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FC Dunav Ruse

Bulgarian football club

Summary

Bulgarian football club

Field	Value
clubname	Dunav Ruse
current	2018–19 FC Dunav Ruse season
image	FC Dunav logo.png
upright	0.8
fullname	Football Club Dunav from Ruse
nickname	Драконите (The Dragons)
founded
ground	Gradski Stadion
capacity	13,000
owner	Fans Association / Academy Managers
mgrtitle	Head coach
manager	Georgi Chilikov
league	Second League
season	2024–25
position	Second League, 6th of 20
website
pattern_la1		pattern_b1=_jomatiger4dnt	pattern_ra1=	pattern_sh1=	pattern_so1=
leftarm1	181146	body1=181146	rightarm1=181146	shorts1=181146	socks1=181146
pattern_la2	_jomatoletum3wb	pattern_b2=_jomatoletum3wb	pattern_ra2=_jomatoletum3wb	pattern_sh2=
leftarm2	FFFFFF	body2=FFFFFF	rightarm2=FFFFFF	shorts2=FFFFFF	socks2=FFFFFF
pattern_la3	_jomasupernova3ntf	pattern_b3=_jomasupernova3ntf	pattern_ra3=_jomasupernova3ntf	pattern_sh3=	pattern_so3=
leftarm3	181146	body3=181146	rightarm3=181146	shorts3=181146	socks3=181146

FC Dunav (, officially named "Дунав от Русе") is a Bulgarian professional football club based in Ruse, which currently competes in the Second League, the second tier of the Bulgarian football league system.

Part of a larger sports branch, Dunav were established on February 16, 1949, as a merger of two local football clubs in the city, Dinamo and Rusenets. Nicknamed The Dragons (), Dunav's home colours are sky blue and white. Named after the Danube River, on the banks of which the city of Ruse is situated, the club plays its home matches at the local Gradski stadion, which has a seating capacity of 13,000 spectators.

Among the club's most notable achievements are a final in the Bulgarian championship in 1937, a First League fourth place in 1975, 1989 and 2017, and four domestic cup finals in 1938, 1939, 1941 and 1962 respectively. The club's most recent top flight participation has been during the 2019–20 season.

History

Domestic

Over the course of its history, the club carried a variety of different names such as Sava, Napredak, Levski, Varush, Angel Kanchev, Rakovski, Rusenets, Dinamo, Spartak, DNA, Torpedo and Partizanin. Dunav played in the A Group over a number of seasons between 1937 and 1940, 1951, 1956, 1958–67, 1968–73, 1974–77, 1984–86, 1988–91 and 1996–98, before being relegated again.

Roma]] at the Municipal Stadium in 1975.

Following years of several movements between lower divisions, a decent squad, established by playing manager Engibar Engibarov at the time, eventually won the Cup of Bulgarian Amateur Football League in 2003–04 and for the next season they finally gained promotion to the B PFG after a long-term absence in the amateur divisions. It was to be their first appearance in professional football since the club was relegated from the A Group in 1991.

From January 5, 2006, until October 2 of the same year, Dunav were managed by Ferario Spasov. He acquired some well-known footballers and loaned talented players from Litex Lovech in an unsuccessful attempt to reach the first division again.

The 2009–10 season in the B Group was very narrow for the club as the dream of reaching the A Group almost became a reality. Dunav finished the first half of the season in first place, leaving behind the teams of Kaliakra Kavarna and Nesebar. The second half of the season started very well and the team was in a row with a couple of very significant wins, but they won only one game in their last 7 matches and eventually failed to gain promotion to the top flight.

In the following years, Dunav again failed to impress and was mostly seen as a middle table club in the final ranking of the B Group. In 2010–11, the club was left by some of its good players, as a result of ongoing financial difficulties in the team. Dunav subsequently withdrew from the B Group in February 2011, after being unable to reduce its financial debts to the municipality and a majority of its squad players. A few days later, the club announced bankruptcy and was dissolved.

In 2011, Dr. Simeon Simeonov established a new entity under the name Dunav 2010, which was approved by the BFU to start from the lowest levels of Bulgarian football. The team obtained license and after several court decisions in the following months, it regained the traditions and history of its predecessor. In 2015, the club won the Bulgarian Amateur Cup and was promoted to the second division.

In 2016, Dunav 2010 became champions of the 2015-16 B Group and were promoted to the top flight for the first time since 1991, 25 years after their last participation. They completed in the debut season of the newly renamed Bulgarian First League. Their first year in the BFL was an instant success, as they finished fourth and qualified for Europa League.

Ever since, Dunav's financial situation has been very unstable, despite the club playing in the top tier.

