ARO Muscelul Câmpulung

Not to be confused with AFC Câmpulung Muscel.

Asociația Club Sportiv ARO Muscelul Câmpulung, commonly known as Muscelul Câmpulung, is a Romanian professional football club based in Câmpulung, Argeș County and currently playing in the Liga III, the 3rd tier of the Romanian football league system.

ARO Muscelul Câmpulung

Full name	Asociația Club Sportiv ARO Muscelul Câmpulung
Nickname(s)	Muscelenii (The People from Muscel)
Short name	Muscelul
Founded	1947; 78 years ago (1947) as Muscelul Câmpulung 2007; 18 years ago (2007) as Sporting Câmpulung 2012; 13 years ago (2012) as CN Dinicu Golescu 2019; 6 years ago (2019) as AF Muscelul Câmpulung
Ground	Muscelul / Dragoslavele
Capacity	6,000 (3,000 seated) / 1,000
Owner	Câmpulung Municipality
Chairman	Cristian Vlad
Manager	Alin Popescu
League	Liga III
2024–25	Liga III, Seria VIII, 8th
Website	https://aromuscel.ro/
Home colours Away colours

The club has known glory during the communist era when, under the ownership of ARO, played constantly at the level of second or third league. The collapse of the off-road cars manufacturer has seriously affected the team which went bankrupt in the early 2000s. After the bankruptcy of ARO in 2003, the club was refounded several times, firstly in 2007 as Sporting Câmpulung, then in 2012 as CN Dinicu Golescu (named after the high school from the town), but at its best, the team played in the Liga III, but was dissolved again in 2016. In the summer of 2019, after three years of inactivity, the club was refounded again, this time as Academia de Fotbal Muscelul Câmpulung.

History

The club was founded in 1947 as Muscelul Câmpulung and played for sixteen years in the Regional Championship. Muscelul, coached by Jean Lăpușneanu, promoted in Divizia C at the end of the 1962–63 season after finishing as runners-up in the Argeș Regional Championship.^[1]

Muscelul finished last in the 1963–64 season, spared from relegation due to the expansion of the third division. Followed three more seasons in the third tier of Romanian football in which was ranked 9th in 1964–65 season, 7th in 1965–66 and 13th in 1966–67, thus relegating in the Regional Championship.

Muscelul finished second in the 1967–68 season of the Argeș Regional Championship and promoted to Divizia C. After finished 11h in 1968–69 season in the third division, the club was renamed as Unirea Câmpulung for 1969–70 season, but relegated after was ranked 15th in Series IV.

Following relegation, the club reverted to Muscelul name went on to won the 1970–71 Argeș County Championship made a quick comeback to Divizia C. Their stay in third division was short-lived, as immediately relegated back to the County Championship after finished 13th at the end of the 1971–72 season.

The first time they played in Divizia B was in the 1977–78 season when they barely avoided relegation, in the following one they finished on the 9th place and in 1979–80 they relegated back to Divizia C after finishing on the 15th place.^[2]

Muscelul returned to the second division after winning Series VI of Divizia C at the end of the 1984–85 campaign, under the guidance of coach Vasile Stan. The squad included Popa, Istrate, Stoica, N. Iosif, Lungeanu, Miuțu, Nae, Păun, Predică, Necula, Berevoianu, S. Iosif, Oiță, Pescaru, Vlăsceanu, Apostol, Pamfil, Coman, Grigoriu, Moț, and Preda.^[3]

In 1985–86, Muscelul competed in Series II of Divizia B under Ion Voica, who took over after eleven rounds, with Stan remaining as assistant, but the team was relegated after finishing in 15th place by the end of the campaign.^[2]

In the 1994–95 Divizia C season the team finished on the second place, behind Minerul Motru so in order to promote to Divizia B they had to participate in a play-off against ICIM Brașov but before it, coach Nicolae Tănăsescu was replaced with former Romanian internationals Ion Oblemenco and Nicolae Dobrin, the first as head coach and the latter as technical director.^[2] The play-off was played in a single leg and ARO won it with 1–0, the only goal of the game being scored by Sergiu Coman, the team used being: Heroiu – Jitaru, Gorgonaru, Dumitrescu, Durdun – Ioniță, S. Din (I. Bădescu), Eftimie, Cl. Mutu – Butaru (Procorodie), S. Coman.^[2] Shortly after the promotion Oblemenco and Dobrin left the club, also the team's goalkeeper, Laurențiu Heroiu was killed after being stabbed in a bar, however the team spent 9 seasons in Divizia B before relegating in 2004, a period in which their biggest performance was with coach Ionel Augustin when they earned the second place in the 1999–2000 season.^[2]

In the summer of 2019, after three years of inactivity, the club was refounded again, this time as Academia de Fotbal Muscelul Câmpulung, former Romanian international Gheorghe Mihali was named as manager and Roberto Ayza was one of the first transfers realized by the new entity^[4][5] followed by Iulian Tameș^[6] and Iulian Vladu among others. However, the 2019–20 season was suspended in March 2020, due to COVID-19 pandemic in Romania with Muscelul finishing in 3rd place.

