Article by Marius Mărgărit, David Istrate – Published on Sunday, 19 April 2026, 09:20 / Updated on Sunday, 19 April 2026 09:21
Among the thousands of supporters who filled the hall in Bistrita on Saturday, for the first leg of the match between Gloria and Brest (35-36), was the former great handball player of Romania, Carmen Amariei (47 years old).
The goal scorer of our national team at the 1999 World Cup, who in 2024 was included in the Hall of Fame of the European Handball Federation, was at the Teraplast Arena for two reasons.
To encourage the local team, but also to see two former colleagues he had at the French team Besancon, the team with which he won two titles (2001, 2003), but also the EHF Cup Winners' Cup (2003).
It is about Raphaëlle Tervel and Sandrine Mariot, the coaches from Brest, with whom Carmen spent a good few minutes after the game. There were emotional moments, in which they all hugged each other several times.
Carmen Amariei: “The match was contested, Brest had little chance”
Before leaving, Carmen Amariei had a short dialogue with GSP.ro, confessing that “I came for the first time in this wonderful hall, where the atmosphere was at the level of the game.
The match was played until the last second and I think that the chance was a little on the side of the Brest team. But I enjoyed the show put on by those who came to cheer on our team.
I think that the girls from Gloria, even if they lost, still have a chance to qualify. This was only a first half, the second is coming next week.”
“It was a surprise, I didn't tell them I was coming”
Carmen was overwhelmed by meeting the two. He said that “it was a great joy to see them again. We were colleagues at Besancon for four and a half years. Mariot was the captain and Tervel was the left winger in the French national team. They are two emblems of French handball.
And we haven't seen each other in about 15 years. We kept in touch on WhatsApp, on Facebook, but we never met like this, face to face, and it was a surprise. I didn't even tell them I was coming, because I wanted it to be a unique moment.
We hope and even promised to see each other more often in the next period. There is enormous respect between us. We respect each other for everything we've done together.”
He trains the boys from U Cluj
From November 2023, Carme Amariei became the first coach of a men's team, Cluj University, where she says she feels very good: “I work well with the boys and, with two stages before the end of the championship, we are very happy that we have no emotions to reach the barrier for maintaining in the first league.
And we think with hope and with a very high desire to have a much better next competitive year than this one. The atmosphere is excellent in the team.
And as long as it is about handball, where my knowledge, my experience, the love and respect I have for this sport were needed, I did it with great pleasure. We really have a wonderful team at U Cluj”.
When we landed in Cluj and, obviously, we knew that she lives there, so we thought that maybe she would come to the match to see us. When Carmen appeared at the end, it was a nice surprise and a pleasure to see her again.
– Raphaelle Tervelabout the meeting with Carmen Amariei
