Media: Romanian Football Federation is after Albania’s coach

The Romanian Football Federation (FRF) is currently looking for a new coach for the national football team after a bad run at the Euro 2016. FRF president Razvan Burleanu said that he would announce the new coach by the end of the Euro, and that a foreign coach may be approached for the job. One of the people who may be on the Romanian federation’s list for the job is Italian Gianni De Biasi, who has been managing Albania’s national football team since 2011, according to Italian sports website calciomercato.it. However, Ukraine and Turkey may also be in the race to sign the Italian. De Biasi has led Albania to its best international performance as the team managed to qualify to its first European Championship this year. Moreover, Albania also managed to get its first victory at the Euro 2016 against Romania. The result hasn’t helped Albania qualify to the knock-out phase of the competition, but helped the team finish third in group A, after France and Switzerland, but ahead Romania. Romania, who was managed by Anghel Iordanescu, the same coach who led its “golden generation” to the quarter finals of the 1994 World Cup in the US, played well in their first match at the Euro 2016, which was in fact the opening match against France, but lost 1-2. They got a draw against Switzerland in the second match 1-1, and needed a victory against Albania in the last match to qualify to the last 16. Romania has been struggling in the past 16 years, after the generation led by Gheorghe Hagi retired. The local football league, which has been struggling with scandals and bankruptcies, hasn’t managed to produce any new stars and there are only a handful of Romanians currently playing in Europe’s strongest leagues (Italy, England, Spain, and Germany). The new coach’s objective will be to take the team to the World Cup 2018 in Russia. Romania will play against Denmark, Poland, Montenegro, Armenia, and Kazakhstan. De Biasi said that he hadn’t been contacted by the Romanian federation’s representatives, but mentioned that he had a good opinion about Romania’s national team and that their chances to qualify to the World Cup in 2018 were good, according to local digisport.ro. Romania’s last good result at an international competition was at Euro 2000, when the team made it out of a very difficult group with Portugal, England, and Germany. Since then, Romania has only managed to qualify to two European Championships, in 2008 and 2016.