CSM Cetatea Suceava

Club Sportiv Municipal 1932 Cetatea Suceava, commonly known as CSM Cetatea Suceava or Cetatea Suceava, is a Romanian football club based in Suceava, Suceava County. The club was originally established in 1932, under the name of Cetatea Sucevei and over time was re-organized for several times, using different names, such as CSM Suceava, Chimia Suceava or Cetatea Suceava, among others. The team is currently playing in the Liga III after the promotion from Liga IV Suceava after a new re-establishment that took place in the summer of 2024.

History

First years of football (1932–1946)

Cetatea Suceava was originally established in 1932, under the name of Cetatea Sucevei, name inspired by the Medieval Seat Fortress of Suceava. The first team of Suceava included players such as Lazăr Andrian, Fleghel, Ioanițchi, Cosmovici, N. Scobeniuc, Marcean, A. Scobeniuc, Hariga, Semenov, Cozma, Buliga, Curcă, Schwartz, Curcă, Borosan, Salpeter, and Radu Dan.

Cetatea Sucevei initially competed in the Eastern League Championship, a regional series. Later, the team participated in the Eastern League of Divizia C, the newly formed third division of Romanian football. Initially, the Eastern League of Divizia C was organized into a single group, but it was later expanded into two groups. During their first season in Divizia C, Cetatea Sucevei finished 7th, last in the Eastern League, and achieved 2nd place in Group II of the Eastern League in the 1937–38 season of the third division.

In 1946, after World War II and the rise of the communist regime, Romanian football underwent drastic changes as the new Soviet model was implemented. This model required all sports associations to align with trade unions or governmental institutions. As a result, Cetatea Sucevei was absorbed into CFR Ițcani, a team from a village that later became a neighbourhood of Suceava.

From Spartac to CSM (1946–1997)

In 1950, another team was founded near the Prodaliment abattoir in the village of Burdujeni (now a neighbourhood of Suceava) named Spartac Burdujeni. In the 1953 season, Spartac Burdujeni won the Suceava Regional Championship and qualified for the promotion play-off for Divizia B. However, it finished 5th in Series I, held in Ploiești. Despite this, the second division was expanded starting the following season, and along with the four group winners, an additional eight teams (including Spartac) were promoted.

In the 1954 Divizia B season, Spartac finished in 7th place in Series III and ranked 5th in the following season under the guidance of Gheorghe Hedeș. In the 1956 season, the team was renamed as Flamura Roșie Burdujeni, finished in 12th place tied on points with Locomotiva Iași, and barely avoided relegation on goal difference.

In 1957, Flamura Roșie Burdujeni is officially moved to Suceava and was renamed as Progresul Suceava, this particular moment was considered as a moment of rebirth for football of Suceava, after more than 10 years of fumbling, in which the villages of Ițcani and Burdujeni were better represented. Progresul played at the level of Divizia B for the next two seasons, before a new re-branding, now under the name of Victoria Suceava (since 12 April 1959). For the next decade, the team would change its name constantly, among the name used were Dinamo Suceava, Viitorul Suceava or Chimia Suceava. The inconstancy of identity was also found on the pitch, where the Suceava team returned to the second division only in 1966, under the name of Chimia Suceava.

CSM Suceava was founded on 19 July 1972, incorporating the sections of football, track and field, rugby, and volleyball. During the years, more sections were added and offered to its members, among them archery, baseball, boxing, Greco-Roman wrestling, handball, ice hockey, rowing, speed skating, and swimming. The current setup includes archery, boxing, ice hockey, rugby, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling.

Being one of the founding sections, the football team rose through the ranks of the Romanian league system before eventually gaining promotion to the Divizia A at the end of the 1986–87 season. However, competition there proved to be too strong and relegation back to Divizia B was the logical consequence, a league in which the team played for the rest of its existence. Before the 1993–94 season, the name was changed to Bucovina Suceava, after the name of the region Bukovina.

In the summer of 1997, Foresta Fălticeni was moved from Fălticeni to Suceava and renamed as Foresta Suceava, thus ending the CSM era.

Foresta Fălticeni, a side story (1997–2003)

Foresta Fălticeni was founded in 1954 in Fălticeni, under the name of Avântul Fălticeni. Foresta was the first team representing Divizia C that played in a Romanian Cup final which was lost with 0–6 against Steaua București at the end of the 1966–67 season. In 1997, the club was moved to Suceava after it won the promotion to the Divizia A for the first time in history. The main reason for the move was the inadequate state of Foresta's stadium in Fălticeni, which was both small and had a cracked stand. Another reason for the move was, that the main team in the city, CSM Suceava had failed to achieve any notable performances during the previous decade.

