Agrupación Deportiva Ceuta Fútbol Club is a Spanish football club based in the autonomous city of Ceuta. Founded in 1956, it plays in Primera División RFEF – Group 2.
History
The club was found in 1956, after a merger between Sociedad Deportiva Ceuta and Atlético Tetuán, under the name of Club Atlético de Ceuta. It eventually took the place of Tetuán in Segunda División, remaining in the category for six campaigns.
After a one-year spell in Tercera División, Atlético Ceuta returned to the second level and enjoyed a further five seasons before suffering relegation in 1968. The club subsequently fluctuated between the fourth and fifth levels, staying in the former for a short amount of time.
After being promoted to the fourth division in 2012 due to an administrative relegation, Atlético Ceuta tried to merge with AD Ceuta. However, due to the latter's high debts, the club remained under the same name, but with the staff and players of the Agrupación Deportiva.
In 2013, the club was officially named Agrupación Deportiva Ceuta Fútbol Club, inheriting AD Ceuta's colours and logo.
After the 2020–21 Tercera División season, Ceuta won with an added-time goal in the playoff final against Xerez CD to win promotion to the new Segunda División RFEF, albeit still the fourth tier of Spanish football.[2] The team stayed in that league for only one season, achieving promotion to the Primera Federación with a 2–0 playoff final win away to AD Unión Adarve; this put them in the third tier for the first time since 1970.[3]
Manager Chus Trujillo [es], who oversaw the promotion, was dismissed on 19 September 2022 having lost all of the first four games of the 2022–23 Primera Federación season.[4] He was replaced by José Juan Romero in his second spell at the club.[5] The team defeated UD Ibiza of the Segunda División (3–2) and Elche CF of La Liga (1–0) to reach a best-ever last 16 of the Copa del Rey in the same season; there, they lost 5–0 at home to FC Barcelona.[6] Striker Rodri finished the season with 20 goals, the most in the league.[7]
Club background
Ceuta Sport Club — (1932–41); renamed in 1941 to Sociedad Deportiva Ceuta
^"El Ceuta quiere ampliar la capacidad del Alfonso Murube contra el Barça y tendrá VAR" [Ceuta want to increase the capacity of the Alfonso Murube against Barça and it will have VAR]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 9 January 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
^"La AD Ceuta logra el ascenso en el último suspiro y ya es equipo de Segunda RFEF" [AD Ceuta achieves promotion at the last gasp and is now a Segunda RFEF team] (in Spanish). Ceuta al Día. 5 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
^Fernández, Raúl (29 May 2022). "El Ceuta hace historia ascendiendo a 1ª División RFEF" [Ceuta make history by being promoted to the Primera División RFEF]. El Faro de Ceuta (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 June 2023.
^Castillo, Alejandro (19 September 2022). "Chus Trujillo, destituido como entrenador del Ceuta" [Chus Trujillo, dismissed as manager of Ceuta] (in Spanish). Ceuta al Día. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
^Castillo, Alejandro (20 September 2022). "José Juan Romero regresa al banquillo del Ceuta" [José Juan Romero returns to Ceuta's bench] (in Spanish). Ceuta al Día. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
^Aranda, Rafa (19 January 2023). "Ceuta 0 – Barcelona 5: resumen, goles y resultado del partido" [Ceuta 0 – Barcelona 5: report, goals and result of the match]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 June 2023.
^Morcillo, Fernando (27 May 2023). "Rodri Ríos: "Este equipo se merece la permanencia"" [Rodri Ríos: "This team deserves to stay up"]. El Faro de Ceuta (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 June 2023.
