Sepsi OSK
Full nameAsociația Club Sportiv Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe[1]
Nickname(s)
  • Piros-fehérek / Roș-albii (The Red and Whites)
  • Székelyek / Secuii (The Székelys)
Short nameSepsi
Founded2011 (2011)
GroundSepsi Arena
Capacity8,400
OwnerLászló Diószegi
ChairmanAttila Hadnagy
Head coachBernd Storck
LeagueLiga I
2022–23Liga I, 6th of 16
WebsiteClub website

Asociația Club Sportiv Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe, commonly known as Sepsi OSK (Hungarian: [ˈʃɛpʃi ˈoɛʃkaː]), Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe (Romanian: [ˈsepsi ˈsfɨntu ˈɡe̯orɡe]), or simply Sepsi, is a Romanian professional football club based in Sfântu Gheorghe, Covasna County, that competes in the Liga I.

Founded in 2011, it achieved promotion to the top tier in six years by quickly climbing through the Romanian league system. Sepsi thus became the first team from Covasna—a county with a majority of Székely ethnics—to play in the Liga I. Since its promotion, it qualified for three Cupa României finals, claiming the trophy in the 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons. As cup holders, Sepsi also participated in the 2022 and the 2023 Supercupa României, winning both.

Sepsi's club colours are red and white in honour of the local football tradition. After playing during its first years at the Municipal Stadium in Sfântu Gheorghe, the squad was moved to the namesake Sepsi Arena Stadium in 2021.

History

Formation and ascent (2011–2017)

László Diószegi and Dávid Kertész decided to start a new football club in the summer of 2011.[2] They picked the red and white colors to honor the football traditions of Sfântu Gheorghe and chose the name OSK as an acronym reminiscent of the defunct Olt Sport Klub.[2] They wanted the name of the city to be also included in the club's name, so they chose the prefix Sepsi form Sepsiszentgyörgy, which is the Hungarian name of the city.[2] In order to be able to enroll to Liga V they signed a collaboration agreement with Clubul Sportiv Școlar from Sfântu Gheorghe and formed a junior team.[2]

In their debut season, they won the Liga V competition of Covasna County and were promoted to Liga IV.[2] They finished second in their first Liga IV season, eight points behind local Viitorul Sfântu Gheorghe.[3] Valentin Suciu—who would eventually guide them to Liga I—was appointed manager in 2013.[4] At the end of the 2013–14 campaign, Sepsi OSK effortlessly won the Liga IV competition of Covasna County and qualified for the Liga III promotion play-off,[5] where they faced the champion of Vrancea County, Selena Jariștea. Following a 1–1 draw after extra time, they won 6–5 on penalties, being subsequently promoted to the third division.[6]

After a satisfying third place in the 2014–15 Liga III, promotion to Liga II was set as the objective for the next season.[2] They won the 2015–16 Liga III and were promoted, which represented a notable performance for the team at the time.[7] In the summer of 2016, Attila Hadnagy joined the team and became its captain. As he scored 28 goals in 31 games, the unexpected happened in the season which followed. They finished second in the 2016–17 Liga II and were promoted to Liga I, the top tier of the Romanian football league system.[8][9]

Top league years (2017–present)

Roland Niczuly is Sepsi OSK's all-time leader in appearances and has won four trophies with the club.

As a last step in becoming fully professional in 2017, the club started a series of investments into infrastructure which included the creation of training grounds for its youth center and building a UEFA Category 4 stadium. In the years which followed the promotion, Sepsi OSK managed to stay in the Liga I, qualifying for the first time to the championship play-offs in the 2018–19 season.

In the summer of 2020, Sepsi reached the Cupa României final for the first time, but lost it 0–1 to FCSB at the Ilie Oană Stadium in Ploiești. On their route to the last game of the competition, Sepsi eliminated Ripensia Timișoara, Astra Giurgiu, Petrolul Ploiești and Politehnica Iași; in all but one of the five matches "the Székelys" scored at least three goals.

In the 2020–21 season, Sepsi entered the championship play-offs for the second time in their history. They finished fourth place and went on to defeat Viitorul Constanța 1–0 in the European play-offs, which meant they would take part for the first time in European competitions. Sepsi was drawn against Slovakian side Spartak Trnava in the second round of the UEFA Conference League, but were eliminated due to a 3–4 penalty shoot-out loss after two draws.

The club secured a European spot again at the end of the 2021–22 campaign by winning the Cupa României final—left midfielder Marius Ștefănescu scored a double to bring Sepsi a 2–1 win over Voluntari at the Stadionul Rapid-Giulești in Bucharest.[10] The club went on to win the 2022 Supercupa României with the same score against league champions CFR Cluj.