Inter Câmpulung logo

In the summer of 2020, it was renamed Inter Câmpulung and finished the 2020–21 short season 3rd in Group B of the Liga IV – Argeș County. In the next season, Muscelenii fought for promotion, finishing in 2d place one point behind CS Rucăr.

In 2022, the club was renamed again, this time as ARO Muscelul Câmpulung.^[7]

Honours

• Liga III
  • Winners (2): 1976–77, 1984–85
  • Runners-up (4): 1981–82, 1983–84, 1986–87, 1994–95
• Liga IV – Argeș County
  • Winners (6): 1970–71, 1972–73, 1992–93, 1993–94, 2013–14, 2022–23
  • Runners-up (1): 2021–22
• Argeș Regional Championship
  • Winners (1): 1960–61
  • Runners-up (2): 1962–63, 1967–68

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.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  ROU Ianis Drăghici 2 DF  ROU Rareș Grecu 3 DF  ROU Denis Răduță 4 DF  ROU Laurențiu Robu 5 DF  ROU Cosmin Gîtlan (Vice-Captain) 6 MF  ROU Cristian Balgiu (Captain) 7 DF  ROU Antonio Burnaz 8 MF  ROU Denis Pia 9 MF  ROU Bobi Grancea 10 MF  ROU Gabriel Jenaru (3rd captain) 11 MF  ROU Mario Durdun 12 GK  ROU Vlad Cîrstea 13 MF  ROU Mario Pănoiu

No. Pos. Nation Player 14 MF  ROU Dragoș Troană 15 FW  ROU Darius Șerban 16 MF  ROU Luis Bunel 17 DF  ROU Ionuț Mihăescu 18 MF  ROU Ianis Răuță 19 MF  ROU Vlad Tudor 20 MF  ROU Mihai Moșoiu 21 MF  ROU Claudiu Pleșa 23 FW  ROU Albert Jarcă (on loan from FCSB) 24 DF  ROU Ionuț Giuroiu 26 MF  BRA Mário Maeda 27 MF  ROU Andrei Chivulescu

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

No. Pos. Nation Player

Club officials

Board of directors Role Name Owner Câmpulung Municipality President Zaharia Nițu Executive President Cristian Vlad Sporting Director Corneliu Sorescu Secretary Gabriel Bălan Press officer Bogdan Burhan

Current technical staff Role Name Manager Alin Popescu Assistant coach Marius Tomozei Goalkeeping coach Constantin Bădan Club doctor Marius Pitulan Kinetotherapist Claudiu Crețu Storeman Gheorghe Geană

League history

See also: Romanian football league system

Season Tier Division Place Notes Cupa României 2024–25 3 Liga III (Seria VIII) 8th 2023–24 3 Liga III (Seria IV) 8th 2022–23 4 Liga IV (AG) 1st (C) Promoted 2021–22 4 Liga IV (AG) 2nd 2020–21 4 Liga IV (AG) (Group B) 3rd 2019–20 4 Liga IV (AG) 3rd 2016–19 Not active 2015–16 3 Liga III (Seria III) 5th Disbanded Third round 2014–15 3 Liga III (Seria III) 13th 2013–14 4 Liga IV (AG) 1st (C) Promoted 2012–13 4 Liga IV (AG) 7th 2009–12 Not active 2008–09 3 Liga III (Seria IV) 4th Disbanded 2007–08 4 Liga IV (AG) 4th 2004–07 Not active

Season Tier Division Place Notes Cupa României 2003–04 2 Divizia B (Seria II) 16th Relegated 2002–03 2 Divizia B (Seria II) 10th 2001–02 2 Divizia B (Seria I) 9th Round of 32 2000–01 2 Divizia B (Seria I) 11th 1999–00 2 Divizia B (Seria II) 2nd 1998–99 2 Divizia B (Seria II) 3rd 1997–98 2 Divizia B (Seria II) 8th 1996–97 2 Divizia B (Seria II) 12th 1995–96 2 Divizia B (Seria I) 11th 1994–95 3 Divizia C (Seria III) 2nd Promoted 1993–94 4 Divizia D (AG) 1st (C) Promoted Round of 16 1992–93 4 Divizia D (AG) 1st (C) 1991–92 3 Divizia C (Seria VII) 6th Relegated 1990–91 3 Divizia C (Seria VII) 7th 1989–90 3 Divizia C (Seria VII) 8th

Former managers

• Ștefan Stănculescu (1956–1957)
• Ion Barbu (1974–1976)
• Vasile Copil (1977–1978)
• Constantin Ștefan (1978–1979)
• Vasile Stan (1984–1985)
• Ion Voica (1985–1986)
• Ion Oblemenco (1995)
• Ionel Augustin (1997–2002)
• Constantin Stancu (2008–2009)
• Gheorghe Mihali (2019)
• Emil Dică (2020)
• Gheorghe Ene
• Ion Lăpușneanu
• Nicolae Tănăsescu
• Radu Jercan
• Vasile Stan
• Ion Barbu