FC Ripensia Timișoara

Fotbal Club Ripensia Timișoara (Romanian pronunciation: [timiˈʃo̯ara]), commonly known as Ripensia Timișoara, or simply as Ripensia, is a Romanian professional football club based in Timișoara, Timiș County, which currently plays in Liga V

Ripensia Timișoara
Full nameSC FC Ripensia Timișoara SA
Nickname(s)
  • Ripi
  • Galben-Roșii (The Yellow and Reds)
Short nameRipensia
Founded21 October 1928; 96 years ago (1928-10-21)
GroundElectrica
Capacity5,000
OwnerDumitru Mihu
ManagerIulian Muntean
LeagueLiga V
2023–24Liga VI, Timiș County, Seria IV, 1st (promoted)
Websitehttps://ripensiatimisoara.ro/
Current season

The team was founded in 1928 by Lázár Kornél and folded twenty years later due to lack of funds.[1] However, Ripi was brought back to life and enrolled in the Liga VI, the sixth tier of the Romanian football league system, in 2012.[2]

Ripensia Timișoara was the first Romanian club to turn professional, and because of this status they were unable to compete in the national league until the 1932–33 season. After being granted permission to participate in the national system, the club soon became one of the best in the country, winning four national titles and two national cups in their short history.

The colors of the team are red and yellow.

History

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Ripensia Timișoara winning the 1933–34 Romanian Cup against "U. Cluj"
 
Ripensia Timișoara in 1931
 
Ripensia Timișoara in 1932
 
Ripensia-Unirea Tricolor 3–1 in 1932

It was founded in 1928 by dr.Cornel Lazăr, a famous promoter of football in the Banat region, and the former president of Chinezul Timișoara. The players came from Chinezul Timișoara, C.A.T. and Poli Timișoara. Vilmos Kertész coached the team from 1931 to 1932.[3][4] Due to its professional status, until 1932–1933 (the first season of the National League – Divizia A), the team and its players could not participate in official national competitions.

They were champions of the Romanian Football League in 1933, 1935, 1936, and 1938, with two Romanian Cup appearances, winning 3–2 over Universitatea Cluj in 1934 and 5–1 over Unirea Tricolor București in 1936. They were national vice-champions for 1933–34 and 1938–39. After World War II, due to financial problems, the communist sports organisation and controversial actions, Ripensia played in Divizia B and Divizia C. After 1948, without any support, it disappeared, merging with Electrica Timișoara. Their colours were red-yellow. Their home stadium was called Electrica (today UMT; the original wooden stand was demolished in 2004–2005). The greatest players in team history were:[weasel words]

In the 2012 the team was reestablished and competed in the municipal championship, they won it and promoted to Liga V. In Liga V they reached the first place in the 2013–2014 season and promoted to the next league Liga IV. Also they made a good impression in the 2013–14 Romanian Cup, where they defeated again Universitatea Cluj to reach the Last 16 of the cup making them the surprise of the cup. In the Last 16 they lost to Pandurii Târgu Jiu.

In the 2014–15 Liga IV season, Ripi had a very tough opponent, in the position of ASU Politehnica Timișoara, the fan-owned phoenix club formed after the dissolution of FC Politehnica Timișoara by its fans and finished only on the 2nd place.

Next season Ripensia had a perfect journey, won Liga IV – Timiș County and qualified for the promotion play-offs to Liga III. At the promotion play-off Ripensia met the champion of Hunedoara County, Hercules Lupeni, and they won without major difficulties, 7–0 on aggregate, thus ensuring promotion to the Liga III.[5]

2016–17 Liga III season was the first one for Ripi in the last over 60 years. The team had a very close fight for supremacy in the Seria IV against CSM Școlar Reșița, CSM Lugoj, Cetate Deva and Național Sebiș but in the end they won and promoted to Liga II after an absence of 69 years.[6]

Honours

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Domestic

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Leagues

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Cups

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Former players

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

Former managers

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Domestic records and statistics

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Champions Runners-up Third place Promoted Relegated

The players in bold were the top goalscorers in the division.