On 24 May 2023, Sepsi claimed its second consecutive national cup after a 5–4 penalty shoot-out defeat of Universitatea Cluj at the Stadionul Municipal in Sibiu, with goalkeeper Roland Niczuly saving three penalty shots.[11] The club also repeated its performance in the Supercupa României, winning the 2023 edition 1–0 against Farul Constanța.

Ownership and finances

Co-founder and present owner László Diószegi is an entrepreneur who runs the Diószegi chain of bakeries. After starting with a bakery shop opened in Sfântu Gheorghe by his family and another associate in the 1990s, the business grew to sell bakery products through several shops in Romania and England.[12]

In comparison to other Liga I teams at the end of 2019, Sepsi OSK stood out with by far the highest revenue obtained from corporate sponsorship deals and having the least debt.[13] Some of the companies that have or had sponsorship deals with Sepsi OSK include Hungarian firms Gyermelyi, OTP Bank and MOL.

Sepsi OSK was granted in total 2 billion Hungarian forints between 2017 and 2018 by the Hungarian government to be used for developing club infrastructure, thus contributing with approximately €6 million to build a youth center and the new stadium.[14]

Grounds

The new Stadionul Sepsi Arena.

Municipal Stadium

Sepsi OSK holds its home games at the Municipal Stadium in Sfântu Gheorghe. Located in the Simeria neighbourhood, it has a capacity of 5,200 seats. After the Liga I promotion of Sepsi OSK the Municipal Stadium did not meet the Liga I licensing requirements. As a result Sepsi OSK was forced to hold all of its autumn 2017 home games at the Silviu Ploeșteanu Stadium in Brașov[15] and the first two 2018 home games at the Ilie Oană Stadium in Ploiești.[16]

Meanwhile the structure of the stand was fortified to support TV-radio cabins in 2017. Also the seating capacity was increased the same year with 1,500 seats donated to Sepsi OSK from the demolished Ferenc Puskás Stadium.[17] The old floodlight system of DAC was also donated to Sepsi OSK and installed in the stadium in 2018.[18] As a result Sepsi OSK was able to play its first ever Liga I game in Sfântu Gheorghe on 19 March 2018.[19] Ownership of the stadium was transferred from the Romanian Ministry of Youth and Sport to the City Council of Sfântu Gheorghe in 2019.[20]

Sepsi OSK Stadium

The construction of a new UEFA Category 4 stadium with a capacity of 8,450 seats was started on a lot near Sepsi Arena in the summer of 2018.[21] The new Sepsi OSK Stadium was opened with a league match against FC Voluntari in 2021.[22]

Support

Sepsi fans celebrating the 2023 Supercupa României win at the Ilie Oană Stadium, 8 July 2023.

Being the first team from Covasna County—a county with a majority of ethnic Szeklers/Hungarians—to achieve promotion to the top tier of Romanian football, Sepsi OSK is widely supported among Hungarians. In the 2018–19 season home game attendance fluctuated between 2,000 and 3,500, with an average of 2,682 spectators per game.

The only known organised supporter group of the club is named Székely Légió which is Hungarian for "Szekler Legion". The group traces its origins to the supporters of the defunct Olt Sport Klub from the 1970s.[23] Members of the group are known for showing their support for Sepsi OSK through singing before, during and after the game regardless of the result.[23]

Honours

Domestic

Leagues

Cups

Players

First-team squad

As of 11 January 2024[24][25]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Romania ROU Dinu Moldovan
3 DF Romania ROU Florin Ștefan
4 DF Hungary HUN Ákos Kecskés
5 MF Argentina ARG Jonathan Rodríguez
6 MF Romania ROU Nicolae Păun (Vice-captain)
8 MF Romania ROU Ion Gheorghe
9 FW Moldova MDA Vitalie Damașcan
10 MF Romania ROU Cosmin Matei
11 MF Romania ROU Marius Ștefănescu
13 DF Romania ROU Denis Ciobotariu
17 DF Romania ROU Darius Oroian
18 FW Slovakia SVK Pavol Šafranko
21 MF North Macedonia MKD Isnik Alimi
23 FW Romania ROU Iustin Grigore
No. Pos. Nation Player
24 MF Romania ROU Denis Rența
25 DF Romania ROU Bogdan Oteliță
33 GK Romania ROU Roland Niczuly (Captain)
44 DF Romania ROU Mihai Bălașa
55 GK Romania ROU Rajmund Niczuly
59 MF Albania ALB Sherif Kallaku
77 MF Croatia CRO Adnan Aganović (3rd captain)
82 DF Slovakia SVK Branislav Niňaj (4th captain)
88 DF Romania ROU Paul Popa
90 FW Romania ROU Norbert Kocsis
96 FW Croatia CRO Gabriel Debeljuh
97 FW Hungary HUN Roland Varga
98 GK Romania ROU Hunor Gedő
99 FW Venezuela VEN Mario Rondón

