Romania - Sweden 1-0

"Ion Oblemenco" stadium - Craiova - March 27th 2018

Romania met Sweden in a friendly game. Probably it was the most animated friendly game ever. That happened because of the fans of FC U 1948 - the historical team called in the past "Universitatea" Craiova. After this football team was abusively rejected from Romanian football the fans remained without a football team. More than this, the socialist political party (PSD) invented by night a football team with the same colors and symbols pretending that was the real Universitatea Craiova. This fake team is called CSU. UEFA doesn't agree with such a situation but, in Romania, the CSU easily stolen our stadium and our history. They started to play in the Romanian Second League just like this, even though Romanian football has 5 leagues and a new team should start from the lowest one.

In such circumstances the fans of FC U 1948 were sent out from their home - "Ion Oblemeco" stadium - and forced to start again from the last league of Romanian football. Today FC U 1948 is in the 4th Romanian Football League and is still banned to play its games on our former stadium. We are forced to play somewhere out of the city of Craiova, but in such conditions our team won all the games until now and has the biggest chances to promote in the 3rd League in this summer.

When the Romanian Football Federation (FRF) decided to play this friendly game against Sweden in Craiova all the fans of FC U 1948 bought tickets at this game. This was the only chance for them to show in Europe what a terrible injustice suffered their team. Romania did a great football game and won by 1-0 but this wasn't so important. The entire world was able to see there is angry people in Romania because of stealing of their property and replacing it with a clone. This happened by an abusive political involvement in football. PSD is not a socialist party, is a new communist dictatorial party using in Romania the methods they used in the '50s. This is our fight and it will never end!  

FC Universitatea 1948

As you might know, Universitatea Craiova was ejected from Romanian football by the ex-president of FRF (Romanian Football Federation) - Mircea Sandu. He was unsatisfied by disobedience of our club regarding his corruption policy and decided by himself to erase our team from Romanian football. More than that,  after 2 years, he contacted the most important Romanian political party and they founded a new team with the same colors and symbols pretending they are the real Universitatea Craiova. 

Because of this our team was forced to change its name in FC U 1948 Craiova, a name that explicitly shows we have the continuity of the old Universitatea Craiova. After all these years of fighting in justice and football fields in the same time FC U 1948 was denied to play on our stadium. Since 2011 we are forced to find new stadiums or football fields in order to remain a football team. Today March 26th 2018 it was the first time our players got access on Ion Oblemenco stadium, our home. It was very hard to get inside, but our players still managed to do it. Our fight still continues and it will never end!

2002 - History Files

Universitatea Craiova was a great team in Romania. There were a lot memorable games, but this is one of the most important of them. On 1st of September 2002, Stiinta met Steaua Bucharest on Ion Oblemenco stadium in Craiova. It was a 40.000 viewers assistance at this game. And this for a stadium with 28.500 sitting places only .

Craiova had a big show in the field and in the stadium too. I hope you will like the video.
The teams:
Universitatea Craiova: Agachi - Vochin, Papura, Rada - Miclea, Sava, Badea, Stanga, Ciocoi - Lutu (Vladoiu), Verdes
Steaua Bucharest: M.Tudor - Fl.Dumitru, Panc, M.Radoi, Miu - Aliuta, Bostina, Paraschiv, Neaga - C.Raducanu, Oprita

Back to Ion Oblemenco Stadium

Universitatea Craiova used to play the games considered at home, in Severin. There are 120 Km between Craiova and Drobeta Turnu-Severin, next big city to west. Oltenia region consists in 5 disctricts: Dolj, Olt, Gorj, Mehedinti and Valcea. Capital of Dolj county is Craiova. Capital of Mehedinti county is Drobeta Turnu-Severin. 

The next match, against FC Timisoara, will be played on the old Central stadium from Craiova. This stadium was built in 1968 and get the name of the most important football player of Universitatea Craiova, Ion Oblemenco, on 1st September 1996, when this great man died.

This is first game played in Craiova by Universitatea since December 2009. The City Hall of Craiova decided this team should leave Ion Oblemenco stadium and our favorite players used the arena from Severin instead. Now it is the time from Craiova to come back home. Welcome back Stiinta!

