FC Tiraspol


FC Tiraspol was a Moldovan football club based in Tiraspol, Moldova. They played in the Divizia Naţională, the top division in Moldovan football.
Founded in 1992 as Constructorul Chișinău, it entered the Moldovan National Division in the 1995–96 season, winning its only title in the 1996–97 and Moldovan Cups in 1996 and 2000. The club then relocated in 2001 to Cioburciu before moving to Tiraspol the year after. Despite the latter two settlements being in the breakaway republic of Transnistria, their clubs play in the Moldovan league system.

History

Constructorul Chisinau

The side was founded in 1992 as Constructorul Chisinau, and played in Chisinau, the Moldovan capital. It entered the Moldovan National Division in the 1995–96 season. Constructorul won their first silverware, the 1996 Moldovan Cup with a 2–1 win over Tiligul Tiraspol, and the next season won their only Moldovan National Division title by denying city rivals Zimbru Chișinău a sixth consecutive triumph. The league triumph earned Constructorul a place in the 1997-98 UEFA Champions League, where they were knocked out by Belarusian club MPKC Mozyr 4–3 on aggregate in the first qualifying round. In 2000, Constructorul won their second Cup, by beating Zimbru 1–0 in the final on 24 May.
The club also participated in the UEFA Cup during the Constructorul era. In September 2000, the club was banned from appearing in European competitions for a year following a number of security breaches in a home match against Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia.
The first FC Tiraspol chairman was Valeriu Rotari, a businessman accused of organized crime gang activities. Thanks to Rotari, the club managed to achieve his first National Division titles. The murder of Rotari on February 16, 2000 was one of the reasons the club's further performance was much worse than in the 1990s.

Move to Transnistria

Before the 2001–02 season, the club relocated to Cioburciu, a small village outside Tiraspol, the capital of the breakaway republic of Transnistria, and was renamed Constructorul Cioburciu. The following season, the club moved into Tiraspol and became its current entity. The club has not won a Cup or National Division title since leaving Chisinau.
The only major European campaign since leaving Chisinau was the 2004-05 UEFA Cup. The club defeated Armenian team Shirak in the first qualifying round before a 5–1 aggregate elimination by Metalurh Donetsk of Ukraine in the next round.

Past crests

Honours

Until 2001, the club was known as Constructorul Chișinău, in 2001–02 as Constructorul Cioburciu, and FC Tiraspol since 2002.

European record

;UEFA Champions League
SeasonRoundOpponentsHome legAway legAggregate
1997–981 MPKC Mozyr1–12–33–4

;UEFA Europa League
SeasonRoundOpponentsHome legAway legAggregate
1999–001 Ferencváros1–11–32–4
2000–011 CSKA Sofia2–30–82–11
2004–051 Shirak2–12–04–1
2004–052 Metalurh Donetsk1–20–31–5
2013–141 Skonto FC0–11–01–1
2014–151 Inter Baku2–31–33–6

;UEFA Intertoto Cup
SeasonRoundOpponentsHome legAway legAggregate
20021 Synot0–00–40–4
20061 FK MKT Araz Imisli2–00–12–1
20062 Lech Poznań3–11–04–1
20063 SV Ried1–11–32–4
20081 Mika0–02–22–2
20082 Tavriya Simferopol0–01–31–3

;UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
SeasonRoundOpponentsHome legAway legAggregate
1996–971 Hapoel Iorni Rishon LeZion1–02–33–3
1996–972 Galatasaray0–40–10–5
1998–991 Rudar Velenje0–20–00–2

Managers