The Romanian Supreme Court has issued a final and binding decision in one of Romanian football’s most controversial legal battles: the official record of Steaua Bucharest from 1947 to 1998 belongs entirely to the Ministry of Defense’s sports club, CSA Steaua Bucharest.
FCSB also attempted to claim Steaua’s record from 2003 to 2017, the years it competed in Romania’s top league. However, the court found no legal evidence that FCSB ever inherited Steaua’s historical rights from the original sports association.
”FCSB does not hold the record (palmares) of Steaua București even for the 2003–2017 period,” stated the court in its reasoning. As a result, FCSB is now officially recognized with only two national titles, earned after 2017.
”After years of trials, confusion, manipulation and misleading narratives, justice has spoken: Steaua was, is, and will always be in Ghencea!”, an official club statement, posted on social media, stated. (*Ghencea is the district of Bucharest where Steaua’s home stadium is located.)
Steaua is Romania’s most decorated football club
With this ruling, Steaua Bucharest reclaims its status as Romania’s most successful club in history, boasting: One European Cup (1986), One UEFA Super Cup (1987), 20 Romanian league titles, 19 Romanian Cups, and 3 Romanian Super Cups
This decision underscores the fact that a club founded in 2003 and inserted directly into Romania’s first division (Football Club FCSB) cannot claim a legacy dating back to 1947.
