Handball lost a giant

The sad news of a brutal Saturday night aggression is clear: players of MKB Veszprém were attacked in a restaurant of Veszprém by a group of criminals armed with knives. However, the exact circumstances are still unclear.

Marian Cozma dies at the age of 26; Ivan Pesic and Zarko Sesum are seriously injured.

Doctors of the hospital of Veszprém confirm that the Serbian national player Sesum will recover rather quickly after reconstructive surgery. His team mate, the Croatian Pesic, will be revived from the artificial coma today after his kidney had to be removed. His recovery will take longer time, but the young player will hopefully be able to return to handball.

Unfortunately, doctors who arrived to the scenes of the Saturday night devastation were unable to save the life of Marian Cozma and the player died in the hands of his team mate Ferenc Illyés.

Tears for the player

The players and the club of MKB Veszprém, the Romanian national team and the fans lost a handball giant. Even more importantly, the family and friends lost a cheerful and loving personality. Cozma was a modest player who was by no means aggressive on or off the court.

“I loved him as a little brother,” team mate Dejan Peric said.

“He was like a 16-year old boy,” added club manager Csaba Hajnal. “I would have asked for his coat, he would have given it to me without a question. He was always laughing, loved to live.”

The family was obviously devastated. The father of the player could only say a few words after hearing the news:

“Oh, my god, I can’t believe it. I just had a chat with him at half past eleven and he was planning the future.”

His plans for the future, just as his spectacular handball career, are left unfinished.

Abrupt end to a promising career

The 26-year old Cozma arrived in Veszprém from his home town club, Dinamo Bucharest in 2006. He needed only short time to win important trophies.

Apart from the Romanian and Hungarian league titles, he could also lift the Cup Winners’ Cup trophy back in 2008.

The final against Rhein-Neckar Löwen and his four goals will remain in handball history.

Marian Cozma, who had just returned from his first World Championship that took place in Croatia, was famous for an unusual style on the line, being a line player with exceptional physical attributes and height. The way he caught the ball made it almost impossible for any opponent to stop him. On the other hand, he was a tough and very fair defender.

There can be no other Marian Cozma – the handball world and fans will truly miss him.

And while news keep coming in – two of the suspects arrested – the handball community is mourning the Romanian giant, a handball giant.