AsociaÃÂia Fotbal Club Chindia TârgoviÃÂte (), commonly known as Chindia TârgoviÃÂte or simply Chindia, is a Romanian professional football club based in TârgoviÃÂte, DâmboviÃÂa County, that competes in the Liga II.
In 2010, as a result of quarrels between the owner of the original team of the cityâÂÂlast known as FCM TârgoviÃÂteâÂÂand the TârgoviÃÂte Municipality, the latter chose to found a new entity in association with former international Gheorghe Popescu and former referee Ion CrÃÂciunescu. The club retains some elements from the now-dissolved FCM, such as the red and blue colour scheme and the "Chindia" name and crest used between 1996 and 2003. Micul Ajax participated for the first time in the Romanian top flight in the 2019âÂÂ20 season, and the next year equalled FCM's best result in the competition by finishing seventh.
Chindia TârgoviÃÂte mainly inherited the local fanbase of the disbanded side, and continued the football history of the city by playing its home matches at the Eugen Popescu Stadium, which was reconstructed and opened in 2023.
The first football team in the city was founded 1948 and had several names throughout its history, including Metalul TârgoviÃÂte, Energia, CS TârgoviÃÂte, OÃÂelul, Chindia and FCM TârgoviÃÂte. Despite only spending nine seasons in the top division of Romanian football, the club had a notable generation of players in the late 1970s and early 1980s, which achieved the best ranking in the history of the clubâÂÂa 7th place at the end of the 1978âÂÂ79 championship. This "golden generation" included players such as Nicolae Dobrin and Silviu Dumitrescu., legend of Romanian football and player at CS TârgoviÃÂte in the 1981âÂÂ82 season. After being relegated in 1984, the club did not recover and only reached the first division again in 1996 under the name of CF Chindia. Even if it was probably not as good as Dumitrescu's generation, this squad consisted of local players and earned the nickname Micul Ajax () for its playing style.
After the team faced financial issues and almost withdrew from the Divizia B championship in 2004, businessman Ghiorghi Zotic took over as owner. However, Zotic's relationship with the TârgoviÃÂte Municipality and supporters started to strain, and in March 2010 the Eugen Popescu Stadium rental agreement expired and was not extended. FCM TârgoviÃÂte then moved to the Alpan Stadium in ÃÂotânga and started to decline completely; Zotic dissolved the club's senior squad in 2015, keeping only the women's football team. After one year, FCM TârgoviÃÂte enrolled in the sixth tier but was dissolved again after two seasons.
On 11 August 2010, following the split between Zotic, the TârgoviÃÂte Municipality, and supporters, the Municipality, together with former Romanian footballer Gheorghe Popescu and in association with former international referee Ion CrÃÂciunescu, set up a new football club named FC Chindia, based on the structure of CSM TârgoviÃÂte, a team founded in 2008 by the Municipality that had taken Progresul GorgotaâÂÂs place in Liga III. The club was first conceived as a football academy, similar to the model of the Gheorghe Hagi Football Academy within Viitorul ConstanÃÂa.
After only one season, Chindia was promoted to Liga II, winning Series III of Liga III with Costel Panàas head coach, assisted by Adrian Bogoi. The squad included, among others, D. Perianu, PÃÂtru, RÃÂdoi, Cârnariu, Dancia, DuÃÂÃÂ, Mirescu, Honciu, I. ÃÂerban, Dobre, Cherchez, Badea, Radu, and VerdeÃÂ.
For the 2011âÂÂ12 Liga II season, Panàwas replaced by Silviu Dumitrescu as head coach. Dumitrescu stepped aside during the winter break, assuming the role of technical director. Flavius Stoican was appointed head coach and led Chindia to a 7th-place finish in Series II, contested by supporters due to results below expectations, with a squad that included, among others, D. Perianu, C. Dinu, RÃÂdoi, PÃÂtru, Mladen, BuÃÂu, GavrilÃÂ, Negoescu, Honciu, I. ÃÂerban, PoianÃÂ, BÃÂluÃÂÃÂ, Anton, Dobre, Cherchez, VerdeÃÂ, VoduÃÂ, and Radu.
During the 2012âÂÂ13 season, Stoican resigned after a poor start to the campaign and was replaced by Eusebiu Tudor. Tudor guided the team into a relegation position and was dismissed five rounds before the end, with Silviu Dumitrescu returning to the bench and guiding the team to 12th place, nevertheless, Chindia was ultimately relegated.
The relegation led to internal tensions within the club, with Popescu and CrÃÂciunescu choosing to leave the project. Owned by the TârgoviÃÂte Municipality, the DâmboviÃÂa County Council, and Valahia University, Chindia competed in Liga III during the 2013âÂÂ14 season under the guidance of Silviu Dumitrescu, finishing 1st in the regular season of Series VI, but ultimately ending the campaign in 2nd place after the series play-off stage, tied on points with Fortuna Poiana Câmpina but ranked below them on head-to-head points. Following this campaign, Nicolae Croitoru took over as head coach, under whom Chindia returned to Liga II after winning Series III of the 2014âÂÂ15 Liga III season.