International Games 1966-1974

1974/1975: Champions League
UNIVERSITATEA Craiova - Atvidaberg: 2-1
Atvidaberg - UNIVERSITATEA Craiova: 3-1 

1973/1974: UEFA Cup
Fiorentina - UNIVERSITATEA Craiova: 0-0
UNIVERSITATEA Craiova - Fiorentina: 1-0
Standard Liege - UNIVERSITATEA Craiova: 2-0
UNIVERSITATEA Craiova - Standard Liege: 1-1

1971/1972: UEFA Cup
UNIVERSITATEA Craiova - Pecs Dosza: 2-1
Pecs Dosza - UNIVERSITATEA Craiova: 3-0

1970: CUP OF BALCANS
Partizan Tirana - UNIVERSITATEA Craiova: 1-0
UNIVERSITATEA Craiova - Sloboda Tuzla: 2-2
UNIVERSITATEA Craiova - Partizan Tirana: 0-1
Sloboda Tuzla - UNIVERSITATEA Craiova: 1-1

1969: CUP OF BALCANS
FC Bor - UNIVERSITATEA Craiova: 2-0
UNIVERSITATEA Craiova - FC Bor: 5-0
Dinamo Tirana - UNIVERSITATEA Craiova: 2-0
UNIVERSITATEA Craiova - Dinamo Tirana: 3-1

Ion Oblemenco

Birth date: May 13th 1945, Corabia-Olt

1958-1960: played for Dunarea Corabia

1960-1962: played for CFR Electroputere Craiova

1962-1964: played for CS Craiova

1964-1966: played for Rapid Bucuresti

1966-1977: played for Universitatea Craiova

1974: Champion Of Romania

1977: Cup Of Romania winner

1977-1978: played for FCM Galati

1978-1979: vice-president of Universitatea Craiova

1979-1980: assistant coach of Universitatea Craiova

1980: Champion Of Romania

1980-1982: trainer of Universitatea Craiova

1981: Champion Of Romania, Cup Of Romania winner

1982-1985: trainer of Chimia Ramnicu-Valcea

1985: trainer of FC Olt

1992-1993: trainer of Universitatea Craiova

1996: trainer of Hassania Agadîr

Death date: September the 1st 1996

Games played in "Divizia A": 285 / 170 scored goals

4 times most valuable scorer of Romania: 1966/67, 1969/70, 1971/72, 1972/73

Honour citizen - post mortem - of Craiova City

Ion Oblemenco was a legend. He was also called "The Gunner" because he scored many times for Universitatea Craiova. His colegue Petre Deselnicu said: "I've kissed Oblemenco more than my wife, because he scored so much goals for our team".

October 28th 1972. The Nr.1 Hospital from Craiova. A man between life and death. A young man, 26 years old. Four days ago he suffered first surgical intervention. Yesterday he suffered another one. Doudenal ulcer with perforation. Today this man between life and death speaks all alone. He is delirious. He cries. He asks for water: "Water, water, water!" The nurse stand up and go hurry to find someone. His wife is right near Oblemenco's bed. She doesn't know what to do. What's happen with his husband? He's speaking again: "Water, water! Let's go fellows! We must score right now!" He doesn't know if he will rise again. But he speaks a familiar language. a language of passion, of a hobby of an entire life: Football. Even when he is delirious he things about goals, about scoring. A man like him can not die so easy. "Please, God, let him alive!", "Please, God, don't let him die!", "Do you hear me, Ion?" And Ion was alive. He recovered very fast. He played again, and he scored again. Some people need a story to write a book. Ion Oblemenco lived such a story. And there is a book written about him: "Ion Oblemenco si Campioana unei mari iubiri" - Ion Oblemenco and The Champion Of A Great Love. This was the name of the team in which Ion Oblemenco played. Universitatea Craiova - The Champion Of A Great Love. He fought with the death and he wonn against it. He was really a winner.

He was twice on the surgery table, and this happened in only 60 hours. He was twice half dead, half alive but he survived. And he came back on the football field despiting the death.

He came back scoring goals. He scored after this intervention 15 goals on 4 months and he was again the most valuable striker of Romania. He wonn this tile 4 times in his carrier. That is a record which resited until nowadays.

Ion Oblemenco had a great popularity in Craiova and in Oltenia (district of Craiova). When he was in that hospital, people went there as at a curch, when the people goes to see the saints. The fans of Universitatea Craiova come everyday there and they never turn back home until they know if ion Oblemenco is better or not. And their number was bigger and bigger again. Because all the people wanted to make sure this man, saw as a rescuer of our team, was OK. After this episode, nobody can not say if Oblemenco will play again. He was the only one who wanted to come back on the football field and fight again for our team. Universitatea Craiova was the second on the final table in that year and finaly wonn his firs title in history next year. Ion Oblemenco was his captain and he was the most valuable striker in Romania for the seasons 1966-1967, 1969-1970, 1971-1972, 1972-1973.

Ion Oblemenco was born in Corabia-Olt, on May 13th 1945. He played for Universitatea Craiova from 1966 until 1978 and he was the trainer of this team in 1980-1982. He died on September the 1st 1996 in Agadir, Maroq. May God rest him in peace.