Asociația Fotbal Club Chindia Târgoviște (), commonly known as Chindia Târgoviște or simply Chindia, is a Romanian professional football club based in Târgoviște, Dâmbovița County, competing in Liga II.
The club was founded in 2010 by the Târgoviște Municipality, together with former international Gheorghe Popescu and former referee Ion Crăciunescu, following a dispute with the owner of the city's former club, FCM Târgoviște. Chindia retained several elements associated with FCM, including its red and blue colours and the "Chindia" identity.
The club first reached the Romanian top flight in 2019–20 and finished seventh in 2020–21. It plays its home matches at the Eugen Popescu Stadium, which reopened in 2023 after reconstruction.
History
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 seventh-place finish in the 1978–79 Divizia A. Its most notable generation included players such as Nicolae Dobrin and Silviu Dumitrescu.
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 () 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, the Târgoviște Municipality, together with former Romanian international Gheorghe Popescu and former referee Ion Crăciunescu, established FC Chindia Târgoviște on the structure of CSM Târgoviște. The project was initially conceived with a strong emphasis on youth development.
Chindia won Series III of the 2010–11 Liga III under Costel Pană and earned promotion to Liga II. After two seasons in the second tier, the club was relegated in 2012–13. Popescu and Crăciunescu subsequently left the project, while the Municipality, Dâmbovița County Council and Valahia University continued to support the club. Chindia narrowly missed promotion in 2013–14 before winning Series III of the 2014–15 Liga III under Nicolae Croitoru and returning to Liga II.
The club became one of the stronger sides in Liga II during the following years, finishing third in 2015–16 and again in 2017–18. In the latter season, Chindia reached the promotion/relegation play-off against FC Voluntari, losing 0–1 away before winning the return leg 1–0 and eventually being eliminated 0–3 in the penalty shoot-out.
In June 2018, Viorel Moldovan became head coach and led Chindia to the 2018–19 Liga II title, securing the club's first promotion to Liga I under its current identity and bringing top-flight football back to Târgoviște after 21 years.
Because Eugen Popescu Stadium was undergoing reconstruction, Chindia played its home matches away from Târgoviște during much of its four-season stay in Liga I. In 2019–20, the club avoided relegation by defeating CS Mioveni 3–1 on aggregate in the play-off. Under Emil Săndoi, Chindia produced its best top-flight campaign in 2020–21, finishing seventh overall and reaching the European qualification play-off, where it was defeated 2–3 by Viitorul Constanța. The following season, Chindia again survived through a relegation play-off, defeating Concordia Chiajna on penalties.
Chindia's four-year spell in the top division ended in 2022–23. After a poor start under Adrian Mihalcea, Anton Petrea took over, but the team ultimately finished 15th after the play-out and was relegated to Liga II.
The return to Liga II was marked by instability. Chindia finished ninth in the regular season of 2023–24 and second in its play-out group under Italian coach Diego Longo. The 2024–25 season was significantly more difficult, with Marian Vătavu and later Costel Pană in charge. Chindia finished near the bottom of its play-out group but retained its second-tier status after defeating CSC Dumbrăvița 4–2 on aggregate in the relegation play-off.
Chindia recovered strongly in the 2025–26 season and qualified for the promotion play-off, returning to the top six of the second tier. The club competed in the ten-round play-off alongside FC Voluntari, Sepsi OSK, Corvinul Hunedoara, Steaua București and FC Bihor Oradea. Although Chindia did not secure promotion, it recorded notable late-season results, including a 1–0 home victory over Corvinul and a 1–1 away draw against Sepsi in the final round.
Chindia remained in Liga II for the 2026–27 season, with the Romanian Football Federation listing the club among the fourteen teams continuing in the competition from the previous second-tier campaign.
Ground
The club plays its home matches on Eugen Popescu Stadium in Târgoviște, which has a capacity of 6,500 seats. Opened in 1982 and originally having a capacity of 12,500 seats, the stadium is situated 200 meters away from the Chindia Tower.
In 2014, the second stand and half of the east end were closed for safety reasons, significantly reducing the arena's capacity. In the spring of 2019, due to team's performances and a potential (and ultimately secured) promotion to the top flight, the Târgoviște Municipality announced the renovation of the stadium for the amount of 16 million. During the renovation work, the team played its home matches on the Ilie Oană and Municipal stadiums, from the nearby cities of Ploiești and Buzău, respectively.
Support Chindia Târgoviște has an important group supporters in the city and also in Dâmbovița County, the majority of them being past supporters of FCM Târgoviște. The Chindia ultras faction is known as Cavalerii Cetății ("The Knights of the Fortress").
