Xavi Pascual to coach Romania’s men’s national team

While Romania’s women’s national team has entered a path of success ever since the appointment of Swedish head coach Tomas Ryde in March 2015, proven most recently with the team’s third place at the World Championship 2015, it has been all the opposite for the men’s team.

Romania’s failed to qualify for the EHF EURO for the past 20 years and only took part twice – without any major success – at World Championships.

However, the Romanian Handball Federation is working hard to change and has presented another cornerstone, as FC Barcelona Lassa head coach Xavi Pascual will lead the team come the EHF EURO 2018 Qualification in October.

“He knows Romania very well, he has friends here. We understood each other very well, we both played in Barcelona. We share the same values. I think this meant a lot and was decisive for his decision,” said the federation’s president Alexandru Dedu.

Pascual has been issued with a two-year-contract, making it obvious that the primary goal will be the successful qualification to the EHF EURO 2018.

“This is a big chance for me, and I promise we will work more and more to achieve what we want. There is little time for error, so I want to have good results from the first year here,” said Pascual who will continue coaching FC Barcelona Lassa.

It is Pascual’s first attempt as coach on the national team level.

The Spaniard, who won the VELUX EHF Champions League as coach for Barcelona in 2011 and 2015, succeeds Aihan Omer who had steered Romania through the first qualification phase to the EHF EURO 2018 but quit in May.