Revival of Cetatea (2004–2010)

Cetatea Suceava was re-founded in the summer of 2004 (when it absorbed Șoimii Suceava), as the phoenix club of Cetatea Sucevei, in order to continue the city's football tradition after Foresta adisestablishment. The club's first season was synonymous to its first great performance, when it finished first in Divizia C, and was promoted to Divizia B. At the end of the 2005–06 season of Divizia B, Cetatea finished fifth, only to relegate the next season, when it finished 15th, just two points behind FCM Câmpina, the last team to save itself. The following season, 2007–08 of the Liga III, Cetatea finished first with 76 points out of 34 games and was promoted back. The next season of the Liga II, 2008–09, was one of big struggle, Cetatea avoiding relegation only because the last four teams that were relegated withdrew from the championship.

Cetatea Suceava was excluded from the championship during the winter break of the 2009–10 season, because of approximately 1 million € debt (unpaid wages to the players and coaches and unpaid taxes to the state and other private partners). The club lost all its remaining matches, 3–0. In July 2010, the club re-entered in the competitions organised by the FRF, and competed in the 2010/2011 season of the Romanian Cup. The club also wanted to enter in the 2010/2011 season of the Liga III and to be able to be promoted to Liga II. On 2 August 2010, the club was registered at the FRF and competed in the 2010/2011 season of the Liga III, but was subsequently dissolved. It withdrew from the championship just a few days before it started.

Rapid CFR and the nostalgia of Foresta (2010–2024)

After the dissolution of Cetatea Suceava in 2010, the local football went back to the 1950s situation, when CFR Ițcani was the most representative club of the area. CFR Ițcani (now under the name of Rapid CFR Suceava) managed to promote in the second division, at the end of the 2011–12 season. In the summer of 2016, the club changed its name from Rapid CFR Suceava to Foresta Suceava, a name that binds the most important results of the football from Suceava, obtain by Foresta Fălticeni, but with no direct connection between the two clubs. The new Foresta played at the level of Liga II and Liga III until 2024, when it was dissolved due to financial and political problems.

No more Foresta, Cetatea is back (2024–present)

After the dissolution of the second Foresta Suceava (former Rapid CFR Suceava), a group of former players, together with the local authorities and some local business people, re-established Cetatea Suceava, but now with the support of the local authorities, the new Cetatea was introduced into the activity of CSM (Municipal Sports Club), a multi-sports club that also owned the former football team of CSM Suceava, thus merging the two historical teams into the CSM Cetatea Suceava football club. The team uses the traditional white and blue colors and plays its home matches at the historical stadium of the city, Areni Stadium.

Cetatea won promotion to Liga III at the first attempt under Ionuț Plămadă, winning the 2024–25 season of Liga IV – Suceava County and the promotion play-off against AS Bârsănești, the Bacău County winner (6–0 at home and 2–1 away). The squad comprised, among others, Cuciureanu, Grosu, Sumanariu, Vițu, David, Nițu, Cerlincă, Chelari, M. Ilie, Ciobanu, Filip, Codău, Buceac, Rotundu, Netbai and Smoco.

After the promotion, Dorin Goian was named as the new head coach.

Ground

Cetatea Suceava plays its home matches on the Areni Stadium. The stadium has a total capacity of 12,500 seats (but is restricted to 7,000 seats due to safety measures) and was opened in 1963 under the name of Municipal Stadium. Additionally, the stadium was also renovated between the periods 1976–1977, 1980–1982 and 2002 respectively. It is currently ranked 31st in the all time ranking table of stadiums from Romania.

Honours

Liga II

• Winners (1): 1986–87

Liga III:

• Winners (5): 1965–66, 1970–71, 1972–73, 2004–05, 2007–08
• Runners-up (1): 1971–72

Liga IV – Suceava County

• Winners (1): 2024–25

Players

First team squad

As of 26 January 2025

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

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.

Club officials

League history

Notable former players

The footballers enlisted below have had international cap(s) for their respective countries at junior and/or senior level or/and have over 50 apps for Cetatea Suceava.

Former managers

• Romania Vasile Frînculescu (1965–1966)
• Romania Valeriu Neagu (1966–1969)
• Romania Sebastian Taciuc (1972)
• Romania Petre Moldoveanu (1972–1973)
• Romania Constantin Rădulescu (1980–1982)
• Romania Robert Cosmoc (1986–1987)
• Romania Vasile Simionaș (1987–1988)
• Romania Marian Pană (2007–2008)
• Romania Dorin Goian (2025)
• Romania Petre Grigoraș (2026–)

External links

• at frf-ajf.ro
• on Facebook