During the winter break of the 2019–20 season, Dunav owners stated that the team might face administrative relegation if a new income source is not provided on time. However, the club continued to participate in the top tier until the very end of the 2019-20 season, finishing 13'th in the league, proceeding to relegation Group B in the company of fellow top tier Botev Plovdiv ( losing 3–1 at Plovdiv), FC Arda ( winning 2–0 at Kardjali) and Botev Vratsa ( losing 3–1 at Ruse, Bulgaria). As a result, finishing 4'th in the group ( last place), qualifying for the relegation playoffs. In a group, competing against Botev Vratsa ( drawing 0–0 at Vratsa) and Tsarsko Selo ( winning 1–0 at Rousse), finishing second in the group. Second place meaning a Relegation play-off final against the third from the Second Professional Football League (Bulgaria), where Dunav lost 4–1 to FC Montana, thus being relegated. However, Dunav's financial situation and poor ownership led to the club being taken over by the fans' association and academy coaches, announcing on 4 August 2020 that Dunav will compete in the Third League.

After two seasons in the third level, Dunav managed to promote to the Second League, at the end of the 2021–22 season.

European

On an international basis, Dunav's debut entry in the European club competitions dates back to the 1975-76 UEFA Cup, where they were drawn against Roma of the Italian Serie A. Dunav were subsequently eliminated after a 2–0 defeat in Rome and a notable 1–0 win over the Italian team in Ruse. In 2017, they managed to secure a spot in the first qualifying round of the Europa League after a prolonged period of European absence, but were eliminated by Irtysh Pavlodar after an overall 0–3 loss in both legs.

Honours

Domestic

First League:
- Fourth place: 1974–75, 2016–17
Bulgarian Cup:
- Runners-up: 1961–62
Second League:
- Winners (6): 1950, 1954, 1957, 1968, 1974, 2015–16
Third League:
- Winners (2): 2014–15, 2021–22
A Regional Group:
- Winners (1): 2010–11
Cup of Bulgarian Amateur Football League:
- Winners (2 times – record): 2004, 2015

League positions

ImageSize = width:1600 height:65 PlotArea = left:10 right:10 bottom:30 top:10 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/07/1949 till:01/07/2026 ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:2 start:1950

Colors = id:First_tier value:green legend:First_tier id:Second_tier value:white legend:Second_tier id:Third_tier value:red legend:Third_tier id:Fourth_tier value:yellow legend:Fourth_tier id:Fifth_tier value:blue legend:Fifth_tier id:Does_not_exist value:black legend:Does_not_exist

