FCSB cannot defend its championship title, after it became mathematical that it cannot catch a place in the play-offs.
FCSB defeated UTA Arad with a score of 4-2 (3-1), on Sunday evening, at the “Francisc Neuman” Arena, in a match of the 29th stage of the Football Super League. The champion knew at game time that she would play for the first time in the play-out. FCSB beat UTA in the round as well, 4-0. UTA has only one win in the last five matches, one draw and three defeats.
First: the champion does not catch the play-off
It was a dark weekend for FCSB, which found out with each passing day that it lost another chance to grab the 6th place. One by one, U Cluj (Friday), followed by CFR Cluj (Saturday) and FC Argeș (Sunday) “concreted” their play-off positions and have no more emotions before the last stage. Thus, for the first time since the introduction of the play-off/play-out system, the champion does not get a place among the top 6 and, therefore, cannot defend her title.
FCSB needed Dinamo to keep it alive by confusing FC Argeș. That didn’t happen. Dinamo did not manage to score on their own ground and was drowned by Pitesti, qualified in the play-off from the position of newly-promoted! It thus became a certainty that the Superliga will have a new champion. Each of the 6 teams is waiting for the title of good years. Dinamo – from 2007, Rapid – from 2003, Craiova University – from 1991, CFR Cluj – from 2022. FC Argeș has two titles in history (1972 and 1979), and U Cluj would win the title for the first time.
How FCSB can reach Europe
Finishing in one of the top two positions in the play-outs would send FCSB into the play-off for the last Superliga spot in the Conference League. The first two places in the play-out will face each other in the first leg of this play-off, so that the winner will face the 3rd or 4th place in the play-off. The winner will be the last representative of Romania in the 2nd preliminary round of the Conference League. So, FCSB could access the European cups and from the play-out. It is, in fact, the scenario that the officials of the title champion have already started betting on. The other day, Mihai Stoica, the president of the Board of Directors, said: “The world is afraid that we play in the play-out. We play in the play-out, we win the play-out, we win the Conference play-off and we go again to the stage of a European competition“.
