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Unirea Slobozia
Full name	Asociația Fotbal Club Unirea 04 Slobozia
Nickname(s)	Galben-albaștrii (The Yellow-Blues); Slobozenii (The People from Slobozia); Ialomițenii (The People from Ialomița);
Short name	Unirea
Founded	1955; 70 years ago; as Combil Slobozia; 2004; 21 years ago (refounded); as Unirea 04 Slobozia
Ground	1 Mai
Capacity	6,000
Owners	Slobozia Municipality; Ialomița County Council
Chairman	Ilie Lemnaru
Head coach	Adrian Mihalcea
League	Liga I
2023–24	Liga II, 1st of 20 (promoted)
Home colours	Away colours
	Current season

Asociația Fotbal Club Unirea 04 Slobozia, (Romanian pronunciation: [uˈnire̯a sloboˈzi.a]), commonly known as Unirea Slobozia or simply as Unirea, is a Romanian professional football club based in Slobozia, Ialomița County, which competes in the Liga I, the top tier of the Romanian football.

The team was founded in 1955 and reestablished in 2004, being for the most part of its history a participant in the third division of the Romanian football. Unirea Slobozia has also spent several seasons in the second division, first in the early 1980s and then between 2012 and 2015, when also obtained 3rd place, the best ranking in the competition until then. Unirea promoted for the first time in history in first division at the end of the 2023–24 season.

"The Yellow-Blues" play their home games at the Stadionul 1 Mai, which can host 6,000 spectators.

History

The club was founded in 1955 under the name Combil Slobozia, being under the tutelage of Combil (the Ialomița Combine for the production and industrialization of pork meat) and played fifteen seasons in the Regional and County Championships, having during this period several names such as Avântul, Voința and Energia.^[1]

In the 1969–70 season, Energia promoted to Divizia C winning the Ialomița County Championship and the promotion play-off against ITA București, the Bucharest Municipal champion (0–0 at home and 2–1 away).

Meanwhile, the club was taken over by the Slobozia Chemical Combine - Amonil and, after promotion to third division was renamed as Azotul Slobozia. Azotul continued to play in third division, being overall a mid-table team and finishing twice on 3rd position, in 1974–75 season and 1975–76 season, and 2nd in the 1978–79 season.

In the 1979, the club was renamed as Amonil Slobozia spent the following seasons in Divizia C, finishing 2nd in 1979–80, 9th in 1980–81 and 7th in 1981–82.

In the summer of 1982, the club was renamed as Unirea Slobozia, and under the guidance of Ion Păciulete, took the 1st place in Seria IV of the 1982–83 season promoting for the first time in Divizia B. The squad was composed of following players: Dumitru Soare, Ion Ionescu, Titel Tache, Săndel Drăguț, Dan Cristea, Vasile Borș, Radu Gogan, Gh. Mateiu, N. Nicolae, Gh. Nicolae, Lazăr, Ion Lupu, Păun, Liviu, Nini Vintilă, Constantinescu and I. Damaschin.^[1]

In the first season in the second division, Unirea strengthened with players such as Gheorghe Tătaru, as player-coach, L. Toader, Cr.Niță, V. Jercălău, Marian Ene, Hadadea, Marchidan, V.Petrescu, G. Simionov, but Unirea have a bad run, finishing on 17th place relegating back to the third division.^[1]

The following season, Unirea finished 11th out of 16, tied on points with four other teams, securing their third division status at goal difference.

Unirea achieved promotion to Divizia B at the end of 1985–86 season, detaching in the last two rounds after a spectacular duel with Sportul 30 Decembrie. The team managed by Constantin Dinu was composed among others from following players: D. Soare, Suciu, Șoltuz, S. Drăguț, R. Gogan, D. Cristea, I. Țanicoiu, M. Ene, I. Iordache, Dumitru, I. Lupu, I. Constantin (34 goals), N. Vintilă, Păun and Dănilă.^[2]

In the 1986–87 season, managed by Nicolae Dumitru as head coach in the first part of the season and Emanoil Hașoti in the second part, Unirea reinforced with new players such as M.Istrate, M. Dinu, Ad. Cîrîc, H. Mihale, C. Gache, C. Prepeliță, V. Roșu, S. Bătrâneanu and Cr. Mustacă, was ranked 7th in Series I. The stay in second division lasted only two seasons, as in the 1987–88 season ”Ialomițenii” finished 16th in its series being relegated to Divizia C.