PlotData= bar:Position width:16 color:white align:center from:01/07/1949 till:01/07/1950 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/1949 till:01/07/1950 color:white shift:(0,14) text: "B" from:01/07/1950 till:01/07/1951 shift:(0,-4) text:12 from:01/07/1950 till:01/07/1951 color:green shift:(0,14) text: "A" from:01/07/1951 till:01/07/1952 shift:(0,-4) text:16 from:01/07/1952 till:01/07/1953 shift:(0,-4) text:8 from:01/07/1951 till:01/07/1953 color:white shift:(0,14) text: "B" from:01/07/1953 till:01/07/1954 shift:(0,-4) text:9 from:01/07/1953 till:01/07/1954 color:red shift:(0,14) text: "V" from:01/07/1954 till:01/07/1955 shift:(0,-4) text: from:01/07/1954 till:01/07/1955 color:black shift:(0,14) text: from:01/07/1955 till:01/07/1956 shift:(0,-4) text:12 from:01/07/1955 till:01/07/1956 color:green shift:(0,14) text: "A" from:01/07/1956 till:01/07/1957 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/1956 till:01/07/1957 color:white shift:(0,14) text: "B" from:01/07/1957 till:01/07/1958 shift:(0,-4) text:11 from:01/07/1958 till:01/07/1959 shift:(0,-4) text:6 from:01/07/1959 till:01/07/1960 shift:(0,-4) text:8 from:01/07/1960 till:01/07/1961 shift:(0,-4) text:8 from:01/07/1961 till:01/07/1962 shift:(0,-4) text:10 from:01/07/1962 till:01/07/1963 shift:(0,-4) text:11 from:01/07/1963 till:01/07/1964 shift:(0,-4) text:5 from:01/07/1964 till:01/07/1965 shift:(0,-4) text:14 from:01/07/1965 till:01/07/1966 shift:(0,-4) text:7 from:01/07/1966 till:01/07/1967 shift:(0,-4) text:15 from:01/07/1957 till:01/07/1967 color:green shift:(0,14) text: "A Group" from:01/07/1967 till:01/07/1968 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/1967 till:01/07/1968 color:white shift:(0,14) text: "B Group" from:01/07/1968 till:01/07/1969 shift:(0,-4) text:13 from:01/07/1969 till:01/07/1970 shift:(0,-4) text:10 from:01/07/1970 till:01/07/1971 shift:(0,-4) text:11 from:01/07/1971 till:01/07/1972 shift:(0,-4) text:9 from:01/07/1972 till:01/07/1973 shift:(0,-4) text:6 from:01/07/1968 till:01/07/1973 color:green shift:(0,14) text: "A Group" from:01/07/1973 till:01/07/1974 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/1973 till:01/07/1974 color:white shift:(0,14) text: "B Group" from:01/07/1974 till:01/07/1975 shift:(0,-4) text:4 from:01/07/1975 till:01/07/1976 shift:(0,-4) text:9 from:01/07/1976 till:01/07/1977 shift:(0,-4) text:16 from:01/07/1974 till:01/07/1977 color:green shift:(0,14) text: "A Group" from:01/07/1977 till:01/07/1978 shift:(0,-4) text:4 from:01/07/1978 till:01/07/1979 shift:(0,-4) text:3 from:01/07/1979 till:01/07/1980 shift:(0,-4) text:11 from:01/07/1980 till:01/07/1981 shift:(0,-4) text:9 from:01/07/1981 till:01/07/1982 shift:(0,-4) text:4 from:01/07/1982 till:01/07/1983 shift:(0,-4) text:7 from:01/07/1983 till:01/07/1984 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/1977 till:01/07/1984 color:white shift:(0,14) text: "B Group" from:01/07/1984 till:01/07/1985 shift:(0,-4) text:13 from:01/07/1985 till:01/07/1986 shift:(0,-4) text:16 from:01/07/1984 till:01/07/1986 color:green shift:(0,14) text: "A Group" from:01/07/1986 till:01/07/1987 shift:(0,-4) text:3 from:01/07/1987 till:01/07/1988 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/1986 till:01/07/1988 color:white shift:(0,14) text: "B Group" from:01/07/1988 till:01/07/1989 shift:(0,-4) text:6 from:01/07/1989 till:01/07/1990 shift:(0,-4) text:12 from:01/07/1990 till:01/07/1991 shift:(0,-4) text:15 from:01/07/1988 till:01/07/1991 color:green shift:(0,14) text: "A Group" from:01/07/1991 till:01/07/1992 shift:(0,-4) text:6 from:01/07/1992 till:01/07/1993 shift:(0,-4) text:12 from:01/07/1993 till:01/07/1994 shift:(0,-4) text:9 from:01/07/1994 till:01/07/1995 shift:(0,-4) text:3 from:01/07/1995 till:01/07/1996 shift:(0,-4) text:17 from:01/07/1991 till:01/07/1996 color:white shift:(0,14) text: "B Group" from:01/07/1996 till:01/07/1997 shift:(0,-4) text:3 from:01/07/1996 till:01/07/1997 color:red shift:(0,14) text: "V" from:01/07/1997 till:01/07/1998 shift:(0,-4) text:14 from:01/07/1997 till:01/07/1998 color:white shift:(0,14) text: "B" from:01/07/1998 till:01/07/1999 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/1999 till:01/07/1999 color:red shift:(0,14) text: "V" from:01/07/1999 till:01/07/2000 shift:(0,-4) text:4 from:01/07/2000 till:01/07/2001 shift:(0,-4) text:11 from:01/07/2001 till:01/07/2002 shift:(0,-4) text:10 from:01/07/2002 till:01/07/2003 shift:(0,-4) text:15 from:01/07/1999 till:01/07/2004 color:white shift:(0,14) text: "B" from:01/07/2003 till:01/07/2004 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/2003 till:01/07/2004 color:yellow shift:(0,14) text: Regional from:01/07/2004 till:01/07/2005 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/2004 till:01/07/2005 color:red shift:(0,14) text: "V" from:01/07/2005 till:01/07/2006 shift:(0,-4) text:6 from:01/07/2006 till:01/07/2007 shift:(0,-4) text:5 from:01/07/2007 till:01/07/2008 shift:(0,-4) text:5 from:01/07/2008 till:01/07/2009 shift:(0,-4) text:5 from:01/07/2009 till:01/07/2010 shift:(0,-4) text:3 from:01/07/2005 till:01/07/2010 color:white shift:(0,14) text: "B Group" from:01/07/2010 till:01/07/2011 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/2010 till:01/07/2011 color:yellow shift:(0,14) text: "Regional" from:01/07/2011 till:01/07/2012 shift:(0,-4) text:6 from:01/07/2012 till:01/07/2013 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/2011 till:01/07/2013 color:red shift:(0,14) text: "V from:01/07/2013 till:01/07/2014 shift:(0,-4) text:13 from:01/07/2013 till:01/07/2014 color:white shift:(0,14) text: "B" from:01/07/2014 till:01/07/2015 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/2014 till:01/07/2015 color:red shift:(0,14) text: "V from:01/07/2015 till:01/07/2016 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/2015 till:01/07/2016 color:white shift:(0,14) text: "B" from:01/07/2016 till:01/07/2017 shift:(0,-4) text:4 from:01/07/2017 till:01/07/2018 shift:(0,-4) text:12 from:01/07/2018 till:01/07/2019 shift:(0,-4) text:11 from:01/07/2019 till:01/07/2020 shift:(0,-4) text:12 from:01/07/2016 till:01/07/2020 color:green shift:(0,14) text: "First League" from:01/07/2020 till:01/07/2021 shift:(0,-4) text:5 from:01/07/2021 till:01/07/2022 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/2020 till:01/07/2022 color:red shift:(0,14) text: "3rd" from:01/07/2022 till:01/07/2023 shift:(0,-4) text:6 from:01/07/2023 till:01/07/2024 shift:(0,-4) text:9 from:01/07/2024 till:01/07/2025 shift:(0,-4) text:6 from:01/07/2025 till:01/07/2026 shift:(0,-4) text: from:01/07/2022 till:01/07/2026 color:white shift:(0,14) text: "2nd"

