Danish coach fails to understand 'unfair parting shot' after controversial Romanian exit

Jan Leslie left Dunărea Brăila shortly before Christmas
Jan Leslie left Dunărea Brăila shortly before ChristmasProfimedia

The experienced Danish coach, Jan Leslie, struggles to understand why the president of the Romanian handball club, Dunărea Brăila, Adrian Manole, felt the need to deal him a harsh parting shot after the two parties decided to cancel their cooperation just before Christmas.

On the club website, the Danish handball coach is thanked for having achieved great results in both Romanian and international handball over the past few years, but there is also a rather controversial statement from club president Adrian Manole.

He claims that Leslie has left the club "through the back door" and "has treated the club like a doormat" in the period leading up to the dismissal. The Danish handball coach strongly disagrees with that interpretation.

"It doesn't make sense to me that I should have gone out the back door. I have been fair and honest, and the club writes that they have had the best time under my guidance, so I don't understand why there is a need for such a parting shot. I haven't gone out the back door, but maybe I've been pushed out of it."

"I have had a really fantastic time at the club, and I am proud of our results and our development over a period of almost three years. I would like to leave the job on that note instead of being insulted", says Jan Leslie to TV2 Sport, a week after the breakup.

In May, Leslie was handed an offer to extend his contract that would run out next summer, but he chose to turn it down, and instead, the club selected Leslie's assistant coach, Soren Norgaard, to take over the reins as of the summer of 2026. 

Subsequently, Leslie felt that the Romanian club failed to back him up for the remainder of his contract, and this led to an ugly breakup just before Christmas.

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