FC UTA

FC UTA

(source: internet/ izvor: internet)

UTA is a football club from the Romanian city called Arad, located on the border with Hungary. UTA is currently competing in the second Romanian league. The "old lady" from Arad was the champion of its country six times (1947, 1948, 1950, 1954, 1969 and 1970), with two winning trophies of the National Cup (1948 and 1953).

The club was founded by the idea of Baron Francis von Neumann, the owner of a textile factory, a baker’s yeast and alcoholic beverage factory in Arad. In the 30s of the previous century, the rich Baron, a great fan of football wished to buy the AMEF football club from Arad. Having been rejected on several occasions, he decided at the end of the World War II, while Hitler was still in the bunker to found his own club.

According to Professor Dominique Tiros, the Baron held a meeting in April 1945, attended by a large number of his friends and people of trust. The proposal was to form a football club. Soon it was accepted for the club to be called UT (textile factory) Arad. According to a further lecture by the professor, the proposal for club colors was initially a green-white combination. However, his friends who attended the meeting insisted that the green and white colors are colors of the Nazis, so such a proposal was rejected, and finally Baron's proposal that the club colors should be red and white was accepted.

Why red-white?

Baron was a great fan of Arsenal. While he was in college of textile engineering in London, he often visited Arsenal matches in Habermi. He begin building the stadium with his own money, which, as he says will be: ”Just like Hebery just a bit smaller." When opened, UTA stadium was one of the most modern stadiums.

His textile factory in Arad was the most modern factory in Romania in that period. Baron hired engineers from Switzerland, England and Austria and in a short time he managed to double the production. The workers were satisfied. He brought in longer breaks, built a large number of houses for the employees near the factory, he made an ambulance, a canteen and a kindergarten. To advancement of Baron's factories during the war also contributed the policy of Romania's government top that approached to the Tripartite Pact. With this status, it was not difficult for him to attract the best players from the region and even three players from Hungary to his newly formed club.

The team advanced fast, as fast as the Red Army that entered Berlin. The Communists took power in Romania on March 6, 1945 and became the dominant political power under the direct control of the Soviet Union. Under the pressure of the communists the monarchy was abolished at the very end of 1947.

Baron Francisc spent in prison in eight full months during 1947 after which he was advised to emigrate. During 1948, nationalization took place and all the factories were taken away from him. Before emigration, Baron said "the factory is all right, UTA is a champion" and "you are free to choose the new factory management" and traveled to America through Austria and Switzerland. From that moment on, the club became state ownership.

After UTA eliminated the Dutch Feyendord in the Champions Cup in the season 1970/71, a telegram arrived to the address of the club, in which only "Bravo" was written and it was signed by Baron Francisc von Neumann. Today, after 70 years, UTA Stadium in Arad is named after its founder, Baron Francisc von Neumann.

From 1950 to 1957, the club changed its name to Flamura Rosie (Red Flag). In 1979, the downfall of the club from Arad began, starting with the relegation to the second league. Only in the 1990s UTA managed to return to the elite rank of the competition, but after only two seasons, the club moved again to the lower rank of the competition. In 2013, businessman Adrian Martan acquired most of the club's shares, promising to improve the financial situation of the club and to bring results. But he quickly lost the confidence of the fans and legends of the club and was asked to hand over the entire documentation of the club.

The club was finally disbanded in 2014 due to financial difficulties. However, with the help of the businessman, and also the former UTA player Marius Tucudeanu and the club's fans from Arad, the team re-started its way from the 4th Rang Competition called UTA Bantrana Doamna (UTA The old lady) and is considered as the official heritor of the disassembled club from 2014. UTA now records excellent results in the younger categories of the competition. The club is financially stable nowadays, financed mainly by sponsorship and city cash, as well as from the sale of footballers from the youth school. UTA is one of the most popular clubs in the country.

UTE fans were united in the group named Arad 1945 until 2016. And the only active group of fans is Out of Control. The most important rival of UTA is Polytechnic from Timisoara. It is popularly called the west derby. Both clubs will compete in the season 2017/18 in the second league and we should expect fierce duels.

P.S. I'll see you at Stiinta J

(source: internet/ izvor: internet)

FK UTA

UTA je fudbalski  klub iz rumunskog grada Arada, koji se nalazi na samoj granici sa Mađarskom. UTA se trenutno takmiči u Drugoj rumunskoj ligi. Ukupno 6 puta je ,,Stara dama“ iz Arada bila šampion svoje zemlje (1947, 1948, 1950, 1954, 1969. i 1970), uz 2 trofeja pobednika nacionalnog Kupa (1948. I 1953.).

Klub je osnovan po ideju Barona Francisca von Neumanna, vlasnika fabrike tekstila, fabrike kvasca i alkoholnih pića u Aradu. Još 30-ih godina proškog veka, bogati Baron, inače veliki zaljubljenik u fudbal, imao je želju da kupi fudbalski klub AMEF iz Arada. Pošto je u više navrata odbijen, odlučio je da krajem drugog svetskog rata, dok je Hitler još uvek bio u bunkeru, osnuje sopstveni klub.