The promotion was immediate, Unirea, under the leadership of coach Vasile Dobrău, won the Series IV of Divizia C in the following campaign. Also, ”Slobozenii” managed to reach the quarter-finals of Cupa României passing two first division teams, Universitatea Cluj 1–0 in the first round and FC Bihor Oradea 2–0 in the second round, being eliminated by Steaua București 1–3. The squad was composed among other players from M. Istrate, Matei, S. Drăguț, I. Țanicoiu, Ad. Cîrîc, Nedelciu, I. Iordache, Ioniță, Paraschiv, C. Prepeliță, Proșteanu, Vlase, Mîndru, N. Vintilă, Piștalu, Costin, Gh.Iovănescu, I. Constantin.^[3]

In the early 2000s, the club encountered financial issues and was dissolved, being re-founded in 2004 as AFC Unirea 04 Slobozia.

The new entity also reached the second tier of the Romanian football league system, where it spent three years between 2012 and 2015. In the 2013–14 season, the team obtained a third place in its series, behind top flight regulars Politehnica Iași and Rapid București.

Unirea Slobozia played again in the Romanian second league in the 2020–21 season till of the end of 2023–24 season, when Slobozia finished on the 1st place and promoted for the first time in history in Liga I.

Honours

Liga II

Winners (1): 2023–24

Liga III

Winners (5): 1982–83, 1985–86, 1988–89, 2011–12, 2019–20
Runners-up (3): 1978–79, 1979–80, 2010–11

Liga IV – Ialomița County

Winners (3): 1969–70, 1997–98

Players

First team squad

As of 18 September 2024^[4]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	AUT	Stefan Krell
2	MF	ROU	Andrei Dorobanțu
4	DF	ROU	Ionuț Dinu
5	MF	URU	Ariel López
6	MF	ROU	Paul Antoche
7	FW	ROU	Laurențiu Vlăsceanu
8	MF	ROU	Ionuț Coadă
9	FW	ROU	Filip Ilie
10	DF	ROU	Adrian Toma (Captain)
11	FW	FRA	Jordan Gele
12	GK	MDA	Denis Rusu (3rd captain)
15	DF	MEX	Paolo Medina
17	FW	GUI	Sekou Camara


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
18	MF	UKR	Dmytro Yusov
20	MF	ROU	Ovidiu Perianu (on loan from FCSB)
21	DF	ROU	Florinel Ibrian (Vice-captain)
22	MF	ROU	Mihăiță Lemnaru
23	FW	ROU	Cristian Bărbuț
27	MF	ROU	Ștefan Pacionel
29	DF	ROU	Daniel Șerbănică
30	MF	ROU	Florin Purece
60	DF	UKR	Dmytro Pospyelov
77	MF	CRO	Adnan Aganović
86	GK	ROU	Ștefan Georgescu
98	FW	CMR	Christ Afalna

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	GK	ROU	Ștefan Ciupercă (to Recolta Gheorghe Doja)
—	DF	ROU	Raul Iancu (to Recolta Gheorghe Doja)


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	FW	ROU	Viorel Gîrbăcea (to Recolta Gheorghe Doja)
—	FW	ROU	Alexandru Eavaz (to CSM Fetești)

Club officials

Board of directors

Role	Name
Owners	Slobozia Municipality Ialomița County Council
President	Constantin Prepeliță
Executive President	Ilie Lemnaru
Sporting director	Laurențiu Radu
Head of Youth Center	Ion Ionescu
Team Manager	Marian Nohai

