CSL Ștefănești
Romanian football club
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Club Sportiv Local Ștefăneștii de Jos, also known as CSL Ștefănești, or simply as Ștefănești is a Romanian football club based in Ștefăneștii de Jos, Ilfov County, which currently plays in Liga II, the second tier of Romanian football.
- Ștefăneștii
(The people from Ștefănești) - Ilfovenii
(The people from Ilfov)
2019 (refounded)
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| Full name | Club Sportiv Local Ștefănești | ||
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| Short name | Ștefănești | ||
| Founded | 1997 2019 (refounded) | ||
| Ground | Dumitru Mătărău | ||
| Capacity | 1,150 | ||
| Owner | Ștefăneștii de Jos Commune | ||
| Chairman | George Daniel Bozieru | ||
| Manager | Laurenţiu Tudor | ||
| League | Liga II | ||
| 2025–26 | Liga III, Series I Regular season: 1st of 12 Play-off, Series I: 2nd (promoted) | ||
| Website | https://clubstefanesti.ro/ | ||
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History
Football in Ștefăneștii de Jos dates back to the 1950s, with the club competing mainly in amateur regional and Ilfov County championships before its current form as CS Ștefănești in 1997. From 2002, the club competed as SC Mobexpert Ștefănești due to a sponsorship agreement with a furniture manufacturer, winning the 2003–04 Divizia D Ilfov County title but declining promotion to Divizia C for financial reasons. Later, following a partnership with metal systems manufacturer Lindab, the club was renamed FC Lindab Ștefănești.[1]
A significant moment in the club’s history came at the end of the 2010–11 season. The team coached by Florin Vlădilă won the Liga IV Ilfov County and secured promotion in Liga III by defeating Viață Nouă Olteni, the winner of Liga IV Teleorman County, 3–1 in the promotion play-off at the Marin Anastasovici Stadium in Giurgiu. The squad was composed of Vladu, Marinescu, Rababoc, Mihalache, Stancu, Al. Ion, Ad. Cristea, Mega, Ganea, Drăgan, Romanescu (cpt.), Șerban, M. Dumitrache, D. Dumitrache, M. Gheorghe, Șerbănescu, Ioniță, and Pădureț.[2][3]
The first season in the third division for Ștefănești took place under a succession of managers. First, Costel Pană was appointed as the new head coach in August, but Pană left the club after four rounds and was replaced by Dragoș Mihalache, who was in charge until January 2012 when he was in turn replaced by Iulian Mihăescu, who was dismissed after four matches and, after the interim offered by the couple Cristian Mătărău - Daniel Dumitrache, Adrian Peiu was appointed as head coach for the rest of the season leading the club to 4th-place finish.[4][5][6][7][8]
In the following season, Ilfovenii appointed Romulus Ciobanu as head coach, but relatively modest performances led to a premature separation in October. He was replaced by Emil Ursu, who led the team to a 5th-place finish with 32 points, after being penalised 9 points by the Romanian Football Federation for not registering the required three youth squads.[9][10]
In the 2013–14 season, Ștefănești was in 2nd place after the regular season, but they dropped to 3rd place in the play-offs, as in the following season the club finished 4th with Marin Dună as head coach.[11]
In the summer of 2015, the club encountered some financial problems, being almost dissolved, but eventually managed to overcome them and with Laurențiu Tudor as head coach, finished the 2015–16 season in 9th place.[12][13]
However, the club was dissolved in the summer of 2016, and all of their players and staff were taken by Unirea Tărlungeni, who were dissolved in 2017.[14]
The club was refounded in 2019 under the name CSL Ștefăneștii de Jos. Initially focused on youth development, the senior team was admitted into Liga IV Ilfov County ahead of the 2021–22 season. Under player-coach Mădălin Gheorghe, Ștefănești finished 1st in Series II, but, having been admitted on demand, the club was not eligible to participate in the county championship play-off for promotion.[15]
Laurențiu Tudor returned as head coach in 2022, leading Ștefănești to win Series II and qualify for the championship play-off in the 2022–23 season, where they eliminated Brănești in the semi-final before losing the final against Clinceni.[15][16][17]
At the end of the 2023–24 season, Ștefănești won the Liga IV Ilfov County title, but lost the promotion play-off against ACS FC Dinamo București 5–6 on aggregate.[18][19] Following the withdrawal of several clubs from Liga III, the Romanian Football Federation invited CSL Ștefănești to join the third tier.[20]
The 2024–25 season marked the club’s return to Liga III, with Valentin Ivan appointed head coach. Ștefănești finished 3rd in Series V, both at the end of the regular season and in the play-out phase, before unexpectedly parting ways with Ivan at the end of the campaign.[21]
Ahead of the 2025–26 campaign, Claudiu Ionescu took charge for the first half of the season, with Laurențiu Tudor named as the new head coach in January 2026. Under his leadership, Ștefănești finished 2nd in Series IV and secured a historic promotion to Liga II, winning Series II of the play-off stage, tied on points with Popești-Leordeni, but finishing ahead on first-stage points.[22][23][24]
Honours
Players
First team squad
- As of 10 September 2024
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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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.
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Club officials
Board of directors
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Current technical staff
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Former managers
Florin Vlădilă (2010–2011)- Costel Pană (2011)
- Dragoș Mihalache (2011)
- Iulian Mihăescu (2012)
- Cristian Mătărău - Daniel Dumitrache (2012)
- Adrian Peiu (2012)
- Romulus Ciobanu (2012)
- Emil Ursu (2012–2013)
- Laurențiu Tudor (2013–2014)
- Marin Dună (2014–2015)
- Laurențiu Tudor (2015–2016)