Fotbal Club Academica Clinceni, commonly known as Academica Clinceni or simply as Clinceni, is a Romanian football club based in Clinceni, Ilfov County, currently playing in the Liga I. Founded in 2005 under the name of CS Buftea, following a merger between a local team from Buftea, which was playing in the fourth division and Cimentul Fieni, being located only 20 km north-west of Bucharest, in the town of Buftea, Ilfov County, the club had originally a red, white and blue combination of colors and played its home matches on Orășenesc Stadium. The club was enrolled directly in the Liga III and promoted for the first time in the second league at the end of the 2007–08 season, but it only resisted one year, selling its place to Săgeata Stejaru and swapping divisions with the squad from Tulcea County. After another three seasons spent in the third tier, "Buftenii" promoted again, this time under the name of ACS Buftea, but the local authorities have withdrawn their financial support leaving the club in a position to play a Romanian Cup match only with youth players, registering the biggest defeat in the history of the club and probably the biggest in the history of the Romanian football, 0–31. After this black episode the team near Bucharest made a decent season and at the end was ranked 6th (the best performance in the history of the club at that time). In the next years followed three relocations for the club, which has a short, but tumultuous history. First time in 2013, the club was bought by the local authorities from Clinceni, 30 km away from Buftea, renamed as FC Clinceni and rebranded, then one year later, businessman Constantin Moroianu bought the club, moved it to Pitești, renamed it as Academica Argeș, changing its colors and logo. After another year the club was relocated again to Clinceni, renamed as Academica Clinceni, changed its colors back in black and blue and also the logo. After some financial problems, the club started in 2017 a collaboration with FCSB, having some young players on loan from the multiple champions of Romania. In 2019 under the led of Ilie Poenaru and with a squad composed mostly of young players, Academica promoted in the Liga I, for the first time in its 14 years old history representing the smallest locality that ever played in the Liga I, commune of Clinceni having a population of only 4,938 people. The previous record was held by Brănești with 8,531 inhabitants, whose team, Victoria played in the top-flight during the 2010–11 season.

Academica Clinceni