Other players under contract

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
22 MF Guinea-Bissau GNB Francisco Júnior

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
30 MF Romania ROU Ákos Nistor (to Csíkszereda until 30 June 2024)
91 DF Romania ROU Krisztián Dobozi (to Kazincbarcikai until 30 June 2024)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Romania ROU Sergiu Şerban (to Odorheiu Secuiesc until 30 June 2024)
— MF Romania ROU Matei Radu (to Odorheiu Secuiesc until 30 June 2024)

Club officials

Records and statistics

League and cup history

European record

Notes
  • QR: Qualifying round
  • 2QR: Second qualifying round
  • 3QR: Third qualifying round
Season Competition Round Club Home Away Agg.
2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League 2QR Slovakia Spartak Trnava 1–1 (a.e.t.) 0–0 1–1 (3–4 p)
2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League 2QR Slovenia Olimpija Ljubljana 3–1 0–2 (a.e.t.) 3–3 (4–2 p)
3QR Sweden Djurgårdens 1–3 1–3 2–6
2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League 2QR Bulgaria CSKA Sofia 4–0 2–0 6–0
3QR Kazakhstan Aktobe 1−1 1−0 2−1
PO Norway Bodø/Glimt 2−2 2−3 (a.e.t.) 4−5

Player records

Bold indicates players who play still at the club.

As of 21 December 2023

Most appearances

Rank Player Years League Cup Europe Other Total
1Romania Roland Niczuly2016–22720123[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2]262
2Romania Marius Ștefănescu2017–1442093[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2]176
3Croatia Adnan Aganović2020–11213113[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2]139
4Bulgaria Radoslav Dimitrov2019–20231141362[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2]135
5Romania Gabriel Vașvari2018–20221101121[lower-alpha 1]124
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Appearance(s) in Liga I European play-offs
  2. 1 2 3 4 Appearance(s) in Supercupa României

Top scorers

Rank Player Years League Cup Europe Other Total
1Romania Attila Hadnagy2016–20193300033
2Romania Marius Ștefănescu2017–2351029
3Slovakia Pavol Šafranko2019–2021,2022–2620028
4Romania Alexandru Tudorie2022–20231811020
5Romania István Fülöp2017–20221620018

    Managers

    Listed according to when they were appointed manager of Sepsi OSK. (C) means caretaker.

    Notable former players

    The footballers enlisted below have had at least 50 league appearances for Sepsi OSK or they have had international cap(s) for their respective countries at senior level and at least 20 league appearances for Sepsi OSK.

