By Farrokh Hesabi

Iran volleyball grapples with uncertainty

December 3, 2023 - 13:20

TEHRAN - It is almost two weeks since Mohammadreza Davarzani's term as president of the Iran volleyball federation expired.

The veteran volleyball president has faced numerous obstacles over his two-decade tenure, but the focus now lies on the critical state of volleyball and the potential consequences of Davarzani's separation of the federation's leadership.

An extraordinary general meeting to appoint a supervisor or an interim president for the federation was prevented by the Iran Ministry of Sports and Youth.

Now, the appointment of a new head coach for Iran's men's volleyball team poses the biggest challenge for the Federation.

During Davarzani's time as president, the contenders for Iran's bench included coaches Vital Heynen from Belgium, Gianlorenzo Blengini and Roberto Piazza from Italy, Vladimir Alekno from Russia, and Peyman Akbari and Saeid Marouf from Iran.

The national team are heavily impacted by the current condition, as the volleyball federation lacks a president and faces uncertainty. Both Blengini and Piazza, the primary foreign choices for coaching the team, have either made agreements with other foreign teams or declined to become head coach of the national Iran team.

Consequently, the national team's chances of qualifying for the Paris Olympics are diminishing.

The Ministry of Sports and Youth must act without delay to designate an interim president for the volleyball federation, and subsequently arrange elections in a timely manner. This will prevent further time loss for Iranian volleyball, particularly the national team.