Under Croitoru, the âÂÂLittle Ajaxâ competed in the 2015âÂÂ16 Liga II campaign in Series II, finishing 2nd in the regular season and ultimately achieving 3rd place after the play-off stage, just one point behind the first two teams, Gaz Metan Mediaàand UTA Arad. The Red and Blues then finished 5th in the first second league season with a single series, before placing 3rd in the 2017âÂÂ18 season, missing out on promotion after a two-legged promotion/relegation play-off, losing 0âÂÂ1 at Anghel IordÃÂnescu Stadium and 0âÂÂ3 on penalties after a 1âÂÂ0 win at Eugen Popescu Stadium against Voluntari, the 12th-placed team in Liga I. Chindia also reached the Round of 16 of the Cupa României, where it lost 0âÂÂ2 after extra time against Astra Giurgiu at Marin Anastasovici Stadium.
In June 2018, Viorel Moldovan took over Chindia. Under his leadership, Chindia secured its first-ever promotion to Liga I at the end of the 2018âÂÂ19 campaign by winning the second division outright. The squad included Aioani, I. Popescu, Acasandrei, Martac, C. Dinu, ÃÂandru, DumitraÃÂcu, Panait, VÃÂtavu, Cr. Stoica, RaÃÂÃÂ, Novac, L. Mihai, Mihaiu, ÃÂerban, NeicuÃÂescu, Cherchez, V. Alexandru, D. Florea, and NeguÃÂ.
After promotion, the TârgoviÃÂte Municipality announced the renovation of the Eugen Popescu Stadium, with Chindia playing its home matches during its inaugural top-flight campaign at Ilie OanàStadium in the nearby city of PloieÃÂti with the Red and Blues finishing 11th in the regular season and ending last after the relegation play-out stage and avoiding relegation by winning the promotion and relegation play-off against Mioveni (2âÂÂ0 at home and 1âÂÂ1 away).
In the following campaign, Emil SÃÂndoi was appointed as head coach with the Red and Blues relocating their home fixtures to the Municipal Stadium in BuzÃÂu in February 2021 and finishing 8th in the regular season and achieving their best Liga I result by placing 7th overall after the play-out stage and qualifying for a Europa Conference League play-off where they lost 2âÂÂ3 to Viitorul ConstanÃÂa.
In the 2021âÂÂ22 campaign, the team led by SÃÂndoi returned to Ilie OanàStadium in September 2021, finishing 11th in the regular season and 13th after the play-out stage and qualifying for the relegation play-offs where it faced the second league side Concordia Chiajna and managed to remain in the top flight after a 2âÂÂ1 away defeat in Chiajna and a 1âÂÂ0 home victory, winning 4âÂÂ1 on penalties in PloieÃÂti.
In the 2022âÂÂ23 season, Chindia started with Adrian Mihalcea on the bench, but he was dismissed after eleven rounds, the team being last in the standings with only three points and no victories. He was replaced by Anton Petrea. Chindia finished the regular season in 12th place, but ended up in 15th place after the play-out round, thus returning to Liga II after four years in the top flight.
After relegation, DragoàMilitaru was appointed as the new head coach, but was sacked after just three matches and replaced by Vasile MiriuÃÂÃÂ, who led the team until November 2023, when Chindia was 10th with only 17 points, three points away from the last play-off spot. He was succeeded by Italian Diego Longo, who guided the team through the rest of the 2023âÂÂ24 campaign, finishing 9th in the regular season and second in Group B of the play-out round.
The instability within the coaching staff continued in the 2024âÂÂ25 season and was reflected in the teamâÂÂs results. Chindia started with Marian VÃÂtavu as head coach, but he was replaced in February 2025 by Costel PanÃÂ, who led the team to finish in 16th place at the end of the regular season and second-to-last in Group B of the play-out round, avoiding relegation after a play-off match and winning 1âÂÂ0 in the first leg and 3âÂÂ2 in the second leg against DumbrÃÂviÃÂa, also second-to-last in Group A of the Liga II play-out.
The club plays its home matches on Eugen Popescu Stadium in TârgoviÃÂte, which has a capacity of 6,500 seats. Opened in 1982 and originally having a capacity of 12,500 seats, the stadium is situated 200 meters away from the Chindia Tower.
In 2014, the second stand and half of the east end were closed for safety reasons, significantly reducing the arena's capacity. In the spring of 2019, due to team's performances and a potential (and ultimately secured) promotion to the top flight, the TârgoviÃÂte Municipality announced the renovation of the stadium for the amount of 16 million. During the renovation work, the team played its home matches on the Ilie Oanàand Municipal stadiums, from the nearby cities of PloieÃÂti and BuzÃÂu, respectively.
Chindia TârgoviÃÂte has an important group supporters in the city and also in DâmboviÃÂa County, the majority of them being past supporters of FCM TârgoviÃÂte. The Chindia ultras faction is known as Cavalerii CetÃÂÃÂii ("The Knights of the Fortress").
Chindia does not have many important rivalries, however, a local one between the old FCM and FlacÃÂra Moreni was born before 1989, when the club from Moreni had the support of the communist regime. Tense matches and even incidents were also noted over time in the matches against Petrolul PloieÃÂti and even if between the two clubs is not a proper rivalry, the supporters are not very friendly with each other.
An unusual rivalry also appeared between 2010 and 2015, when on the occasion of six matches, Chindia played against the original FCM TârgoviÃÂte, the first club of the city, moved to ÃÂotânga at the time. This encounter was similar to derbies such as ASU Politehnica TimiÃÂoara vs ACS Poli TimiÃÂoara or CS Universitatea Craiova vs FC U Craiova 1948, entities which assert to be successors of the same teams.
The footballers enlisted below have had international cap(s) for their respective countries at junior and/or senior level and/or more than 100 caps for AFC Chindia TârgoviÃÂte.