    References

    1. ↑ "ACS Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe" (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
    2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Sepsi OSK – Istorie scrisă în șase ani" [Sepsi OSK – History written in six years] (in Romanian). Retrieved 2 January 2021.
    3. ↑ "Liga a IV-a, Seniori, sezon 2012/2013 Asociatia Judeteana de Fotbal Covasna frf-ajf.ro" (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. Archived from the original on 23 October 2018.
    4. ↑ Măcicășan, Vlad (11 July 2017). "Nici Mourinho n-a reușit așa ceva. Cazul unic al antrenorului lui Sepsi care a promovat echipa din Liga a 4-a în Liga 1. Valentin Suciu povestește cum visele devin realitate" [Neither Mourinho didn't achieve this. The unic case of the Sepsi manager who promoted from Liga IV to Liga I. Valentin Suciu tells us how dreams become reality]. PROSPORT (in Romanian). București. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
    5. ↑ "Liga a IV-a, Seniori, sezon 2013/2014 Asociatia Judeteana de Fotbal Covasna frf-ajf.ro" (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. Archived from the original on 23 October 2018.
    6. ↑ "Echipele promovate in Liga 3 in urma meciurilor de baraj!" [The teams which promoted to the Liga 3 following the play-off] (in Romanian). Sport Total FM. 21 June 2014.
    7. ↑ "Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe, a doua echipă promovată matematic în Liga 2. Judeţul Covasna are din nou club în eşalonul secund după o pauză de 12 ani" [Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe, the second team mathematically promoted to the Liga 2. Covasna County has a club in the second tier after a twelve-year pause] (in Romanian). ProSport. 15 May 2016.
    8. ↑ "Sepsi, surpriza ligii secunde, visează la prima ligă. Cum ar putea beneficia de investiţiile guvernului maghiar echipa din Sfântu Gheorghe. "Am putea face faţă"" [Sepsi, the shock of the second league, dreams of the first league. How the Sfântu Gheorghe-based team could benefit from the investments of the Hungarian Government. "We could deal with this situation"] (in Romanian). ProSport. 13 May 2017.
    9. ↑ "A doua echipă promovată în Liga 1! Sepsi și-a asigurat locul în prima divizie » Toate rezultatele din Liga a 2-a" [The second team promoted to the Liga 1! Sepsi secured its place in the first division » All the Liga 2 results]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 28 May 2017.
    10. ↑ "FOTO Finala Cupei României: Sepsi – FC Voluntari 2-1! Ștefănescu aduce Cupa la Sfântu Gheorghe!" [PHOTO Romanian Cup Final: Sepsi - FC Voluntari 2–1! Ștefănescu brings the Cup to Sfântu Gheorghe!] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
    11. ↑ "Niczuly, eroul finalei, a dezvăluit secretul loviturilor de departajare: "Două ore, în ziua meciului!" + "E un moment istoric pentru noi"" [Niczuly, the hero of the final, revealed the penalty shoot-out secret: "Two hours, on the day of the match" + "It's a historic moment for us"]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
    12. ↑ "Pâinea secuiască de 7 milioane de euro, apreciată şi de prinţul Charles. "Secretul afacerii este să faci lucrurile cu inima"" [The Szekler bread worth 7 million euros, also fancied by Prince Charles. "The secret of the business is to put heart into things"]. Adevărul (in Romanian). 27 August 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
    13. ↑ "ANALIZĂ FINANCIARĂ. Sepsi şochează Liga 1: venituri uluitoare cu care surclasează toate celelalte cluburi" [FINANCIAL ANALYSIS. Sepsi shocks Liga 1: beating all other teams with its unbelievable revenue]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 23 April 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
    14. ↑ Sipos, Zoltán (12 December 2018). "Will the Hungarian government bring Sekler football to success?". Átlátszó Erdély. Cluj Napoca. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
    15. ↑ Miu, Sever Ioan (11 May 2017). "Dacă promovează în Liga I, Sepsi OSK va juca meciurile de acasă la Brașov" [If promoted to Liga I, Sepsi OSK will play its home games at Brașov]. Covasna Media (in Romanian). Sfântu Gheorghe. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
    16. ↑ "Sepsi OSK nu va putea juca nici la Sfântu Gheorghe, nici la Braşov. Unde au loc primele două etape „acasă" din 2018" [Sepsi OSK won't be able to play its home games at Sfântu Gheorghe or Braşov. Where will the first two "home" games of 2018 take place?]. We Radio (in Romanian). Sfântu Gheorghe. 23 January 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
    17. ↑ Miu, Sever Ioan (27 November 2016). "VIDEO: 1.500 de scaune pentru stadionul din Sfântu Gheorghe" [VIDEO: 1,500 seats for the stadium of Sfântu Gheorghe]. Covasna Media (in Romanian). Sfântu Gheorghe. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
    18. ↑ Nagy, Zsolt (1 August 2018). "Sepsi: példaértékű segítség a Dunaszerdahelytől" [Sepsi: exemplary help from Dunaszerdahely]. Nemzeti Sport (in Hungarian). Budapest. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
    19. ↑ "VIDEO + FOTO Sepsi inaugurează stadionul cu 3 penalty-uri și două puncte pierdute la ultima fază" [VIDEO + PHOTO Sepsi inaugurates the stadium with 3 penalties and two points lost in the last minute]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). București. 19 March 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
    20. ↑ "După zece ani de cereri, Guvernul transferă Primăriei Sfântu Gheorghe stadionul pe care joacă Sepsi OSK" [After 10 years of asking, the Government transfers the home stadium of Sepsi OSK to the City Council of Sfântu Gheorghe]. G4 Media (in Romanian). București. 17 January 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
    21. ↑ Kovács, Zsolt (18 June 2018). "Itt épül az új sepsiszentgyörgyi futballstadion" [Here will the new stadium of Sfântu Gheorghe be built]. Maszol (in Hungarian). Cluj Napoca. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
    22. ↑ "Încă un stadion nou în Liga 1" [Another Liga I stadium]. Telekom Sport (in Romanian). București. 25 November 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
    23. 1 2 Kovács, Zsolt (14 November 2017). "Akik magyarul szurkolnak a román stadionokban – ismerjük meg a Székely Légiót" [Those who cheer in Hungarian at Romanian stadiums – let's meet the Székely Légió]. Maszol (in Hungarian). Cluj Napoca. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
    24. ↑ "Jucători" [Players] (in Romanian). Sepsi OSK. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
    25. ↑ "ECHIPĂ" [Squad] (in Romanian). LPF. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
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