 August 1984 | Lepa Brena | Bato, Bato Tour | 65,000 |
| 17 July 2006 | Shakira | Oral Fixation Tour | 30,000 |