Fotbal Club Astra II , commonly known as Astra II Ploiești ( Romanian pronunciation: [ˈastra doi ploˈjeʃtʲ] ), Astra II Giurgiu , or simply as Astra II , is the reserve squad of Romanian second league side, Astra Giurgiu . The team was founded in 2013 to serve as a "launch pad" to the first team, for the young players from the club's youth center.
14-464: The history of Astra's satellite started in fact before 2013, more exactly in 2010, when Ioan Niculae the owner of Astra Giurgiu (at that time Astra Ploiești ) bought Dunărea Giurgiu , club founded in 1963 and member of the Liga II at that time. After the transaction, Dunărea was renamed as Astra II Giurgiu becoming the reserve squad of Astra Ploiești. In the summer of 2012 the club was dissolved after
28-468: A $ 16 million investment. In 1998, he bought into the Romanian insurance company Asirom, after investing $ 21 million. He sold those stocks in 2007, making a profit of $ 65 million. He has been subject to many controversies, stemming from his business practices in the oil and gas industry. He has denied all charges. In 2012, The Romanian National Tax Administration accused Niculae of defrauding
42-545: Is still used also by the first squad for training. In the autumn of 2018, Astra II started to play some home matches on Conpet Stadium in Strejnicu , with a capacity of 1,732 seats. Ioan Niculae Ioan Niculae (born 19 July 1954) is a Romanian businessman, best known for his ownership of InterAgro and the Astra Giurgiu football club. In August 2018, his net worth was estimated at $ 700 million. He
56-547: Is the owner of the InterAgro group, Romania's leading agricultural and fertilizer conglomerate, with revenues in excess of €630 million in 2012. Through his company, Niculae manages approximately 50,000 hectares of agricultural fields and is the biggest Romanian cereal cultivator. He is also the owner of 170 hectares of vineyards, reaping their first harvest in 2008. Since 2004, the total amount of agricultural investments done by his company has surpassed €100 million. Niculae
70-514: The Liga III at the start of the 2016–17 Liga III season, taking advantage of the new rule through which the first league teams could enroll their reserve squads directly in the third tier. Further, with managers such as: Constantin Schumacher , Marius Măldărășanu or Adrian Senin , Astra II obtained comfortable results: 10th ( 2016–17 ) and 4th ( 2017–18 ). During the 2017–18 season, Astra II had
84-568: The national budget due to accusations that his tobacco company, Galaxy Tobacco, had failed to pay its taxes, amounting to an excess of €120 million. Niculae fought the charges in Court and won. In 2013, Niculae faced negative press after state prosecutors alleged that two Romanian politicians gave InterAgro favorable gas discounts from 2006 to 2010. That same year, 2013, Niculae founded the Romanian Investors Council. On April 2, 2015 he
98-604: The opportunity to bring back to life the Ploiești derby , against Petrolul Ploiești . The matches ended with two draws, 0–0 on Ilie Oană Stadium and 2–2 on Astra Stadium . In 2010, when the first reserve squad was founded, it played the home matches on Marin Anastasovici Stadium in Giurgiu , Giurgiu County . From 2012 on this stadium plays its home matches the first squad of the football club, Astra Giurgiu . In 2013, after
112-406: The owner decided to cut back on expense, then the first Astra II was re-founded in the summer of 2013 as Dunărea Giurgiu , the original name of the club. In September 2012, the first team was moved from Ploiești to Giurgiu and renamed as Astra Giurgiu . One year later appeared again the idea of a second team, which was founded in the summer of 2013 as FC Astra II . The move of the first team
126-456: The re-foundation, in the current format, Astra II started to play its home matches on Ionuț Trandafir Stadium in Ciorani , Prahova County , with a capacity of 1,500 seats. In 2014 after the promotion to Liga III , Astra II moved its home matches on Astra Stadium in Ploiești , Prahova County , the former stadium of the mother club, Astra Giurgiu . Astra Stadium has a capacity of 9,000 seats and
140-611: The winners of Dâmbovița County series. After the promotion Astra II moved to Ploiești , on the Astra Stadium and started to be known as Astra II Ploiești, even if in some situations media refers to the team, as Astra II Giurgiu, due to name of the mother club, Astra Giurgiu. In the Liga III Astra II finished last in the first season and relegated. After one season in the Liga IV , where it finished 9th of 16, Astra II entered back in
154-439: Was accused of being an informer of Securitate , the secret police agency of Communist Romania. In the 2013 Forbes list of billionaires , Niculae was stated to have an estimated fortune of $ 1.2 billion, holding the 1372nd position. He is the third Romanian to be featured in the magazine, after Dinu Patriciu and Ion Țiriac . Since 1996 Niculae has been the owner of the Astra Giurgiu football team. In 2021 Ioan Niculae
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#1732858680532168-520: Was jailed for 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 years for illegal financing the PSD electoral campaign from 2009. In 2013, Niculae filed divorce from his wife, Domnita Niculae, ending a 31-year-old marriage. The divorce trial is still pending. He is the father of three children. FC Astra Giurgiu Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include
182-506: Was only for the official matches, the youth academy and the training were still conducted in Ploiești , such that the new reserve team established its camp at Ciorani , Prahova County , 40 km away from Ploiești . Astra II Ciorani , as it was commonly known at that time, promoted to Liga III at the end of the 2013–14 Liga IV season, after winning the Prahova County series and also the promotion play-off match against FC Aninoasa ,
196-469: Was sentenced to 5 years in prison for tax evasion, money laundering and influence buying, being involved in many corruption cases. He entered the business world after 1990, setting up, alongside a Turkish partner, a chemical trade company – Interaction. In 1995, he founded InterAgro, a Romanian-Chinese joint venture. In 1997, Niculae became the majority stakeholder of the Astra Ploiesti refinery, after
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