Despite stating on Monday, following the sacking of Danish head coach Anja Andersen, that he is not interested in returning to Oltchim, Radu Voina, head coach of the Romanian women’s national handball team, eventually accepted to come back at the helm of the title holders, gsp.ro informs. The decision was taken at the end of lengthy negotiations with Oltchim President Ioan Gavrilescu. Voina will coach Oltchim for its championship game against Jolidon on Thursday and on Friday will leave for Montenegro where the team will play against Buducnost in the Champions League.
On Monday the head coach stated that Anja Andersen should be allowed to complete her term at the team’s helm. “I don’t want to make any comments about Anja Andersen, but now she can say that the defeat suffered at the hands of Itxako meant preparing to win the last two group games against Buducnost and Krim. Who could contradict her? She should have been allowed to fail if things have gotten to this point,” Voina said.
The Romanian head coach left Oltchim last summer after finding out that club officials had started looking for a replacement early that year. Voina played the Champions League final then coached the national team alone, a team with which he won the bronze medal at the European Championships in Denmark and Norway last year. Three times winner of the Champions League as head coach of Slagelse, Andersen took over Oltchim in early February. Since then the team registered two wins and two defeats in the most important interclub competition in Europe. Losing the two legs against Spain’s Itxako proved to be decisive, club officials deciding to sack the Danish head coach.
