Dumitrescu takes U21 role

Ilie Dumitrescu has been confirmed as the new coach of the Romania Under-21 team.

'No reason not to'
Dumitrescu completed his negotiations with the Romanian Football Federation (FRF) today, signing a two-year contract. He will be assisted in the role by two former FC Dinamo Bucuresti players, Gheorghe Mihali and Florin Tene.

Emergency appointment
Dumitrescu has stepped into the vacant post left by Ion Moldovan who resigned from the U21 coaching job to take charge at Divizia A side FC Dinamo Bucuresti. Finding a new U21 coach had become a matter of some urgency for the FRF as they were due to play Bosnia-Herzegovina in their first competitive game of the new campaign on 6 September.

Consistent formula
Last Wednesday's friendly game against the Greece U21 side was played under caretaker coach Nicolae Manea, but though Romania secured a 1-1 draw, Anghel Iordanescu - who is the national team coach, technical director and head of the technical committee of the FRF - was keen to find a coach who could apply his formula for the full national side to the U21 team.

Disciplinarian approach
A disciplinarian coach in the same style as Iordanescu, Dumitrescu is the natural choice for the job, not least because, like the head coach and his assistants, Iosif Rotariu and Anton Dobos, he is a graduate of the Steaua footballing academy.

International experience
After a playing career which included spells at FC Steaua Bucuresti, Tottenham Hotspur FC, West Ham United FC, Sevilla FC, FC America and FC Atlanta Ciudad de Mexico, the 33-year-old hung up his boots nearly three years ago after playing 63 games for Romania, including appearances at 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals.

Coaching roles
After a spell working as an agent, Dumitrescu began his first coaching role in January 2001 with CS Otelul Galati. He took charge of FC Brasov for the 2001/02 season, before moving on to Cypriot side Alki FC, where he resigned his post at the end of last season after saving the Larnaca club from relegation.