Current technical staff

Role	Name
Head coach	Adrian Mihalcea
Assistant coaches	Enache Costea Romeo Soare
Goalkeeping coach	Dănuț Harnagea
Fitness coaches	Bogdan Hetco
Club Doctor	Adrian Motoacă
Masseur	Gabriel Basarab
Store man	Andrei Vizireanu

League history

Season	Tier	Division	Place	Notes	Cupa României
2024–25	1	Liga I	TBD		Play-off round
2023–24	2	Liga II	1st (C)	Promoted	Play-off round
2022–23	2	Liga II	7th		Group Stage
2021–22	2	Liga II	6th		Round of 32
2020–21	2	Liga II	16th	Play-out winner	Third Round
2019–20	3	Liga III (Seria II)	1st (C)	Promoted	Third Round
2018–19	3	Liga III (Seria II)	4th		Fourth Round
2017–18	3	Liga III (Seria II)	3rd		Round of 16
2016–17	3	Liga III (Seria II)	5th		Third Round
2015–16	3	Liga III (Seria II)	4th		Fourth Round
2014–15	2	Liga II (Seria I)	11th	Relegated	Round of 32
2013–14	2	Liga II (Seria I)	3rd		Fourth Round
2012–13	2	Liga II (Seria I)	7th		Fourth Round
2011–12	3	Liga III (Seria II)	1st (C)	Promoted	Fourth Round
2010–11	3	Liga III (Seria II)	2nd		Round of 32
2009–10	3	Liga III (Seria II)	3rd

Season	Tier	Division	Place	Notes
2008–09	3	Liga III (Seria II)	4th
2007–08	3	Liga III (Seria II)	8th
2006–07	3	Liga III (Seria II)	6th
2005–06	3	Divizia C (Seria II)	7th
2000–01	3	Divizia C (Seria III)	16th	Relegated
1999–00	3	Divizia C (Seria II)	14th
1998–99	3	Divizia C (Seria II)	12th
1997–98	4	Divizia D (IL)	1st (C)	Promoted
1993–94	3	Divizia C (Seria II)	19th	Relegated
1992–93	2	Divizia B (Seria I)	18th	Relegated
1991–92	2	Divizia B (Seria I)	9th
1990–91	2	Divizia B (Seria I)	8th
1989–90	2	Divizia B (Seria I)	13th
1988–89	3	Divizia C (Seria IV)	1st (C)	Promoted
1987–88	2	Divizia B (Seria I)	16th	Relegated
1986–87	2	Divizia B (Seria I)	7th

Notable former players

The footballers enlisted below have had international cap(s) for their respective countries at junior and/or senior level and/or significant caps for AFC Unirea Slobozia.

Romania

Former managers

Titus Ozon (1977–1978)
Gheorghe Tătaru (1983–1984)
Emanoil Hașoti (1987)
Vasile Dobrău (1989–1990)
Ion Cojocaru (2007)
Marian Catană (2008–2009)
Ion Răuță (2009–2010)
Constantin Prepeliță (2010–2011)
Ion Ionescu (2011–2012)
Marin Dună (2012–2013)
Adrian Mihalcea (2020–2022)
Costel Enache (2022–2023)
Adrian Mihalcea (2023–)
Vladimir Marica
Ion Păciulete

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Mihai Ionescu & George Tudoran, Fotbal de la A la Z – Editura Sport-Turism 1984.
^ "Noile promovate pe scena secundă" [The new promoted on the second stage] (PDF) (in Romanian). Sportul. 8 August 1986. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 September 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024 – via bibliotecadeva.eu.
^ "Vă prezentăm noile promovate în Divizia B" [We present the new promoted in Divizia B] (PDF) (in Romanian). Sportul. 17 August 1989. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024 – via bibliotecadeva.eu.
^ "AFC UNIREA 04 SLOBOZIA" (in Romanian). Liga Profesionistă de Fotbal. Retrieved 12 July 2024.