05.05.2010, 04:26
One empty spot in the trophy cabinet

Valcea coach Radu Voina reaches out for his third European trophy.

One empty spot in the trophy cabinet

For the coach of Oltchim Valcea, Radu Voina, the Women’s EHF Champions League Final against Viborg HK will not be the first attempt to win the world’s most important title in club handball. Actually, this will be the third time for Voina to grab for the big trophy.

The first time was in 1977, when he succeeded as a Steaua Bucharest player, when the Romanians won the European Cup against CSKA Moscow.

Twelve years later, in 1989, Radu Voina was Steaua’s coach in the European Cup final against SKA Minsk, but that time he ended up on second place.

This year Radu Voina will try again to win the Champions League, but for the first time with a women’s team. "Working with women is as hard as to work with men. But for me the satisfaction is bigger now with Oltchim Valcea," Radu Voina declared.

Voina rates this season’s performance much harder to achieve than back in 1989. "With Steaua in 1989, we reached the final after being lucky and meeting a couple of easier teams on our way. But now with Valcea, we had to play 14 games already, and all of them against very tough opponents," the coach of Valcea compared.

For reaching the Women’s EHF Champions League Final, Radu Voina has been congratulated even by the Romanian president, Traian Basescu.

"Now everything is on our hands. No presentation is necessary for the team of Viborg, they can count on very valuable players. Many of them are the best players in the world on their position. But keep in mind that we have also have proved that Valcea has become one of the strongest teams of the world. So I expect a very close fight. Probably the trophy will be decided in the very last seconds of the second leg game," Radu Voina said.

Last season, under his command Valcea reached the EHF Champions League semi-finals for the first time in their history. In Voina’s second year a coach of a women’s handball team, Valcea now has the chance to win the big trophy – the only European trophy missing in Voina’s trophy cabinet.

TEXT: Emilian Voicu