Steaua fans

A survey conducted in 2004[1] suggested that the Ghencea-based team accounts for approximately 42% of all Romanian football lovers, meaning about five million fans inside and outside Romania's borders.

The extraordinary success in the European Cup of a fantastic team that was to remain among Europe's finest for another three years turned everyone's attention to the red and blues.

Basically they adopted a far-right Steaua ideology[3] with very strict internal rules, both inside and outside matches, such as no smoking, no eating, no drinking, no sitting, only standing and chanting.

They stood out by their high number of membres, the big crowds dispatched to away games, chant power and trouble making, as AU had important hooligan influences.

This occurred in 2001, due to internal problems, when smaller groups appeared, such as Gruppo Apparte and Brigada XXL which, in some manner, identified themselves with AU and gradually messed with their policy, style and way of life.

Therefore, they mostly resembled the western European style, typical for fans such as those of AFC Ajax, Paris Saint-Germain FC, BV Borussia Dortmund, etc.

As soon as the leader of the Skins Berceni group left prison, some fans of Peluza Nord returned to support the team in Liga I, FCSB.

As Steaua is the most popular club in Romania, there are, besides Bucharest, several cities counting a great majority of red and blue supporters among football lovers.

Cities such as Suceava, Piatra Neamț, Bacău, Galați (inside Moldavia), Constanța (Northern Dobruja), Buzău, Brăila, Târgoviște, Călărași (Greater Wallachia), Râmnicu Vâlcea, Târgu Jiu (Oltenia), Brașov, Oradea, Sibiu, Târgu Mureș or Petroșani (Transylvania) enjoy a great majority of Steaua fans which are often well-received even by fans of the local teams.

The heyday was reached before a match kick-off in 1997, when Dinamo fans set a sector of Ghencea Stadium's South End (where they were assigned) on fire.

[7] Between October 1991 and April 2000, Steaua enjoyed their moment of glory, counting 19 undefeated official matches in front of their rivals, both in the championship and the cup.

Notable is also a non-football rivalry with SC Miercurea Ciuc, Steaua's biggest rival inside the national ice hockey competition.