Coach Razvan Lucescu appointed at the helm of Romania's national football team

His core objective is to qualify the team at the European Championship in 2012, as chances to make it to the World Cup in 2010 are almost null.

Razvan Lucescu will replace Victor Piturca, who was sacked by FRF last month following a more than certain failure to qualify the team for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Fourty-year old Razvan Lucescu began his coaching career at FC Brasov in 2004, when he succeeded to save the team from relegation. He trained FC Rapid from 2004 to 2007, team that made it to the quarter finals of UEFA Cup and won two Romanian Cups. He turned to FC Brasov in 2007 and managed to promote the team into the first division. 

As a football player, Razvan Lucescu was goalkeeper. He played 240 matches in the first division between 1987 and 2003 and 9 matches in the European cups. He played for the Romanian football clubs Sportul Studentesc, FC National, FC Brasov, FC Rapid and FCM Bacau, but also for the Italian club Nola-AC Cremo. 

His father, reputed Mircea Lucescu, was the coach of Romania's national football team between 1981 and 1985 and qualified the team at the European Championship in 1984. Mircea Lucescu was FRF's first option after Piturca's dismissal, but he refused it saying he prefers to extend his agreement with Ukrainian football club Sahtior Donetsk.