Unirea Urziceni, the club that beat Rangers 4-1 at Ibrox in the Champions League two years ago, have been closed down after their owner lost interest.
It is an unlikely move, even by Liga 1 standards. Unirea, a previously low-profile, low-achieving side from a town of 20,000 people, rose to prominence in 2002 after being bought by the businessman Dumitru Bucsaru. After five big-spending years, they were in the top flight being managed by the ex-Chelsea player Dan Petrescu, who rebranded them "The Wolves".
The year 2009 was special. Unirea, famous in Romania for having only one regular away fan, known as "the Lonely Wolf", beat the established sides and won the title. Petrescu moved on, but his side powered ahead, setting a Champions League points record for a Romanian club, earning Bucsaru an estimated €20m (£18m) in the process.
Then came the twist. As Radu Baicu of scoutingromania.com writes: "Bucsaru realised the only way for Unirea now was downwards, so quitting while he was ahead made perfect sense."
Last season, Bucsaru launched his exit strategy: selling off the best of the squad and, after defeat to Liverpool in the Europa League, watching the remnants slide to relegation. Last week, authorities confirmed Bucsaru had walked away, leaving behind a shell of a club with a tax debt of €1.5m. Fixtures and fittings are being sold off to help cover that – including the turnstiles, listed at €85k.
Gazeta Sporturilor described Bucsaru's brief reign as "like an enormous prank", while Urziceni's mayor said he was powerless to salvage their 57-year-old club. "We just can't afford to save it. It would take three times our annual budget."
As for the fan response: the Lonely Wolf – real name Leonard Constantin – says he will find a way to move on. "It's sad, but I will find a new club. I'm already making new banners. I love this game. For me, football is everything."