Which league did ACS Poli Timișoara play for from 2019 to 2020?
ACS Poli Timișoara Asociația Club Sportiv Poli Timișoara ( ) , commonly known as Poli Timișoara , is a Romanian professional football club based in Timișoara , Timiș County , currently playing in the Liga III . The club is credited as the official record holder and legal successor of the original club founded in 1921 , FC Politehnica Timișoara , which went bankrupt and was dissolved , following the 2011–12 season . It is co-owned by the City Council and the County Council and has the backing of the Politehnica University of Timișoara , all three being active members in the legal entity running the club . The team has won two Romanian Cups and was twice a runner-up in Liga I . It is ranked 5th in the Liga I All-Time Table , with 48 seasons played . Poli Timişoara traditionally plays in white and purple kits , although it has used variations of black and white in the past . The clubs current home ground is Electrica stadium , although most of its history it played on Dan Păltinișanu Stadium . History . Beginnings of Politehnica Timișoara ( 1921–1945 ) . The club was founded in 1921 by the Polytechnic University of Timișoara under the name Societatea Sportiva Politehnica . Its initial aim was to provide an opportunity for university students to work on their fitness within a competitive environment . The logistics of the sport proved problematic , as there were limited financial means available . Thanks to contributions gathered from university professors and employees , the club bought their first football kits , with white-black vertical stripes , and rented the Patria football stadium . It was not until 1928 that the club developed its own training grounds , Politehnica , which were built by volunteers . Players for the team were chosen on merit from the pool of Timișoara students and high-schoolers , who trained after school hours during the week and played football on weekends . The football landscape in the city was already developed at that time , with CAT , RGMT and Chinezul dominating locally . After spending three years in the District Championships II , Politehnica won promotion to the first tier in 1924 , by defeating Kadima Timișoara . The club became established in the years to come , even finishing 2nd in the 1926–27 District Championships I , when Politehnica lost out to Chinezul by a single point , who were one of Romanias most famous football names at the time . However , the competitive level could not be easily sustained by a university club , as it was subject to the inflow and outflow of players conditioned by their student status . After a decline towards the end of the decade , the low-point came at the beginning of the 1930s , between 1931 and 1933 , when due to insufficient material resources , Politehnica had to suspend its football activities . It reappeared in 1934 but remained a modest club , with mid-table classifications in the District Championships I , as well as the Divizia C and Divizia B , once they were founded . As war beckoned , the national championships were suspended and all football activities reduced to friendly matches and the Cupa Eroilor ( 1943–44 ) . Until the second World War , Politehnica was far from the number one Timișoara football club . Chinezul and then Ripensia won multiple Romanian championship , whereas the students club failed to achieve similar results . It did , however , propel several players to the Romania national football team , with the likes of Sfera , Ignuţa , Deheleanu , Chiroiu , Pop , Protopopescu and Sepi all wearing the national jerseys . Establishment as one of the citys most representative clubs ( 1945–1991 ) . With Romania under a communist regime , these decades were a challenge for Politehnica , as the club represented an educational institution of the highest tier . The numerous promotions and relegations between the first two national leagues were contrasted by the two Romanian cups won and the clubs first forays into international football . Politehnica was first promoted to Romanian top league , the Divizia A , in 1948 , and played under the name CSU Timișoara in the first season . Shortly thereafter ( from 1950 ) , the club was renamed Știința Timișoara , in line with the desired nomenclature of the times . In spite of suffering its first relegation in 1951 , the decade was an unusually consistent one , with the club returning swiftly