Seasons

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Season League Cup European Cup Other Top Goalscorer(s) Notes
Division Pos P W D L GF GA Pts Name Goals
1932–33 Div A 1st 12 10 0 2 49 10 20  – Finals W   Ștefan Dobay 16 Foundation of the Romanian Football
League system
1933–34 1st 14 10 2 2 55 13 22 W Finals F   Ștefan Dobay 15
1934–35 1st 22 14 4 4 66 34 32 F   Ștefan Dobay 24
1935–36 1st 22 13 4 5 59 37 30 W   Ștefan Dobay 12
1936–37 3rd 22 13 1 8 59 39 27 F   Ștefan Dobay 21
1937–38 1st 18 15 0 3 63 25 30 R32 Finals W   Silviu Bindea 21
1938–39 2nd 22 11 4 7 53 39 26 R32   Adalbert Marksteiner 21
1939–40 6th 22 8 6 8 36 37 22 R32   Adalbert Marksteiner 15
1940–41 3rd 24 13 6 5 58 32 32 R32   Silviu Bindea 10
1941–42  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  – QF
1942–43  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  – R32
1943–46 Not involved in any competitions due to World War II.
1946–47 Div C 1st 18 13 4 1 48 21 30  –
1947–48 Div B 8th 29 12 4 13 44 54 28 R32 Merged with Electrica Timișoara.
Disbanded.
1948–2012 Not involved in any competitions.
2012–13 L6 1st 22 21 1 0 143 9 64  – Timiș County Phase W   Adrian Boghian 23
2013–14 L5 1st 28 25 2 1 152 9 77 R16 Timiș County Phase 2R   Raul Briciu 37
2014–15 L4 2nd 34 29 2 3 122 27 89  – Timiș County Phase W   Ndiaye Mediop 32
2015–16 1st 32 28 3 1 150 28 87 R32 Timiș County Phase SF   Ndiaye Mediop 55
2016–17 L3 1st 26 16 7 3 69 30 55  –   Ndiaye Mediop 21
2017–18 L2 11th 38 13 9 16 72 58 48 3R   Ndiaye Mediop 19
2018–19 12th 38 12 11 15 44 54 47 4R   Andrei Dumiter 10
2019–20 13th 23 6 10 7 28 34 28 R32   Albert Voinea 13
2020–21 15th 19 6 4 9 15 30 22 R32
4th[7] 6 4 2 0 9 3 36
2021–22 12th 19 6 7 6 18 19 25 R32
4th[8] 6 2 0 4 7 11 31
2022–23 17th 19 4 4 11 16 23 16 4R Retired after relegation. Entered the lower county league.
7th[9] 6 0 1 5 2 11 17
2023–24 L6 1st 18 16 0 2 72 17 48 2R Timiș County Phase 2R
2024-25 L5

European record

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Mitropa Cup

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Ripensia played in the Mitropa Cup, an important inter-war football competition. In the 1938 season Ripensia knocked Italian giants AC Milan out of this competition. The Romanians won the first leg 3–0 at Bucharest, and lost the second leg 1–3. In the next round Ripensia was eliminated by Hungarian side of Ferencváros (1–4, 4–5).

Season Round Country Club Home Away Aggregate
1938 First round   Italy A.C. Milan 3–0 1–3 4–3
Quarter-finals   Hungary Ferencváros 4–5 1–4 5–9

References

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  1. ^ "Istorie" [History] (in Romanian). FC Ripensia Timișoara. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  2. ^ "Radu Ienovan, presedintele Ripensia Timișoara: Facem totul din placerea de a construi ceva pentru Banat si pentru fotbal" [Radu Ienovan, Ripensia Timișoara chairman: Everything that we do is for the pleasure of building something for Banat and for football] (in Romanian). Opinia Timișoarei. 12 August 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  3. ^ Jonathan Wilson (2019). The Names Heard Long Ago; How the Golden Age of Hungarian Soccer Shaped the Modern Game
  4. ^ "Vilmos Kertész". worldfootball.net.
  5. ^ "Ripensia, FC Argeș 1953 și CSM Școlar Reșița au devenit campioane.** Vezi toate câștigătoarele județene și meciurile barajul de promovare în Liga 3". 13 June 2016.
  6. ^ "SĂRBĂTOARE pe arena din Ciarda Roșie. Ripensia a promovat în Liga a doua! VIDEO". 26 May 2017.
  7. ^ out of 7 teams in Group A of play-out
  8. ^ out of 7 teams in Group B of play-out
  9. ^ out of 7 teams in Group B of play-out
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