Article by Costi Prună – Published Friday, April 10, 2026, 11:10 a.m. / Updated Friday, April 10, 2026, 11:11 a.m.
The FRH management approved the list of 48 people who will run for the 15 seats in the future Board of Directors. Among them is the president of the Potaissa Turda club, Flaviu Sâsâeac (43 years old). He is already in his 3rd term in the Board of Directors, and in the 2022 elections he obtained 71 votes.
As one of the influential people in Romanian handball, GSP spoke with lawyer Flaviu Sâsâeac and he revealed some of the ideas he wants to implement for the recovery of handball in Romania.
Flaviu Sâsâeac: “All those involved in handball are to blame for its condition”
– Hello, Mr. Sâsâeac! Why are you running for a seat on the FRH Board of Directors?
– Hello! I believe that the experience gained in the 23 years since I have been managing the activity of a handball club that has evolved during this period from playing in the second league on bitumen, in the open air, to developing in a modern hall of 23 million euros, winning a European trophy plus multiple national medals and holding a complete pyramid, and performance in men's handball, and another in continuous development in women's handball, can be useful. in a CA that I want to be a competitive one, made up of people with vision, a CA able to lead to the much-desired recovery of Romanian handball.
– How can you change from CA, some problems in Romanian handball?
– The CA is, from a statutory point of view, the governing body of the FRH that manages the entire activity of the FRH between the general meetings, establishes strategies and approves regulations.
If the affiliated structures would succeed in electing an FRH management that respects and correctly applies these statutory provisions, which in the last 4 years have been effectively trampled underfoot, there would be a good chance that the initiatives in terms of strategy and regulations, not only mine, but also that of all CA members, which are supported by majority decisions, would generate added value from one meeting to another.
– If you were to decide, what would be two measures that you would immediately impose in Romanian handball?
– Romanian handball needs many vital measures to be able to recover, a number of two, however chosen, would be too few to be enough. However, I would briefly list a few, which I see as useful and achievable:
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Statute and regulations adapted to today's reality in handball, without contradictions, without conflicts of interest, much more coherent, which leave no room for the abuses that are currently being committed
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The promotion within the FRH, through collaboration with the Ministry of Education, of a high-performance coaching school, which will prepare the students to the standards of modern handball and license them after passing some really relevant exams for what is required today, in developed handball, from this profession.
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Establishing the mandatory presentation to the national team of any active athlete, under the influence of drastic sanctions. I believe that the national team must be composed of the best athletes that can be selected at the time of each individual match. We keep trying to project some team in the future, but we omit to play our present in the optimal version. There is no way that the Romanian national team can be refused for any reason.
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The organization of all championships managed by FRH is such that the number of matches and their quality are optimized throughout the competitive season. Don't let it happen that some teams don't have games from February to September.
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The application by FRH within the framework of European (virgin territory for FRH until now) or governmental funding projects, which can bring great financial and infrastructural benefits to Romanian handball
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The attempt to regain funding from COSR for the disbanded centers of excellence, funding lost completely by the current executive.
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Then the hiring of professional coaches to work in these centers, as was the case when high-value players were produced on a conveyor belt in Sighisoara.
“I am disturbed by the incompetent management, the continuous and gross violation of the provisions of the Statute”
-What bothers you the most in Romanian handball?
– The disturbance is on two lines, that of the causes that led to the decay of handball and that of the negative effects generated.
The incompetent management, the continuous and gross violation of the provisions of the Statute, decisions taken by ear or out of personal interest, as well as 'favoritism' without professional coverage, especially in the appointment of team coaches, have eroded Romanian handball to the level where we ended up being eliminated by Turkey in the men's, both at the junior and senior team level, in the context in which, in Turkey, handball is in the early stages of development.
It really bothers me that we run after results first and forget to train the players capable of delivering them.
A single eloquent example: when are we going to have another valuable left-handed player on the right wing position in the women's national team? As long as all the cadet, junior or youth teams will use right-handed players, just to get a small momentary result for the coach, we will not be able to have such a thing.
“There are definitely interests and behind-the-scenes games at least”
– Is there corruption in Romanian handball?
– There are definitely at least “interests” and “behind the scenes games”. These are among the main reasons for the unfortunate situation in which Romanian handball is at the moment.
– What do you reproach the current president?
– Whole pages could be written here. However, I don't think that a specific reproach is relevant anymore, because during the 4 years of his mandate, he almost made all the possible and impossible mistakes. The result with Turkey says everything about what Constantin Din was for Romanian handball as federation president.
He leaves this position ugly and leaves behind, the bitterness of the steepest decline of Romanian handball.
It will be extremely difficult to fix what this inept and completely dishonest gentleman has done. I prefer to skip this question.
– Who do you support for president in the April 24 election and why?
– I support the only candidate who does not belong to any club, who does not come to FRH for personal benefits, who is of undeniable moral probity, who selflessly supported anyone in handball who asked for his help and who really wants and can, realistically through the prism of the program he has, to restore Romanian handball: I support Mr. Sorin Dinu.
– Do you think that the members of the CA are to blame for the problems in Romanian handball?
– All those involved in handball have a fault for the problems regarding handball. No one is immaculate. We could all give more.
The CA members are also to blame, as many times there was an opportunity to act and stop the handball-losing skids of the executive, but it was more convenient not to. I hope that the future president of the FRH will eliminate the incompatibilities and conflicts of interest from the AC and from the entire Romanian handball, and that as soon as possible.
The elections for the 15 seats in the Board of Directors, as well as for the positions of president and vice-president of FRH, will take place on April 24.