European record

Matches

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1975–76	UEFA Cup	1R	Italy Roma	1–0	0–2	1–2
2017–18	UEFA Europa League	1Q	Kazakhstan Irtysh Pavlodar	0–2	0–1	0–3

Players

Current squad

For recent transfers, see Transfers summer 2025 and Transfers winter 2025–26.

Notable players

Had international caps for their respective countries, held any club record, or have more than 100 league appearance. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries.

;Bulgaria

Bulgaria Diyan Angelov
Bulgaria Miroslav Budinov
Bulgaria Diyan Dimov
Bulgaria Engibar Engibarov
Bulgaria Yordan Filipov
Bulgaria Kostadin Hazurov
Bulgaria Nikola Hristov
Bulgaria Georgi Iliev
Bulgaria Ismail Isa
Bulgaria Birsent Karagaren
Bulgaria Ivaylo Kirilov
Bulgaria Branimir Kostadinov
Bulgaria Martin Kovachev
Bulgaria Svetoslav Kovachev
Bulgaria Martin Lukov
Bulgaria Blagoy Makendzhiev
Bulgaria Iliya Milanov
Bulgaria Mihail Milchev
Bulgaria Miroslav Mironov
Bulgaria Anatoli Nankov
Bulgaria Yuliyan Nenov
Bulgaria Ivan Paskov
Bulgaria Petar Patev
Bulgaria Boyan Peykov
Bulgaria Ivaylo Radentsov
Bulgaria Georgi Sokolov
Bulgaria Georgi Velinov
Bulgaria Nikola Yordanov ;Africa
Burkina Faso Eliseé Sou
Ghana Samuel Inkoom ;Asia
Lebanon Samir Ayass
Tajikistan Nuriddin Davronov
Tajikistan Iskandar Dzhalilov
Turkmenistan Igor Kislov

Past/Current seasons

Season	Lvl	League	Place	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts	Bulgarian Cup
2010–11	IV	A RFG	1	9	0	2	20	8	27	First round
2011–12	III	V Group	6	12	10	6	48	19	46	not qualified
2012–13	III	V Group	2	24	2	2	86	15	74	not qualified
2013–14	II	B Group	13	6	9	11	24	32	27	First round
2014–15	III	V Group	1	28	1	1	121	11	85	Second round
2015–16	II	B Group	1	18	10	2	53	19	64	Second round
2016–17	I	First League	4	15	10	11	46	44	55	Quarterfinals
2017–18	I	First League	12	11	7	19	31	50	40	Quarterfinals
2018–19	I	First League	11	9	9	19	40	59	36	Second round
2019–20	I	First League	13	6	8	17	26	55	26	First round
2020–21	III	Third League	5	16	5	7	60	33	53	Preliminary Round
Green marks a season followed by promotion, red a season followed by relegation.

References

"Футболен клуб Дунав – ФК Дунав, футболни събития и прогнози".
(26 April 2017). "Дунав показа как се прави! Вече над 4000 фенове си купиха билети за мача с Локо". (in Bulgarian) Plovdiv24.bg.
[https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/clubs/52888--dunav/ UEFA Europa League 1975/76 History - Dunav] ''UEFA.com'' Retrieved 28 Mar 2016.
"Състав".

Wikipedia Source

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