Is FCU Craiova coming back? What Mititelu announced today, pending the ECDO's verdict + Why his plan has little chance of success

The situation at FCU Craiova, in brief:

• On 18 June 2025, FCU Craiova did not receive a license to play in League 2 in the 2025–2026 season, after Mititelu did not submit the licensing file. Automatically, the team reached League 3;

• At the start of the 2025-2026 season, Adrian Mititelu registered the team in League 3, where FCU Craiova performed in two games: 0-0 with Academica Balș (August 30, 2025) and 0-6 with Cetatea Turnu Măgurele (September 6, 2025);

• Overwhelmed by financial problems, due to the debts owed to former coaches and players of the club, FCU successively received several deductions, reaching a “mammoth” total of 106 points;

• Florin Drăgan (second coach), Maurizio Morra (second coach), Gabriele Aldegani (goalkeeper coach), Gabriel Buta, Vlad Achim and Aurelian Chițu are the ones who won the disputes regarding the payment of debts. Dinamo completes the list, after complaining about the non-payment of the organization expenses for a match played in the Romanian Cup, in 2023;

• On September 10, 2025FCU Craiova was excluded from all competitions by the Romanian Football Federation;

• After what happened then, Mititelu went to court, because he considered that the exclusion of FCU Craiova from League 2 was abusive.

• The company then entered into a preventive arrangement, but FIFA does not take this into account when it comes to arrears to foreigners. The team could not resume its football activity if it does not pay the debts, to be accepted in the competition, and to benefit from the right to transfer.

Adrian Mititelu claims that FCU Craiova is coming back: “The team will continue from this summer”

The owner of the Olten team stated today that he is waiting for the ECDO's decision and claims that this summer there will be continuity with the team from Craiova. He has no emotions about the composition of the team either.

“On June 18, I am waiting for a decision from the ECDO regarding the disaffiliation of the University of Craiova. I was notified by the Court. Later, I will talk about the future of the team. Regardless of the league, the team will continue from this summer. Depending on the decision, we will also see in which league we will play.

You realize, after the decision, it is something that can be solved immediately (no about the formation of the squad), especially since we are talking about the lower leagues. We're talking about the lower echelons at the moment. It's a decision that I will make after June 18″, said the financier of Olten, quoted by digisport.ro.

On June 18, at the ECDO, the final result in “Mititelu vs Romania” is given

Mititelu sued the Romanian state at the ECHR, claiming that he was not allowed to seek civil justice in the case with the FRF.

So, the decision that Mititelu expects on June 18 from the ECHR refers to obtaining the right to be able to continue civilly, in Romania, the process with the Federation.

In that litigation, the Oltean boss aims to obtain compensation of 240 million euros from the Federation, following the disaffiliation in 2011, which it considers abusive.

• The parties have been tried before in the Disaffiliation case, but in the criminal case. After the Bucharest Court ruled in favor of Mititelu and convicted Sandu and Dragomir, the Court of Appeal reversed the decision in 2017 and acquitted the defendants, also establishing that there is no damage requested by the Oltean.

FCU Craiova back in football? Mititelu would have to establish another company and register his newly established team precisely from the County

Regarding Mititelu's plan to bring FCU Craiova back into the competition, authorized sources state that it has little chance of success.

Regardless of the decision he would receive from the ECDO, the situation at the club is extremely delicate, with the future rather uncertain.

In order to bring the team back into competition, Mititelu must first pay the debts he owes to his former players and coaches. Even if the company has entered into a preventive arrangement, FIFA takes into account the debts to foreigners and these cannot be deleted.

If the former team were registered, they would be prohibited from legitimizing new players, and at the moment FCU Craiova no longer has any players under contract.

Mititelu could find himself having to establish a team on a new society and take it from scratch again, from the lowest football level.