Football Club FCSB is not Steaua Bucharest, and it has no tie with the historical team that won the European Cup in 1986 and the European Supercup one year later, even though there is still some misinterpretation.
The biggest identity theft in football history started in 1998 when CSA Steaua Bucharest, the Romanian Army sports club, offered a new NGO, Association Football Club Steaua Bucharest, the right to use its sports complex and manage the football team.
CSA Steaua Bucharest was part of this NGO and did not transfer its history, brand, and logo. Even more, the logo used by AFC Steaua, almost identical to the emblem of the Army Sports Club, is a trademark owned by CSA Steaua.
A few years later, in 2003, Gigi Becali entered the stage, took full control of AFC Steaua, and founded a commercial entity, the actual SC FC FCSB SA. With the help of former leadership of the Romanian Football Federation and Professional Football League, he managed to replace AFC Steaua with SC FC FCSB SA in The Romanian First Division, right in the middle of the championship.
The move was doubled in 2004 by a request to CSA Steaua Bucharest for permission to register his own trademark „Football Club Steaua Bucharest”. The Army Sports Club does not grant permission for this, but he proceeds to register it anyway.
In December 2014, following legal action from CSA Steaua Bucharest, Becali’s backed club lost its right to use the “Steaua Bucharest“ trademark, and FCSB was summoned to change its name and logo.
After years of legal battles, all of them won by CSA Steaua Bucharest, the Army Sports Club is the only one that can use Steaua’s name, brand, and history, including 20 Romanian Championships, 20 Romanian Cups, 3 Romanian Supercups, one UEFA European Cup, and one UEFA European Supercup.
Where is Steaua Bucharest right now
In 2017, CSA Steaua Bucharest reactivated its football section and started to play in the Romanian Fourth Division. The team managed to get promotions in the 2019–20 season in the Third Division and in the 2020–21 season in the Second Division.
This season Steaua Bucharest plays in the Romanian Second Division (League 2) and is currently in the 2nd position. The red-blues did not lose any match in the first 10 weeks, registered 5 wins, 5 draws, scored 9 goals, and conceded 4.
