Chindia Targoviste

FCM Târgoviște (1948–2010)

The first major football club from Târgoviște was founded in 1948 and competed under several names, including Metalul Târgoviște, Energia, CS Târgoviște, Oțelul, Chindia and FCM Târgoviște. The club spent nine seasons in the Romanian top flight, achieving its best result with a 7th-place finish in the 1978–79 Divizia A. Its most notable generation included players such as Nicolae Dobrin and Silviu Dumitrescu, legend of Romanian football and player at CS Târgoviște in the 1981–82 season.

After relegation in 1984, the club returned to the first division only in 1996, under the name CF Chindia. The team of that period, largely built around local players, became known as Micul Ajax (lit. 'the Little Ajax') because of its playing style.

Financial problems intensified during the 2000s. Businessman Ghiorghi Zotic took control of the club in 2004, but relations with the Târgoviște Municipality and the club's supporters deteriorated. In 2010, after the lease of Eugen Popescu Stadium was not renewed, FCM moved to Șotânga, while football in Târgoviște entered a new phase.

Rebirth as Chindia (2010–present)

On 11 August 2010, following the split between Zotic, the Târgoviște Municipality, and supporters, the Municipality, together with former Romanian footballer Gheorghe Popescu and in association with former international referee Ion Crăciunescu, set up a new football club named FC Chindia, based on the structure of CSM Târgoviște, a team founded in 2008 by the Municipality that had taken Progresul Gorgota’s 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 Constanța.

After only one season, Chindia was promoted to Liga II, winning Series III of Liga III with Costel Pană as head coach, assisted by Adrian Bogoi. The squad included, among others, D. Perianu, Pătru, Rădoi, Cârnariu, Dancia, Duță, Mirescu, Honciu, I. Șerban, Dobre, Cherchez, Badea, Radu, and Verdeș.

For the 2011–12 Liga II season, Pană was 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, Rădoi, Pătru, Mladen, Bușu, Gavrilă, Negoescu, Honciu, I. Șerban, Poiană, Băluță, Anton, Dobre, Cherchez, Verdeș, Voduț, and Radu.

During the 2012–13 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 Crăciunescu choosing to leave the project. Owned by the Târgoviște Municipality, the Dâmbovița County Council, and Valahia University, Chindia competed in Liga III during the 2013–14 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 2014–15 Liga III season.

Under Croitoru, the “Little Ajax” competed in the 2015–16 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 Mediaș and UTA Arad. The Red and Blues then finished 5th in the first second league season with a single series, before placing 3rd in the 2017–18 season, missing out on promotion after a two-legged promotion/relegation play-off, losing 0–1 at Anghel Iordănescu Stadium and 0–3 on penalties after a 1–0 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 0–2 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 2018–19 campaign by winning the second division outright. The squad included Aioani, I. Popescu, Acasandrei, Martac, C. Dinu, Șandru, Dumitrașcu, Panait, Vătavu, Cr. Stoica, Rață, Novac, L. Mihai, Mihaiu, Șerban, Neicuțescu, Cherchez, V. Alexandru, D. Florea, and Neguț.

After promotion, the Târgoviște Municipality announced the renovation of the Eugen Popescu Stadium, with Chindia playing its home matches during its inaugural top-flight campaign at Ilie Oană Stadium in the nearby city of Ploiești 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 (2–0 at home and 1–1 away).

In the following campaign, Emil Săndoi was appointed as head coach with the Red and Blues relocating their home fixtures to the Municipal Stadium in Buzău 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 2–3 to Viitorul Constanța.

In the 2021–22 campaign, the team led by Săndoi returned to Ilie Oană Stadium 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 2–1 away defeat in Chiajna and a 1–0 home victory, winning 4–1 on penalties in Ploiești.