Rivalries Chindia does not have many important rivalries, however, a local one between the old FCM and Flacăra Moreni was born before 1989, when the club from Moreni had the support of the communist regime. Tense matches and even incidents were also noted over time in the matches against Petrolul Ploiești and even if between the two clubs is not a proper rivalry, the supporters are not very friendly with each other.
An unusual rivalry also appeared between 2010 and 2015, when on the occasion of six matches, Chindia played against the original FCM Târgoviște, the first club of the city, moved to Șotânga at the time. This encounter was similar to derbies such as ASU Politehnica Timișoara vs ACS Poli Timișoara or CS Universitatea Craiova vs FC U Craiova 1948, entities which assert to be successors of the same teams.
Honours Liga II Winners (1): 2018–19 Liga III Winners (2): 2010–11, 2014–15 Runners-up (1): 2013–14
Players First team squad
Out on loan
Club officials
Board of directors
RoleName Owners Marius Pavel Dâmbovița County Council Târgoviște Municipality President Marius Pavel General Manager Florin Gardoș Marketing Director Cosmin Enache Technical Director Cristian Toncheff Team Manager Cornel Dinu Responsible for Order and Safety Dragoș Clipea Press Officer Florin Manea Announcer Cristian Măciucă Last updated: 19 September 2025 Source:
Current technical staff
RoleName Head coach Leontin Grozavu Assistant coach Lucian Dobre Goalkeeping coach Răzvan Stanca Fitness coach Dan Vasilică Club Doctor Alexandru Catană Kinetotherapist Alin Draga Masseur Victor Stan Storeman Răzvan Toboșaru Last updated: 6 October 2026 Source:
Notable former players The footballers enlisted below have had international cap(s) for their respective countries at junior and/or senior level and/or more than 100 caps for AFC Chindia Târgoviște.
Romania
Mihai Aioani Alexandru Băluță Cătălin Căbuz Tiberiu Căpușă Cristian Cherchez Denis Ciobotariu Cristian Dancia Cornel Dinu Marco Dulca Denis Dumitrașcu Daniel Florea Paul Iacob Denis Ispas Adrian Ioniță Liviu Mihai Sebastian Mladen Mihai Neicuțescu Dragoș Pătru Daniel Popa Sorin Rădoi Marian Vătavu Bobi Verdeș Mihai Voduț Burkina Faso Blaise Yaméogo Burkina Faso Nasser Chamed Croatia Ivan Pešić Lithuania Modestas Vorobjovas Moldova Victor Bogaciuc Maxim Cojocaru Daniel Danu Vadim Rață Sweden Valmir Berisha Switzerland Matteo Fedele
Former managers
Costel Pană (2010–2011) Silviu Dumitrescu (2011) Flavius Stoican (2012) Eusebiu Tudor (2012–2013) Silviu Dumitrescu (2013–2014) Nicolae Croitoru (2014–2018) Viorel Moldovan (2018–2020) Emil Săndoi (2020–2022) Adrian Mihalcea (2022) Anton Petrea (2022–2023) Dragoș Militaru (2023) Vasile Miriuță (2023) Diego Longo (2023–2024) Marian Vătavu (2024–2025) Costel Pană (2025) Ilie Poenaru (2025–2026) Nicolae Croitoru (2026) Leontin Grozavu (2026–present)
League and Cup history
Season Tier Division Place Notes Cupa României 2026–27 2 Liga II TBD TBD 2025–26 2 Liga II 6th Third Round 2024–25 2 Liga II 17th Third Round 2023–24 2 Liga II 9th Group Stage 2022–23 1 Liga I 15th (R) Relegated Group Stage 2021–22 1 Liga I 13th Play-off winner Quarter-finals 2020–21 1 Liga I 7th Quarter-finals 2019–20 1 Liga I 14th Play-off winner Round of 32 2018–19 2 Liga II 1st (C) Promoted Round of 32 2017–18 2 Liga II 3rd Round of 16 2016–17 2 Liga II 5th Round of 32 2015–16 2 Liga II (Seria II) 3rd Fourth Round 2014–15 3 Liga III (Seria III) 1st (C) Promoted Round of 32 2013–14 3 Liga III (Seria IV) 2nd Round of 16 2012–13 2 Liga II (Seria I) 12th (R) Relegated Fourth Round 2011–12 2 Liga II (Seria II) 7th Fifth Round 2010–11 3 Liga III (Seria III) 1st (C) Promoted
References
External links
Club profile on UEFA's official website Club profile on LPF's official website