Tunisian trio shines in Bucharest

For the past few seasons, Dinamo have dominated the Romanian league, winning the title four years in a row.

The recipe was simple: scout good, but unproven players, who can deliver on the big stage, despite their lack of experience.

Three years ago, bringing the Esteki brothers was a coup, with left back Sajad Esteki scoring 70 goals in his first season in the VELUX EHF Champions League.

Encouraged by their success with Iranian players, Dinamo went further and identified three Tunisian players as their go-to guys. So while it came as a surprise for many, Dinamo knew exactly what they were doing when they signed centre back Kamel Alouini, right back Amine Bannour and goalkeeper Makrem Missaoui last season.

For the trio it was all about the chance to play in the VELUX EHF Champions League.

“I had already played in the EHF Cup, so I figured, why not try and play in the European top competition?” says playmaker Alouini. “It was a challenge, I did not know much about Romania, but surely it became apparent that it was what I wanted. I was the first to sign, then Makrem and Amine followed.”

“Like a family”

This season, Dinamo have players with eight different nationalities and from three different continents. It might get hard sometimes, but it also can surprise their opponents, especially when players are in good shape.

Right back Amine Bannour was the pick of the crop, statistically speaking, scoring 60 goals last season and 24 goals in the first four rounds this season. But Alouini’s creativity and speed have made him undroppable from the side as well.

“I feel like home here, it is a special relationship both inside the team and between the players and the fans,” says Alouini. “When you win in Dinamo, well, everything is… I cannot find my words. You have to feel it to explain it.”

The atmosphere in the Dinamo Arena is electric, as fans flock to see their favourites, with sold-out games being the norm when the ‘Red Dogs’ are playing at home.

“My Tunisian club, Club Africain, had the same colours and the same raucous fans. So I feel very well here, it is like my second home, so I give it all and have no regrets,” says Bannour.

Both Alouini and Bannour see the similarities between the atmosphere at home in Tunisia, and in Bucharest, as they are used to play in front of raucous fans that disrupt what the opponents prepare and do on the court.

“We are like a family here, despite being from different countries and this translates on the court,” adds Bannour.

Riding the optimism and the fans’ sheer joy, Dinamo are unbeaten in the first four rounds of the season, topping the table in Group D, with three wins and a draw.

A big game against Wisla Plock in Poland looms (live on ehfTV.com on Sunday at 16:00 CEST) and the Romanian side is ready to make the next step.

“Every game is important, every week brings a new challenge,” says Alouini. “We are not a surprise package anymore in the competition, but I really think we improved in the past two years and, why not, I think a Last 16 berth is a target we can all look up to and complete.”

Tunisian food, coffee and a big city

The three Tunisian players are more than 2,500 kilometres away from home, yet they feel at home in Bucharest, a city with over 2.5 million inhabitants.

“Of course, winters are harder than in Tunisia, but in general, the temperature is OK, there are a lot of sunny days and I feel at home here,” says Alouini.

“We have everything we need, Bucharest is a big city and we can go outside with our families, eat something good or just drink a coffee,” adds Bannour.

But what about Tunisian food?

“Well, we did not find a restaurant, but we have our families here. My wife is a very good cook and all my teammates complimented her. It’s the bomb, they say,” says Alouini.

The Tunisian trio has helped elevate Dinamo to new grounds, and now they aim to stay undefeated until the end of the group phase. It is a tough ask, especially when a double-header against Orlen Wisla Plock coming up, but there is an upbeat feeling inside Dinamo’s camp.

“We want to place inside the top two and we did our part until now,” says Bannour. “What’s there to stop us?”