Asociația Fotbal Club Chindia Târgoviște (), commonly known as Chindia Târgoviște or simply Chindia, is a Romanian professional football club based in Târgoviște, Dâmbovița County, that competes in the Liga II.

In 2010, as a result of quarrels between the owner of the original team of the city—last known as FCM Târgoviște—and the Târgoviște Municipality, the latter chose to found a new entity in association with former international Gheorghe Popescu and former referee Ion Crăciunescu. The club retains some elements from the now-dissolved FCM, such as the red and blue colour scheme and the "Chindia" name and crest used between 1996 and 2003. Micul Ajax participated for the first time in the Romanian top flight in the 2019–20 season, and the next year equalled FCM's best result in the competition by finishing seventh.

Chindia Târgoviște mainly inherited the local fanbase of the disbanded side, and continued the football history of the city by playing its home matches at the Eugen Popescu Stadium, which was reconstructed and opened in 2023.

History

FCM Târgoviște (1948–2010)

The first football team in the city was founded 1948 and had several names throughout its history, including Metalul Târgoviște (twice), Energia, CS, Oțelul, Chindia and FCM. Despite only spending nine seasons in the top division of Romanian football, the club had a notable generation of players in the late 1970s and early 1980s, which achieved the best ranking in the history of the club—a seventh place at the end of the 1978–79 championship. This "golden generation" included players such as Nicolae Dobrin and Silviu Dumitrescu.

After being relegated in 1984, the club did not recover and only reached the first division again in 1996 under the name of CF Chindia. Even if it was probably not as good as Dumitrescu's generation, this squad consisted of local players and earned the nickname Micul Ajax ("the Little Ajax") for its playing style.

After the team faced financial issues and almost withdrew from the Divizia B championship in 2004, businessman Ghiorghi Zotic took over as owner. However, Zotic's relationship with the Târgoviște Municipality and supporters started to strain, and in March 2010 the Eugen Popescu Stadium rental agreement expired and was not extended. FCM Târgoviște then moved to the Alpan Stadium in Șotânga and started to decline completely; Zotic dissolved the club's senior squad in 2015, keeping only the women's football team. After one year, FCM Târgoviște enrolled in the sixth tier but was dissolved again after two seasons.

Rebirth as Chindia (2010–present)
On 11 August 2010, after the split between Zotic and the Târgoviște Municipality and supporters, the Municipality, together with Romanian former footballer Gheorghe Popescu and in association with former international referee Ion Crăciunescu, set up a new football club named FC Chindia. The club was first conceived as a football academy, similar to the model of the Gheorghe Hagi Football Academy within Viitorul Constanța.

After only one season, the club was promoted to the Liga II, but after a seventh place at the end of the 2011–12 edition it relegated back to the Liga III. This relegation resulted in tensions within the club, with Popescu and Crăciunescu choosing to leave the project. Owned by Târgoviște Municipality and Dâmbovița County Council, Chindia returned to the second tier after two seasons, led from the bench by Nicolae Croitoru. After the second promotion to Liga II, Chindia became a more homogeneous team, consisting mostly of local players, as in the previous times of success of its predecessor (late 1970s, early 1980s and mid-1990s). "The Little Ajax" achieved a third place and then a fifth place, before missing out on promotion after a two-legged promotion/relegation play-off against Voluntari at the end of the 2017–18 season.

Finally, Chindia secured its promotion to Liga I at the end of the 2018–19 campaign by winning the second division outright. The promotion meant that the supporters were able to see a team from Târgoviște in the top flight again after 21 years of absence, the last time being when the defunct FCM Târgoviște played in the 1997–98 Divizia A. Chindia finished its inaugural Liga I season on the last place in the table, but was spared from relegation after winning the promotion/relegation play-off against Mioveni. The following year, the club equalled FCM's best result in the league championship by winning the relegation play-outs and coming seventh overall.

Ground

The club plays its home matches on Eugen Popescu Stadium from Târgoviște, with a capacity of 6,500 seats. Opened in 1982 and originally with a capacity of 12,500 seats, Eugen Popescu Stadium is situated at 200 meters away from the Chindia Tower. In 2014, the second stand and half of the East end were closed for safety reasons, significantly reducing the arena's capacity. In the spring of 2019, due to team's performances and a potential promotion in the top flight, Târgoviște Municipality announced the renovation of the stadium for the amount of 16 million. During the renovation work, the team played its home matches on Ilie Oană Stadium and Municipal, from neighbouring Ploiești and Buzău, respectively.

Support
Chindia Târgoviște has an important group supporters in the city and also in Dâmbovița County, the majority of them being past supporters of FCM Târgoviște. The Chindia ultras faction is known as Cavalerii Cetății ("The Knights of the Fortress").

Rivalries
Chindia does not have many important rivalries, however, a local one between the old FCM and Flacăra Moreni was born before 1989, when the club from Moreni had the support of the communist regime. Tense matches and even incidents were also noted over time in the matches against Petrolul Ploiești and even if between the two clubs is not a proper rivalry, the supporters are not very friendly with each other.

An unusual rivalry also appeared between 2010 and 2015, when on the occasion of six matches, Chindia played against the original FCM Târgoviște, the first club of the city, moved to Șotânga at the time. This encounter was similar to derbies such as ASU Politehnica Timișoara vs ACS Poli Timișoara or CS Universitatea Craiova vs FC U Craiova 1948, entities which assert to be successors of the same teams.

Honours

Domestic

Leagues
Liga II
Winners (1): 2018–19
Liga III
Winners (2): 2010–11, 2014–15
Runners-up (1): 2013–14

Players

First team squad

Out on loan

Club officials

Board of directors

 Last updated: 21 june 2023
 Source:

Current technical staff

 Last updated: 6 September 2022
 Source:

League history

Notable former players
The footballers enlisted below have had international cap(s) for their respective countries at junior and/or senior level and/or more than 100 caps for AFC Chindia Târgoviște.

Romania

  Mihai Aioani
  Alexandru Băluță
  Cristian Cherchez
  Denis Ciobotariu
  Cristian Dancia
  Daniel Florea
  Georgian Honciu
  Paul Iacob
  Denis Ispas
  Marius Martac
  Liviu Mihai
  Sebastian Mladen
  Mihai Neicuțescu
  Dragoș Pătru
  Sorin Rădoi
  Marian Vătavu
  Bobi Verdeș
  Mihai Voduț
Burkina Faso
  Blaise Yaméogo
Moldova
  Vadim Rață
Sweden
  Valmir Berisha

Notable former managers

  Costel Pană 
  Silviu Dumitrescu
  Nicolae Croitoru
  Viorel Moldovan 
  Emil Săndoi

References

External links
 

Club profile on UEFA's official website
Club profile on LPF's official website 

 
Football clubs in Dâmbovița County
Sport in Târgoviște
Association football clubs established in 2010
Liga I clubs
Liga II clubs
Liga III clubs
2010 establishments in Romania