Liviu Ciobotariu
Liviu Ciobotariu ( born March 26, 1971 in Ghimpaţi, Giurgiu County ) is a former Romanian football player and current coach. He played a total of 335 games in the Romanian Divizia A and the Belgian First Division. As an international, he participated in the World Cup in 1998 and the European Football Championship 2000.
Career as a player
The career of Ciobotariu began in 1989 in Bucharest Progresul in Divizia C. After the rise in 1990 in the Divizia B he played for half a year at Premier League rivals Pandurii Târgu Jiu, before he returned to Progresul. With the club he managed in 1991 to avoid relegation, before a year later, the walkthrough was done perfectly in the Divizia A.
Once in the House of Lords could Ciobotariu defend his place in the team and had his share of the steep ascent of his team. After relegation in 1993 and a place in the midfield in the following season, the club was able to place at the end of the 1994/95 season in the top third of the table. This was followed by his most successful years with FC Naţional as he could, both the 1995/96 season as well as finished 1996/97 with his team as runner-up behind Steaua Bucharest. In two seasons with four or six hits he achieved the best goal tally of his career. After the cup final 1997 he moved with his club as inferior Cup finalist in the European Cup Winners' Cup. There, however, he suffered already in the first round against the Turkish representative Kocaelispor the corner. A year earlier the club had reached the second round of the UEFA Cup.
After nearly nine years Ciobotariu left in February 1998 Naţional and moved to local rivals Dinamo Bucharest. Here he was also able to celebrate the runner-up in the 1998/99 season. In autumn 1999 it undertook the top Belgian club Standard Liege. After two years he moved to RAEC Mons in the Division II, where he achieved his promotion to the First Division. After relegation in 2003, the club came in the 2003 /04 in danger of relegation. During the winter break but Ciobotariu moved to league rivals Royal Antwerp FC, with whom he came in last place in the table only.
In the summer of 2004 Ciobotariu returned to Romania and finished by another runner with Dinamo Bucharest his career.
National
Ciobotariu played 32 games for the Romanian national football team. He made his debut on 20 August 1997 in a World Cup qualifier against Macedonia when he came on in the 74th minute for Daniel Prodan. After successful qualification coach Anghel Iordănescu one years later appointed him in his squad for the 1998 World Cup in France. Although he had previously denied only four internationals, Ciobotariu played the tournament as a regular player.
After the World Cup Ciobotariu could claim his place in the team even under Iordanescu successor Victor Piţurcă. The end of 1999 he was able to celebrate the successful qualification for Euro 2000. He belonged to the squad of the new national coach Emerich Jenei, arrived in Belgium and the Netherlands, but only in the opening game against Germany as well as in the quarterfinals against Italy for use.
In the following World Cup qualifying Ciobotarius inserts were rare. On 6 June 2001, he played his last international match against Lithuania.
Career as a coach
After the end of his active career Ciobotariu worked as a football coach. In June 2007 he left Dunărea Galaţi, to sign up as a successor to Costel Orac one-year contract in the League II at CS Otopeni. At the end of the season promotion to the Liga 1, but Ciobotariu took until September 2008 as coach at International Curtea de Arges. In November 2008, he was again head coach of CS Otopeni in Liga 1, where he became the successor of Marian Bucurescu. He had taken over the club second from bottom place and he was not able to avoid relegation. He remained in Otopeni, but left the club in October 2009, to his former club Pandurii Targu Jiu to take over the House of Lords, who had previously separated from Sorin Cârţu. After just one win in eleven games, he was dismissed again in March 2010 and replaced by his predecessor. On 30 September 2010 he broke Daniel Timofte as Coach for CF Brăila, the last of the league table II, from. He came only to a draw in five league games, he was again replaced by Timofte in November 2010. 24 December 2010 Ciobotariu was taken as coach of second division club Dinamo Bucharest II and as a youth coach in the bar of Dinamo Bucharest. On 11 July 2011 he was promoted as the successor of Ioan Andone to first-team coach. Although Dinamo took second place in the standings and the semi-final first leg of the Cupa României had won the 2011/12 against Gaz Metan Medias, Ciobotariu was fired after a home defeat against Petrolul Ploiesti on 10 April 2012 and replaced by the Italians Dario Bonetti.
In August 2012, Ciobotariu head coach of first division CSMS Iaşi. He was released in April 2013 in view of the impending descent and replaced by Sorin Cârţu. Since October 2013 he is responsible for the FC Vaslui.
Achievements
As a player
- World Cup participants: 1998
- EM participants: 2000
- Romanian runner-up: 1996, 1997, 1999, 2005
- Romanian Cup Winners: 2005
- Rise in the Belgian First Division: 2002
Others
Ciobotariu is married and has two sons who both play football. The older son, Cosmin Ciobotariu (* 1993), debuted in 2009 as a defender for CS Corbeanca in the league, he later switched to IV CS Cautis and then coached for a short time under his father at CS Otopeni before 2011 for a career when referee awarded.