RRI Sports Club

The latest from handball

Florin Orban, 17.03.2021, 13:45

The Romanian men’s handball team significantly reduced on Sunday its chances to qualify to next year’s European Championship, after losing at home to Kosovo, 25-30, and only succeeding a draw, 23-all in the previous match. The poor results scored by the team triggered a wave of criticism levelled at the Romanian Handball federation’s leadership. Members of the Gold Generation of Romanian handball, such as Radu Voina and Vasile Stanga have called on the Federation’s president, Alexandru Dedu, to resign. The latter, however, believes the team still stands a chance to qualify.

Romania will be up against world vice-champion Sweden in Sibiu, on April 28 and against Montenegro in Podgorita, on May 2nd. Sweden ranks first in Group 8 of the second round of the European Championship’s preliminaries, with 6 points out of three games followed by Romania and Kosovo with 3 points out of 4 games. Montenegro comes 4th with 2 points out of 3 games. The first two sides in each group as well as the four best sides on the third position are qualified for the final tournament. The 2022 European Championship will be the second one with 24 participants. Champion Spain and vice-champion Croatia are already qualified, just like host countries Hungary and Slovakia. Romania’s latest participation in a European Championship was in 1996, in Spain, when it came out 9th.

In women’s handball, Romania’s national squad will try to qualify to the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Cristina Neagu and her colleagues take part in a pre-Olympic tournament also attended by Montenegro, the host country, and Norway. Romania’s two competitors play on Friday the first match of the competition. Norway is up against Romania on Saturday while on Sunday Romania plays against Montenegro. Norway is the competition’s main favourite and, as Montenegro plays at home, the Romanians have the third chance to win the competition.

—–