CS Tunari
Association football club in Romania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Club Sportiv Tunari, commonly known as CS Tunari, or simply as Tunari, is a Romanian professional football club based in Tunari, Ilfov County, currently competing in Liga II, the second tier of the Romanian football.
Arsenal
as Arsenal Tunari
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| Full name | Club Sportiv Tunari | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Tunarii (The Gunners) Arsenal | ||
| Short name | Tunari | ||
| Founded | 1980 as Arsenal Tunari | ||
| Ground | Central | ||
| Capacity | 1,700 | ||
| Owner | Tunari Commune | ||
| Chairman | Florin Vlădilă | ||
| Head coach | Dinu Todoran | ||
| League | Liga II | ||
| 2024–25 | Liga III, Seria V, 1st (promoted via play-offs) | ||
| Website | https://cstunari.ro/ | ||
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Founded in 1980 as Arsenal Tunari, the club was renamed CS Tunari in 2004 and gradually consolidated its place in Romania's third tier, achieving its first promotion to the second tier at the end of the 2022–23 season.[1] After being relegated the following season, it secured promotion back to the second tier following the 2024–25 Liga III campaign.[2]
History
Foundation and Naming (1980–2004)
CS Tunari was founded in 1980 under the name Arsenal Tunari. The name "Tunari" translates to "Gunners" in Romanian, and the commune’s coat of arms features a cannon—elements that inspired the original name as a tribute to the English football club Arsenal F.C. and its nickname, "The Gunners." In its early years, Arsenal Tunari played consistently in the Ilfov County Championships, the fourth tier of Romanian football league system. The club changed its name in 2004 after being forced to drop “Arsenal” due to copyright restrictions.[3][4]
In a 2009 interview with sport.ro, club chairman Lucian Costache recounted an anecdote from 1996, when the club—still known as Arsenal Tunari—sent a letter to Arsenal F.C. requesting official kits, but no response was received. Around this period, a new stadium was built in the commune near Bucharest, and in 2009 the club secured a place in Romania's third division.[5][4]
Establishing in Liga III (2009–2018)
Over the years, CS Tunari has established itself as a consistent presence at the third tier, gradually improving its performances. The 2009–10 season ended with a 9th-place finish under the guidance of Ion Ion. The following season, Virgil Nițoi led the team[6] to 7th place. Challenging years unfolded under Ion Voicu's leadership,[7] with the team finishing 10th in 2011–12 and slipping to 13th in 2012–13, before Florin Vlădilă stepped in to take charge in December 2012.[8]
From the summer of 2013 onward, with Virgil Nițoi returning, significant progress became evident. The club finished 8th in the 2013–14 season and climbed to 4th in the 2014–15 season. A tough 2015–16 campaign saw a drop to 12th under coach Florin Bratu,[9] who replaced Nițoi after the team lost its first six matches of the season. Bratu departed the following summer[10] and was succeeded by Tudorel Dumitru, who led the team to its best-ever finish at the time, securing 3rd place in the 2016–17 season, followed by a solid 7th-place finish in the 2017–18 season.
During this period, CS Tunari also updated its branding and logo in 2018, adopting a red-and-white color scheme instead of the previous red-and-blue combination. The new emblem briefly reintroduced the name “Arsenal,” though the official club name remained CS Tunari.
Ștefan Odoroabă coached the team[11] for the next three and a half seasons, achieving a 6th-place finish in the 2018–19 season, 4th in the 2019–20 season, and 5th in the 2020–21 season. Odoroabă left Tunari in March 2022 and was replaced by Marcel Abăluță, who led the team to an impressive 2nd place in the 2021–22 season, qualifying for the promotion play-offs.[12][13] After eliminating CS Afumați in the first round 5–2 on aggregate (3–2 at home and 2–0 away), the team lost the promotion in the second round to Progresul Spartac București, 1–7 on aggregate (0–4 at home and 1–3 away).
Rise, Relegation and Return
In the 2022–23 season, Valentin Negru was appointed as the new head coach,[14] but he left the club in November, with the team in 1st place. Assistant coach Alin Ilin took charge for the rest of the year. Gabriel Manu was hired in January 2023,[15] leading the team to its first-ever promotion to Liga II. The Gunners ended the season in 1st place in Series IV, nine points ahead of Popești-Leordeni. The promotion play-offs began with Farul Constanța II being eliminated (1–3 away and 4–0 at home), followed by a victory over Popești-Leordeni (1–2 away and 3–1 at home) in the final stage.[1]
In June 2023, Tunari appointed Florin Stângă as head coach, just two days after unexpectedly parting ways with Gabriel Manu.[16][17] Stângă led the team for six rounds before Ștefan Odoroabă replaced interim coach Alin Ilin in October 2023.[18][19] The Gunners finished 17th in the regular season of 2023–24 season and were placed in Group B of the play-out under the guidance of Dan Alexa, who replaced Odoroabă in March 2024.[20][21] However, multiple changes in the squad and coaching staff led to relegation, with Tunari finishing second to last in the group.[22][23] Tunari also qualified for the group stage of Cupa României after a 5–0 victory over third-division side Viitorul Ianca. The group stage featured matches against Universitatea Craiova (1–1), Voluntari (1–1), and Gloria Buzău (1–1), ending in 5th place out of 6 in Group D, resulting in elimination.
