PHOTO: Juventus Force Romanian Copycats to Rebrand Name & Crest After 25 Years

Serie A giants Juventus have reportedly urged a Romanian club with a similar name and crest to undergo a rebranding exercise and drastically change their profile. 

The team in question is Juventus Bucharest, which is based in the Romanian capital and has used the name Juventus and a strikingly similar crest to the Scudetto holders since 1992, but are not affiliated with the Italians. 

Having just recently been promoted to the first national league, the Liga I, after topping the table in the Liga II last year, the team has acquired added popularity perhaps prompting interest from the Turin-based side.

While the Italian Juventus famously play in black and white stripes, the Romanians turn out in white and blue, while the crest reflects these colours along with a red stripe and other small differences.

The Serie A giants have, ironically, only recently launched a complete rebranding of their own, having re-designed their crest and revolutionised their whole image. However, they have still asked the Romanians to do the same in an attempt to avoid confusion. 

For these reasons, starting for the 2018/19 season Juventus Bucharest will become FC Colentina and will feature a brand new logo. 

The Romanians have announced it on their Facebook page and website, in a concise statement that says: "Association Football Club Juventus Bucharest will inform you that starting with the competitive season 2018-2019 will change its logo and the current club name."

The new name is a partial return to the origins of the club, who, in the 1920s, was called Juventus Colentina Bucharest. 

The copycat crest is not the only example in football of such an incident. League Two Forest Green Rovers sported a badge with more than a passing resemblance to  European juggernauts Barcelona until the 2011/12 season when it was changed.