Club Sportiv SÃÂnÃÂtatea Servicii Publice Cluj, commonly known as SÃÂnÃÂtatea Cluj, or simply SÃÂnÃÂtatea, is a Romanian professional football club based in Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County. The club currently competes in Liga III, the third tier of Romanian football.
The club's greatest performances were achieved in the Cupa României, where it managed to reach the Round of 16 in the 2007âÂÂ08 and 2019âÂÂ20 seasons, the Round of 32 in the 2009âÂÂ10, 2011âÂÂ12, 2013âÂÂ14, and 2017âÂÂ18 seasons, and the Group Stage in the 2023âÂÂ24 season.
SÃÂnÃÂtatea Cluj was founded in 1986, at the initiative of individuals devoted to football within the Cluj County Health Directorate, with Vasile Moldovan as the organizer and coach, and Dr. Dumitru Predescu as the president of the football section. Among the first players of the team were David Borza, Eugen Perde, Sergiu DascÃÂl, Ioan Abrudan, DÃÂnuàRadu, Ilisie DascÃÂl, as well as the youth players Cristian FÃÂrcÃÂÃÂan, Sándor Balint, and others.
The club competed in the Cluj County Championships for nearly twenty years before earning promotion to Divizia C at the end of the 2004âÂÂ05 season, after winning Divizia D â Cluj County. In the third division, The Green Viruses secured 3rd place in Series VIII during the 2005âÂÂ06 season, followed by a 10th-place finish in Series V the next year.
In the 2007âÂÂ08 season, SÃÂnÃÂtatea narrowly avoided relegation, finishing 14th in Series VI but also achieved one of the greatest performances in club history by reaching the Round of 16 in Cupa României. The cup run began with victories over SomeÃÂul Ileanda (4âÂÂ1), Minerul Iara (2âÂÂ1), and Victoria Carei (2âÂÂ1). The fourth round brought a stunning 1âÂÂ0 victory over Gaz Metan MediaÃÂ, followed by wins against Unirea Alba Iulia (3âÂÂ2) and top-flight side UTA Arad (1âÂÂ0). It ended in the Round of 16 with a 0âÂÂ4 defeat against reigning champions Dinamo BucureÃÂti at the Dr. Constantin RÃÂdulescu Stadium in Gruia. The squad, led by Ovidiu RaÃÂiu, included Sabin PîgliÃÂan, GavrilàMolnar, RareàHoca, Alin Cazan, Alin Albu, Radu Zah, Csaba Kiss, CÃÂlin Timicer, Simon, HoricàGabor, I. Rusu, Aurelian GhiÃÂa, C. Nicula, Alexandru GaÃÂpar.
SÃÂnÃÂtatea continued to compete in Series VI of Liga III, finishing 9th in the 2008âÂÂ09 season under player-coach Radu Sabo. In the following season, the "Green Viruses" reached the Round of 32 in Cupa României after eliminating higher-ranked teams such as Universitatea Cluj and FCM Târgu MureÃÂ, both with 1âÂÂ0 victories. The campaign ended in September with a heavy 0âÂÂ7 defeat against Politehnica TimiÃÂoara. Sabo left in October 2009 and was replaced by Marius Semeniuc, who led the team to an 11th-place finish.
After another short stint under Sabo in the fall of 2010, the team was coached by Marius Semeniuc in the following seasons, finishing 8th in the 2010âÂÂ11 season and advancing once again to the Round of 32 in Cupa României after eliminating Unirea FloreÃÂti (3âÂÂ1), SomeÃÂul Oar (2âÂÂ1), FC Bihor (1âÂÂ0), and ArieÃÂul Turda (5âÂÂ1), before losing to FCSB (0âÂÂ4). The squad for that match consisted of S. PâgliÃÂan, C. MiclÃÂuÃÂ, C. SÃÂrmÃÂÃÂan, S. Sos, C. Kiss, A. Albu, A. SimioancÃÂ, A. GaÃÂpar ('81 A. GhiÃÂa), S. CriÃÂan, R. Rus ('69 R. Hoca), and I. Ganea ('46 C. Nicula). The team finished 11th in the 2011âÂÂ12 Liga III season.
In the 2012âÂÂ13 season, SÃÂnÃÂtatea Cluj finished 9th in Series V, spared from relegation due to the withdrawal of several teams. In the following campaign, the Green-Viruses finished 8th in the regular season of Series V and ranked 9th after the series play-out. SÃÂnÃÂtatea also reached the Round of 16 in the 2013âÂÂ14 Cupa României, where it lost 0âÂÂ4 to Dinamo BucureÃÂti. The lineup used by Marius Semeniuc in that match was composed of A. Todoran, D. Bucur, P. ÃÂimon, L. Perde, C. SÃÂrmaÃÂan, C. Nicula, A. Albu, S. Sos, C. Kiss, L. VÃÂidean, A. GaÃÂpar. Reserves included Vl. Pop, S. VÃÂdana, A. GhiÃÂa, A. Ceaca, A. Boska, Al. Pop, T. Tothazan.
The following season, SÃÂnÃÂtatea dropped to 12th place, but the 2015âÂÂ16 campaign saw a notable improvement, with the team finishing 6th. The 2016âÂÂ17 season marked one of the clubâÂÂs best league performances, as SÃÂnÃÂtatea secured 3rd place in Series V. In 2017, Marius Semeniuc was appointed general manager, while Csaba Kiss took over as head coach, leading the team to a 7th-place finish in the 2017âÂÂ18 season. The Green Viruses also reached the Round of 32 in Cupa României, where they suffered a 1âÂÂ6 defeat against FCSB. The lineup for that match included LÃÂzÃÂreanu, Cr. Paul, D. Matei (MisÃÂraà74â²), Negru, ÃÂîrlea, Vitan (D. Bucur 61â²), Ciupe, Yuh, Ad. Lupu, Ceaca (Ititesc 65â²), and GaÃÂpar, with Todoran, A. GhiÃÂa, Bria, and Indreica as reserves.
The footballers mentioned below have played at least 1 season for SÃÂnÃÂtatea and also played in Liga I for another team.