Tunari, coached by Dan Alexa, won Series V of the 2024–25 season, qualified for the promotion play-off, and in the semi-finals the Ilfov-based side advanced without playing after Băicoi was declared ineligible for participation. In the final promotion play-off round, they defeated Odorheiu Secuiesc 4–0 in the first leg and secured a 1–1 draw in the return leg, thus earning immediate promotion back to the second tier, with a squad that included Moroz, Ahmed, I. Croitoru, Șerban, Furtună, Tudorache, Vasu, Moga, Gavrilă, Lupescu, Jerky Song, Ion, Țegle, Dragu, Filip, Hlistei, Spătaru, R. Paul, Bălan, and Pumbuitu.[24][2]
Following the departure of Dan Alexa shortly before the start of the 2025–26 Liga II season, CS Tunari appointed Bogdan Pătrașcu as head coach, but after seven rounds and only six points he was dismissed, after which assistant Alin Ilin had a short interim spell before Dinu Todoran was appointed in November.[25][26]
Ground
CS Tunari plays its home matches on the Comunal Stadium in Tunari, with a capacity of 1,000 seats. The stadium was renovated and expanded in 2004 for the sum of 400,000 lei, at that time approximately 84,000 €.[3] In 2017 the stadium was renovated again and the pitch was changed.[27]
During the 2023–24 season, Tunari Stadium underwent renovations, prompting the team to relocate their matches to the Central Stadium of the Romanian National Football Centre.[28]
Honours
Players
First team squad
- As of 25 January 2026
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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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 CS Tunari.
- Romania
Marius Ardeleanu- Dragoș Barabaș
- Constantin Budescu
- Hristu Chiacu
- Ionel Ciortan
- Deniz Giafer
- Ricardo Grigore
- Claudiu Herea
- Cătălin Hlistei
- Alin Ilin
- Stelian Isac
- George Isvoranu
- Cosmin Ionică
- George Ivan
- Felix Manciu
- Marian Mihai
- Vasile Mihai
- Liviu Osca
- Ionuț Panțîru
- Adrian Petre
- Dorian Perianu
- Gabriel Plumbuitu
- Ștefan Radu
- Alexandru Stan
- Moldova
- North Macedonia
Former managers
- Ion Ion (2009–2010)
- Virgil Nițoi (2010–2011)
- Ion Voicu (2011–2012)
- Florin Vlădilă (2013)
- Virgil Nițoi (2013–2015)
- Florin Bratu (2015–2016)
- Tudorel Dumitru (2016–2018)
- Ștefan Odoroabă (2018–2022)
- Marcel Abăluță (2022)
- Valentin Negru (2022)
- Alin Ilin (2022) interim
- Gabriel Manu (2023)
- Florin Stângă (2023)
- Alin Ilin (2022) interim
- Ștefan Odoroabă (2023–2024)
- Dan Alexa (2024–2025)
- Bogdan Pătrașcu (2025)
League and Cup history
| Name | Period |
| Arsenal Tunari | 1980–2004 |
| CS Tunari | 2004–present |
| Season | Tier | Division | Place | Notes | Cupa României |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025–26 | 2 | Liga II | TBD | Third Round | |
| 2024–25 | 3 | Liga III (Seria V) | 1st (C) | Promoted | Third Round |
| 2023–24 | 2 | Liga II | 17th | Relegated | Group Stage |
| 2022–23 | 3 | Liga III (Seria IV) | 1st (C) | Promoted | Fourth Round |
| 2021–22 | 3 | Liga III (Seria IV) | 2nd | Fourth Round | |
| 2020–21 | 3 | Liga III (Seria IV) | 5th | Second Round | |
| 2019–20 | 3 | Liga III (Seria II) | 4th | Fourth Round | |
| 2018–19 | 3 | Liga III (Seria II) | 6th | Fourth Round | |
| 2017–18 | 3 | Liga III (Seria III) | 7th | Second Round | |
| 2016–17 | 3 | Liga III (Seria II) | 3rd | First Round | |
| 2015–16 | 3 | Liga III (Seria II) | 12th | Third Round | |
| 2014–15 | 3 | Liga III (Seria II) | 4th | First Round | |
| 2013–14 | 3 | Liga III (Seria III) | 8th | First Round | |
| 2012–13 | 3 | Liga III (Seria III) | 13th | First Round | |
| 2011–12 | 3 | Liga III (Seria II) | 10th | Fourth Round | |
| 2010–11 | 3 | Liga III (Seria II) | 7th | Third Round | |
| 2009–10 | 3 | Liga III (Seria II) | 9th | — |