to the top division and staying there until the season 1959 . The high-point of the Ştiinţa years was winning the 1957–58 Romanian Cup , a 1–0 victory against Progresul București , with the club finishing joint first in the league in the same season , but losing out on goal difference . The next decade saw the club struggle to remain in the first league , particularly towards the end of the 60s . However , it was then that the clubs modern identity started taking shape . Firstly , in 1963 , the largest stadium in Timişoara was completed . It was initially named 1 Mai , honoring the socialist workers day , before being renamed several times in the 90s and finally settling on Stadionul Dan Păltinişanu . Secondly , the club reverted to its previous name of Politehnica Timișoara in 1966 and went to play during the next five decades on the then-erected stadium . When Politehnica returned to the first league in 1973 , after struggling to win promotion for several years , it went on to celebrate one of its best streaks in the top flight . With the likes of Emeric Dembrovschi and Dan Păltinişanu in the team , who both played for Romania and went on to become some of the most capped players in the clubs history , and under the management of prof . Ion V . Ionescu , Politehnica lost that seasons cup final . After managing a third place in the league with manager Angelo Niculescu in 1978 , Politehnica took part in a continental competition for the first time . It was the 1978–79 UEFA Cup , where Poli defeated MTK Budapest ( 2–0 and 1–2 ) , before going down to Honved Budapest ( 2–0 and 0–4 ) in the second round . The club remained steady and managed to win its second cup trophy the following season , by beating Steaua București with 2–1 , after extra time . Politehnica thereby qualified for the UEFA Cup Winners Cup , where it managed to eliminate Celtic Glasgow ( 1–0 and 1–2 ) , before being defeated by West Ham United ( 1–0 and 0–4 ) in second leg . In spite of losing another Romanian Cup final in 1981 , the club qualified once more for the UEFA Cup Winners Cup , where they lost to Leipzig 2–5 on aggregate . After being relegated in 1983 , Politehnica yo-yo-ed between Divizia A and the Divizia B , with promotions in 1984 , 1987 , 1989 and relegations in 1986 and 1988 . Fans ironically called this period as the ABBA years . As the Romanian Revolution , which started in Timișoara , signalled the end of an era , Politehnica managed to grab its most impressive result yet in European competitions , by eliminating Atlético Madrid ( 2–0 and 0–1 ) in the 1990–91 UEFA Cup . Privatization and detachment from the Polytechnic University ( 1991–2001 ) . By state order , all public institutions were forced to relinquish and reorganize any owned sports clubs in 1991 , to effectively privatize them . As a result , alongside the newly organized football club appeared a non-profit association , AFC Politehnica Timișoara . The latter , consisting of previous club players and staff , was mandated with owning and protecting the club records and intellectual property . The clubs swan song near the top of Romanian football for the next decade was to be the 1991–92 season . Poli finished 5th and also reached the Romanian Cup final , only to lose it on penalties against Steaua București . The consequent participation in the 1992–93 UEFA Cup , saw the club draw against Real Madrid ( 1–1 in Timișoara ) , before being defeated in the return leg ( 0–4 ) . Politehnica lost several key players in the years after the forced privatization , which slowly lead to the teams downfall . In fewer than twenty four months from their draw against Real , the club was relegated to the Divizia B in 1994 . Despite a fast return to the first league in 1995 , Poli failed to consolidate their position and were soon relegated once more after the 1996–97 season . An inability to rebound lead to mounting financial pressures . The club was temporarily owned by a Timișoara based businessman between 1998 and 2000 , before the local authorities accepted the bid of an Italian investor , Claudio Zambon , to take over Politehnica . Despite an initial financial outlay , Poli finished 15th and was relegated to the third league , Divizia C , where it had last played in 1938 . To avoid such an outcome , Zambon and the local authorities struck a deal with a league two club , Dacia Pitești , and purchased their license to participate in the Divizia B . After failing to earn promotion to top flight , the 2001–02 season posed an insurmountable challenge for Politehnica . Zambons departure following disagreements with the local authorities meant the club found itself in dire financial straits . Forced to use mostly youth players , Politehnica finished the season dead last , with one win and four draws to its name , but negative eight points in the standings , due to unpaid debts . Once again the club was bound to be relegated to the third division . Identity crisis , glory years and downfall ( 2002–2012 ) . In 2002 , AEK Bucharest were promoted to Liga I , Romanian footballs top division , for the first time , whereupon Anton Doboș , the clubs owner , moved it to Timișoara . It was renamed Politehnica AEK Timișoara after merging with CSU Politehnica , a club owned and run by the Politehnica University , and received the full support of local authorities and white-purple fans . After a rocky first season , which required a spectacular relegation play-off against Gloria Buzău to avoid demotion , Poli AEK consolidated during the next season , finishing on a safe mid-table position . Moreover , starting with the 2004–05 season , the team changed its name to FCU Politehnica Timișoara , trying to reestablish its former identity . Financially difficulties looming , Politehnica changed ownership once more . Former president Anton Doboș stayed on at the club for another year in a new position , while Balkan Petroleum Ltd. , owned by Marian Iancu , took full charge . Significant investments in the transfer market transformed the club overnight , as it received the nickname EuroPoli for its newly found ambitions to reach the top of Romanian football . During the takeover by Marian Iancu , a dispute regarding the proprietary rights for the club name , colors and records arose . After prolonged litigation , Politehnica was forced to change its name to FC Timișoara , following a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport . It was deemed that the colors and records dating before 2002 were lost in favor of former Politehnica Timișoara owner , Claudio Zambon . The Italian had struck a deal with AFC Politehnica , the non-profit association which owned said proprietary items , when he left Timișoara during the 2001–02 season . Results on the pitch improved immediately after the takeover , but a leap to the Liga 1 podium proved elusive until 2008–09 , when Politehnica finished runner-up , a feat repeated two seasons later . The club did , however , rejoin European football the season before that by qualifying for the UEFA Cup – sixteen years after its last appearance against Atletico Madrid . More European appearances followed , culminating with the qualification for the 3rd preliminary round of the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League . The team defeated the reigning UEFA Cup champions Shakhtar Donetsk , but were eliminated from the competition during the Playoff Round , which still meant the club would take part in the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League group stage . In November 2010 , the Romanian Court of Appeal returned Politehnicas name , colors and records to FC Timișoara . However , at the end of the season , despite finishing second in the Liga I standings , the club was relegated to Liga II after failing to meet the licence requirements to play in the first division . Under the name of Politehnica Timişoara , they took part in the 2011–12 Liga II season and finished first , but were again denied the licence to play in Liga I . Consequently , the club filed for bankruptcy and was dissolved in September 2012 . Rebirth as ACS Poli Timișoara and recent years ( 2012–present ) . In the summer of 2012 , ACS Recaș , a club just promoted to the Liga II , was moved to Timișoara and renamed ACS Poli Timișoara after the dissolution of FC Politehnica Timișoara . The new club is co-owned by the City Council and the County Council and has the backing of the Politehnica University of Timișoara , all three being active members in the legal entity running the club . However , the ultras supporters rejected the move and decided to support an alternative project in the lower leagues , ASU Politehnica Timişoara . Valentin Velcea continued as head coach , while the roster consisted mostly of the core ACS Recaș players and several players from FC Politehnica . At its conception , the club , established as