SSC Farul Constanța ([ˈfarul konˈstant͡sa]) is a professional football club from Constanța, Romania that was established in 1949. The club is currently inactive after being excluded from Liga III in August 2016.
In Romanian farul means "the lighthouse". Farul Constanța are also a well-known rugby union team, which hosted the first Heineken Cup rugby match.
In the summer of 2016, FC Farul was declared bankruptcy and excluded from Liga III, after the club withdrew from Liga II earlier in that summer. In an attempt to save the team, Farul supporters refounded the club as SSC Farul and enrolled it in Liga IV.
In 1949, the two football clubs of Constanţa, Dezrobirea Constanța and PCA Constanța (Porturi Comunicaţii Ape), were merged to create a new team, Locomotiva PCA Constanţa, that played in the Divizia B (the 2nd League). After the 1954 edition, the team promoted for the first time to the 1st League (Divizia A), and in 1958, the team's name was changed from Locomotiva to Farul Constanţa.
Notably, the 2004–05 Divizia A season brought for Farul some outstanding performances that enabled it to finish the season on the 5th place and reach to its first ever Romanian Cup final match, which they lost 0–1 to FC Dinamo București.
Its best achievements are reaching the fourth place in Liga I and the final of the Balkans Cup, and also winning Liga II five times along the history.
1959–60, 4th place: Horia Ghibănescu, Nicolae Botescu, Grigore Ciuncan, Lucreţiu Florescu, Gheorghe Corneanu, Gheorghe Toma, Petre Comăniţă, Mircea Bibere, Eugen Pană, Gheorghe Datcu, Vasile Stancu, Constantin Moroianu, Ion Ciosescu, Paul Niculescu, Dumitru Sever, Iacob Olaru, Ştefan Nunu – squad; Iosif Lengheriu – head coach; Foti Foti – President
1962–63, 5th place: Horia Ghibănescu, Constantin Manciu, Firică, Octavian Brânzei, Lucreţiu Florescu, Martin Graef, Mihai Stoica, Constantin Pleşa, Vasile Buzea, Ion Vasilescu, Nicolae Neacşu, Constantin Tâlvescu, Constantin Moroianu, Iosif Bukossy, Ion Ciosescu, Ştefan Nunu, Constantin Dinulescu, Constantin Mănescu, Ilie Ologu, Vasile Dumbravă; Augustin Botescu – head coach; Foti Foti – President
1966–67, 4th place: Vasile Utu, Constantin Tâlvescu, Constantin Manciu, Marin Georgescu, Constantin Koszka, Martin Graef, Suliman Etem, Cicerone Manolache, Constantin Pleşa, Dumitru Antonescu, Ilie Ologu, Marin Tufan, Constantin Iancu, Tiberiu Kallo, Ion Zamfir, Dumitru Caraman, Iosif Bukossy, Constantin Mareş, Vasile Dumbravă – squad; Vintilă Mărdărescu – head coach; Foti Foti – President
1969–70, 6th place: Dan Ştefănescu, Gheorghe Popa, Petre Botea, Dumitru Popescu, Dumitru Tănase, Vasile Stancu, Constantin Tâlvescu, Constantin Mareş, Dumitru Antonescu, Mihai Stoica, Constantin Koszka, Constantin Pleşa, Ilhan Mustafa, Mircea Sasu, Sorin Avram, Marin Tufan, Tiberiu Kallo, Ilie Ologu, Nicolae Constantinescu, Alexandru Badea, Dumitru Caraman; Bazil Marian – Lucreţiu Florescu, Emanoil Haşotti – Robert Cosmoc – coaches; E. Monacu – President
1993–94, 6th place: Gheorghe Niţu, Stelian Carabaş, Tiberiu Curt, Alexandru Popovici, Florian Călin, Gheorghe Barbu, Marian Dinu, Gheorghe Ciurea, Marian Popa, Cătălin Plăcintă, Dennis Şerban, Arghir, Gheorghe Butoiu, Bănică Oprea; Gheorghe Constantin, Constantin Gache, Florin Marin – head coaches; Petre Buduru – President
2004–05, 5th place: George Curcă, Adrian Vlas, Ion Barbu, Răzvan Farmache, Laurenţiu Florea, Sorin Mocanu, Cosmin Paşcovici, Adrian Senin, Cristian Şchiopu, Iulian Apostol, Vasilică Cristocea, Robert Iacob, Dinu Todoran, George Uşurelu, Claudiu Voiculeţ, Mihai Baicu, Radu Doicaru, Mihai Guriţă, Liviu Mihai; Petre Grigoraş – head coach; Gheorghe Bosânceanu – President
1949: Year of establishment after the merge of Dezrobirea and PCA (Porturi Comunicaţii Ape).
1955: First match in Divizia A: Dinamo Bucureşti 4–1 Farul Constanţa
1957: Farul Stadium was built.
1966: Balkans Cup Final: Rapid Bucureşti – Farul Constanţa 3–0, 3–5
1995: First participation in UEFA Intertoto Cup
1999: 1000th match in the Divizia A: Foresta Fălticeni 2–0 Farul Constanţa
2005: 2005 Cupa României Final: Dinamo Bucureşti 1–0 Farul Constanţa
2006: UEFA Intertoto Cup Third round: Auxerre – Farul Constanţa 4–1, 0–1
As of 1 February 2017
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Liga II
Winners (5): 1954, 1957–58, 1961–62, 1980–81, 1987–88
Runners-up (2): 1979–80, 2000–01
Romanian Cup
Runners-up (1): 2004–05
UEFA Intertoto Cup
Runners-up (1): 2006
Balkans Cup
Runners-up (1): 1964–66
