Dumitrescu quits Romania role

Former international
The 33-year-old former Romanian international signed a two-year contract at the end of August to replace Ion Moldovan who had resigned to take charge of FC Dinamo Bucuresti. Dumitrescu's first game was on 6 September, when the team were beaten 2-1 by Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Failed mission
Moldovan, who is no longer with Dinamo, has emerged as favourite to succeed Dumitrescu, who was downbeat upon handing in his resignation. "After the defeat against Norway, I have no incentive to stay on as coach," he said. "But we have to be realistic. This is the actual level of our young players. The press must take some responsibility because after one good game, they praise young players as if they are big stars".

Sandu 'regrets decision'
Mircea Sandu, president of the Romanian Football Federation (FRF), said: "I regret Dumitrescu's decision. Wednesday's game against Luxembourg will be prepared by his assistant,Gheorghe Mihali. After that we'll see what we have to do."

International experience
After a playing career which included spells at FC Steaua Bucuresti, Tottenham Hotspur FC, Sevilla FC, West Ham United FC, FC America and FC Atlanta Ciudad de Mexico, Dumitrescu hung up his boots nearly three years ago after playing 63 games for Romania, including appearances at the 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.