an NGO , was primarily financed by the local authorities , as Timișoara mayor Nicolae Robu insisted control should not be forfeited to private investors . After initially playing in black/white/yellow kits , in order to avoid legal complications while the court ruled over the rightful owner following the bankruptcy of FC Politehnica , the club returned to its historic white-purple colors starting with the 2015–2016 season . As of February 2016 , ACS Poli Timişoara is the sole and full owner of all the rights pertaining to and deriving from the Politehnica Timișoara brand and records , following a court decision which nullified the original agreement between the founding club and record holders , and Marian Iancus insolvent club . From a competitive perspective , the club failed to equal the achievements of the Marian Iancu era . A yo-yo-ing between the first two leagues , reminiscent of the Politehnicas travails in the 1980s , ensued . The situation was amplified by the fact that the financing received from the local authorities was deemed illegal in the summer of 2015 , which left the club without its main financial benefactor . The highlight season for the new Poli came about in 2016–2017 , when the club started with a 14 points penalty , as it failed to reach a points minimum the previous year and recorded unpaid debts . In spite of this , Poli , under the management of Ionuţ Popa , rallied to reach the relegation play-off in the dying minutes of the season and defeated rivals UTA Arad 5–2 on aggregate . Moreover , the club reached the first national cup final , finishing runner-up in the Cupa Ligii , while also reaching the semi-finals of the Romanian Cup . The following season was another struggle and Poli suffered a reversal of fortunes as they were relegated by courtesy of a goal scored late in the last matchday . With financial pressures mounting , the club declared insolvency during the 2018–2019 Liga 2 season and struggled to stay competitive , becoming involved in another fight to avoid relegation . In order to mitigate costs , it was also forced to relocate from the Dan Păltinişanu stadium to the Electrica stadium . Supporters and Rivalries . Historically , Poli has been the most prominent football club in Timișoara after 1945 , playing consistently in either the first or the second tier of Romanian football . Local rivalries with CFR Timișoara and UM Timișoara were relevant until the early 2000s . Afterwards , the former was relegated to a semi-professional status in the lower leagues and the latter was dissolved in 2008 . Nationally , there were strong rivalries with UTA Arad and Dinamo București . The matches against UTA were labeled as the West Derby , due to the proximity of Timișoara and Arad . Matches against CFR Cluj , FCSB , and Universitatea Craiova also drew large crowds . After the club reincarnated as ACS Poli in 2012 , the core factions of the ultras movement decided to support an alternate club in the lower leagues , ASU Politehnica Timișoara . ACS Poli struggled to fill the void created by their departure , with smaller fan factions forming to support the club . Although top-bill matches with historic rivals still attract fans to the stadium , attendances have dropped compared to the averages attained in the 2000s . Honours . Leagues . - Liga I - Runners-up ( 2 ) : 2008–09 , 2010–11 - Liga II - Winners ( 12 ) : 1947–48 , 1952 , 1959–60 , 1964–65 , 1972–73 , 1983–84 , 1986–87 , 1988–89 , 1994–95 , 2001–02 , 2011–12 , 2014–15 ( record ) - Runners-up ( 2 ) : 1970–71 , 2012–13 Cups . - Romanian Cup - Winners ( 2 ) : 1957–58 , 1979–80 - Runners-up ( 6 ) : 1973–74 , 1980–81 , 1982–83 , 1991–92 , 2006–07 , 2008–09 - Cupa Ligii - Runners-up ( 1 ) : 2016–17 Managers . - Valentin Velcea ( Aug 15 , 2012–Oct 10 , 2013 ) - Aurel Șunda ( Oct 10 , 2013–Mar 16 , 2014 ) - Dan Alexa ( Mar 16 , 2014–Aug 21 , 2015 ) - Florin Marin ( Aug 25 , 2015–Mar 21 , 2016 ) - Petre Grigoraș ( Mar 25 , 2016–May 22 , 2016 ) - Ionuț Popa ( May 24 , 2016–Feb 5 , 2018 ) - Leo Grozavu ( Feb 6 , 2018–Apr 15 , 2018 ) - Adrian Neaga ( Apr 16 , 2018–Jun 30 , 2018 ) - Ionel Ganea ( Jul 1 , 2018–Aug 20 , 2018 ) - Ștefan Nanu ( Aug 27 , 2018–Dec 13 , 2018 ) - Valeriu Răchită ( Dec 13 , 2018–Jun 30 , 2019 ) - Silviu Bălace ( Sep 4 , 2019–present ) Players . Appearances . As of 1 March 2019 Goalscorers . As of 1 March 2019 External links . - Official website - Club profile on UEFAs official website