Prema predanju profesora Dominika Tirosa, Baron je održao jedan sastanak, aprila 1945. godine, kojem je prisustvovao veliki broj njegovih prijatelja i ljudi od poverenja. Predlog je bio da se formira fudbalski klub. Ubrzo je prihvaćeno da se klub nazove UT (fabrika tekstila) Arad. Prema daljem predanju profesora, predlog za klupske boje u početku je bio zeleno-bela kombinacija. Međutim, na insistiranje prijatelja koji su prisustvovali sastanku da je zeleno-bela boja nacista, takav predlog je odbijen, a prihvaćen je Baronov predlog da klupske boje budu crveno-bele.

Zašto crveno-bela?

Baron je bio veliki navijač Arsenala. U periodu dok je bio na fakultetu tekstilnog inženjeringa u Londonu, često je posećivao utakmice Arsenala na Hajberiju. Svojim novcem započeo je izgradnju stadiona, koji će biti kako on kaže ,,isti kao Hajberi samo malo manji“. Kada je otvoren, stadion UTA je bio jedan od najmodernijih stadiona.

Njegova fabrika tekstila u Aradu je bila najsavremenija fabrika u Rumuniji u tom periodu. Baron je zaposlio inženjere iz Švajcarske, Engleske i Austrije i za kratko vreme uspeo je da udvostruči proizvodnju. Radnici su bili zadovoljni. Uveo je duže pauze, sagradio je veliki broj kuća za zaposlene u blizini fabrike, napravio je ambulantu, menzu i vrtić. Takvim napredkom Baronovih fabrika tokom rata doprinela je i politika državnog vrha Rumunije koja je pristupila Trojnom paktu. Sa takvim statusom, nije mu bilo teško da u svoj novoformirani klub privuče najbolje fudbalere iz regiona i čak tri igrača iz Mađarske.

Tim je brzo napredovao, podjednako brzo kao Crvena armija koja je ušla u Berlin. Komunisti su preuzeli vlast u Rumuniji 6.3.1945. godine i postali su dominantna politička snaga i pod direktnom kontrolom Sovjetskog saveza. Pod pritiskom komunista monarhija je ukinuta na samom kraju 1947. Godine.

Baron Francisc je proveo u zatvoru 1947. punih osam meseci posle čega mu je savetovano da emigrira. Tokom 1948. godine nastupila je nacionalizacija i sve fabrike su mu oduzete. Pre nego što je emigrirao Baron je rekao ,,fabrika je dobro, UTA je šampion“ i ,,slobodni ste u izboru novog rukovodstva fabrike“ i preko Austrije i Švajcarske otputovao je u Ameriku. Od tog trenutka klub je prešao u državno vlasništvo.

Nakon što je UTA eliminisala holandski Fejendord u Kupu šampiona u sezoni 1970/71, na adresu kluba je stigao telegram u kojem je pisalo samo ,,Bravo“, u potpisu Baron Francisc von Neumann. Danas, nakon 70 godina, stadion UTA u Aradu nosi ime po svom osnivaču Baronu Francisc von Neumannu.

Od 1950. do 1957. klub je promenio ime u Flamura Rosie (Crvena Zastava). Godine 1979. počinje strmoglavi pad kluba iz Arada, počevši ispadanjem u drugu ligu. Tek tokom 90-ih godina UTA je uspela da se vrati u elitni rang takmičenja, ali posle svega dve sezone ponovo su se preselili i niži rang takmičenja. Godine 2013. biznismen Adrian Martan stekao je većinu akcija kluba, obećavajući pritom da će popraviti finansijsku situaciju u klubu i da će donositi rezultate. Ali veoma brzo je izgubio poverenje navijača i legendi kluba i od njega je zatraženo da preda celokupnu dokumentaciju kluba.

Klub je konačno raspušten 2014. godine zbog finansijskih poteškoća. Međutim, uz pomoć biznismena, a ujedno i bivšeg fudbalera UTE, Mariusa Tucudeanua i navijača kluba iz Arada, tim je ponovo započeo svoj put od 4. ranga takmičenja pod nazivom UTA Bantrana Doamna (Stara dama)  i smatra se zvaničnim naslednikom rasformisanog kluba iz 2014. godine.

UTA danas beleži odlične rezultate u mlađim kategorijama takmičenja. Klub je danas finansijski stabilan, finansira se uglavnom od sponzorstva i iz gradske kase, kao i od prodaje fudbalera iz omladinske škole. UTA važi za jedan od najpopularnijih klubova u zemlji.

 Navijači UTE su bili ujedinjeni u grupu koja se zvala Arad 1945, do 2016. godine. A jedina aktivna navička grupa je Out of Control (Van kontrole). Najvažniji rival UTE je Politehnika iz Temišvara. Popularno se naziva i derbi zapada. Oba kluba će se takmičiti i u sezoni 2017/18 u drugoj ligi i treba očekivati žestoke duele.

P.S. Vidimo se na Stiinti J

FC UTA against Feyenoord/ FK UTA protiv Fejnorda

(source/ izvor: Nationaal Archief)

                                                       (source: internet/ izvor: internet)

Nikola Radulović

translation/ prevod: Tea Besu