Fotbal Club Inter Stars 2020 Sibiu, commonly known as FC Inter Sibiu or Inter Sibiu (), is a Romanian amateur football team based in the city of Sibiu, Sibiu County, which competes in the Liga IV, the fourth tier of the Romanian league system.
The club was originally founded in 1968 as IndependenÃÂa Sibiu, and managed important performances during the communist period. In the years preceding the Romanian Revolution, the club started to become associated with Nicu CeauÃÂescu, the youngest child of dictator Nicolae CeauÃÂescu. Inter continued to also have results during the 1990s, but eventually went bankrupt in 2000.
In 2020, Inter Sibiu was refounded and commenced play in the fourth division.
FC Inter Sibiu was founded in the summer of 1968, under the name of IndependenÃÂa Sibiu. The club was financially supported by (a metallurgical machinery manufacturer) and was known for years as the football club of Terezian neighborhood of Sibiu, playing for the first time in the third tier in 1969, after won the 1968âÂÂ69 Sibiu County Championship and the promotion play-off against the champion of Covasna County, CarpaÃÂi Covasna (2âÂÂ0 at Sibiu and 2âÂÂ1 at Covasna). Until 1982, IndependenÃÂa oscillated between the third and fourth tier, than started to have a constant appearance at the level of Divizia C, under the management of Mihai GÃÂldean, factory's chairman. At that time (1982), the historical and most representative football club of Sibiu was ÃÂoimii Sibiu, former top-flight member and an important team of Divizia B.
After 1982, for the next three seasons IndependenÃÂa was a middle-table team, ranking between fourth and seventh place. In the summer of 1985, the club changed its name from FC IndependenÃÂa Sibiu to AS Inter Sibiu, and although some claimed that the name was inspired by Inter Milano, in fact was a juxtaposition of letters, In (IndependenÃÂa) and Ter (Terezian). However, some inspiration related to Inter Milano existed, because the team played in blue kits, with black vertical lines. After only one year, Inter promoted to Divizia B, after it was ranked first in the third tier, at the end of an intense fight against ElectromureàTârgu Mureà(both teams obtaining 61 points).
Summer of 1986 was a summer of change in the history of football from Sibiu, thus the promotion of Inter was correlated with an unnexpected relegation of ÃÂoimii Sibiu fact that generated a big change, ÃÂoimii left Municipal Stadium and Inter came in. In the same summer, AS Inter Sibiu was renamed as FC Inter Sibiu, name that will obtain the best results of the local football, in the next years, also the colors changed from blue and black to bleu and blue. In the first season, Inter (with Marian Bondrea and Viorel Hizo as coaches and an important contingent of players from ÃÂoimii) managed to save from relegation, after it was ranked 10th of 18. In the next season, the team promoted after won its series (seven points over 2nd place, Jiul PetroÃÂani). 1987âÂÂ88 season is in fact the period when the controversy started to surround "the blue and blacks", because with some rounds before the end of the season, son of Nicolae and Elena CeauÃÂescu, Nicu Ceauà Âescu (which was first secretary of Romanian Communist Party) started to be involved in the team's destiny. Legend of the club, Viorel Hizo, spoke about this issue a few years ago: "In 1984 I was brought to Inter Sibiu, where I stayed until 1991. I was the assistant of Bondrea and Titi Ardeleanu, but also head coach in two periods. Nicu CeauÃÂescu came when we were already almost promoted to Divizia A, we had a few points ahead of PetroÃÂani, so he didn't help us. Nicu CeauÃÂescu helped us financially, especially with the transfers, because we took good footballers, without paying. When he came to the team, he said: "Don't imagine that I will win your matches. But I can help you make a team, so we don't make fun of each other in the Divizia A, but I want something, you would make me the happiest if you beat Steaua BucureÃÂti and Dinamo BucureÃÂti, but also FC Olt."
Inter was ranked eleventh (1988âÂÂ89) and sixth (1989âÂÂ90) in its first seasons spent in the top-flight, then Nicu Ceauà Âescu left the club, after the Romanian Revolution.
In the first part of the 1990s, Inter remained a strong team, even without the support of Nicu CeauÃÂescu, reaching its peak in 1991, when it obtained the best rank in the history of the club (4th place) and won 1âÂÂ0 (on aggregate) the Balkans Cup, in a final against BuduÃÂnost Titograd, goal scored by Lucian Cotora. After 1991, Inter started to obtain only rankings in the middle of the league table, then, at the end of the 1995âÂÂ96 season, relegated back in the second division, after 8 years spent in the top-flight of the Romanian football league system.
Back in the Divizia B, Inter almost relegated again in the first season after a weak ranking, 15th of 18, only one point over the first relegating place, occupied by Apulum Alba Iulia. In the next seasons Inter remained a middle-table team: 12th of 18 (1997âÂÂ98), 11th of 18 (1998âÂÂ99) and 9th of 18 (1999âÂÂ2000, then, the club was dissolved in the first part of the 2000âÂÂ01 edition, due to financial problems, to the disappointment of its supporters.
In 2001, at short period after Inter's bankruptcy, ÃÂoimii Sibiu was dissolved, as well, the football from the Transylvanian city reaching a deep coma. First club that continued the football tradition was FC Sibiu, but dissolved after only 4 years. In the same year appeared VoinÃÂa Sibiu, club that reached the top-flight in 2011, but relegated after only one season, then went bankruptcy, as well. After three years of fog, a new project appeared, FC Hermannstadt, club that achieved Liga I promotion in 2018 and resisted three years in the top-flight before relegating.
Inter was refounded in 2020, after 20 years of absence, at the initiative of Teodor BirÃÂ, first president of FC Hermannstadt, the man who led the club from Liga IV to Liga I.
The club plays its home matches on PÃÂltiniÃÂ Stadium in RÃÂÃÂinari, with a capacity of 300 seats. Between 1982 and 1986, Inter Sibiu played its home matches on IndependenÃÂa Stadium in Terezian neighborhood, Sibiu. After the 1986 promotion to Divizia B, interiÃÂtii started to play their home matches on Municipal Stadium, in Sub Arini Park zone, Sibiu.