Violence against the rules

Experiments with regulations continue in European tournaments

The Russian women's team became the winner of the continental qualifying tournament for the 2007 World Grand Prix that ended in Varna, Bulgaria. In the final match, head coach Giovanni Caprara's wards, already in the rank of holders of the coveted ticket, showed their best game over the past week and confidently beat Holland - 3:0 (25:19, 25:19, 25:21). The moral reward for our team was the performance of the national anthem at the closing ceremony, and the material reward was 20 thousand euros in prize money. The Orange received 12 thousand, the Italians, who dealt with Poland in the match for third place (3:0) - 8 thousand. The champions of the Old World, who had been partying in one of the restaurants in the coastal zone until three o'clock in the morning the day before, were content with the amount of 5 thousand euros. These four teams will compete at the Grand Prix next season.

Ekaterina Gamova received two individual prizes - as the most valuable player of the tournament (MVP) and as the best server. The remaining laureates are: setter - Eleonora Lo Bianco; libero - Paola Cardullo; forward - Elisa Togut (all - Italy); blocker - Agata Mroz and receiver - Mariola Zenik (both Poland).

During the tournament, your correspondent was able to communicate with many players and coaches. They are far from happy with the fact that different regulations apply at world and European competitions. Thus, three weeks ago at the World Grand Prix, when two or more teams had equal points, the primary criterion for the distribution of places was the ratio of goals, and at the European selection - the ratio of games. At the World Cup we will have to share the balls again. The formula of the competition in Varna also caused confusion. As one of the representatives of the Azerbaijani delegation quite rightly noted, why was it necessary to gather eight teams in one place if teams from different groups met only in matches for first and third place that were actually unnecessary from a sporting point of view? Some only learned on the spot that pairs in the play-off matches for a ticket to the Grand Prix between the second and third teams of groups are determined by lot, and not according to the classic “criss-cross” principle.

According to this formula, it turns out that if, for example, before the last round there are teams competing for second or third place in their quartet, then their match loses half its meaning - after all, in the playoffs the lot can bring them together again. Türkiye and Azerbaijan were affected. The Turkish women, naturally, for the second time in a row could not defeat the reigning world champions and lost to Italy - 0:3. The Polish national team in Varna gathered, in fact, for one match on Saturday and won against Azerbaijan - 3:1. It would be much more logical and fair for Türkiye-Poland and Azerbaijan-Italy to play in the “joints”.

But all these tournament incidents cannot be compared with what the European Volleyball Confederation (ECV) will offer already this season as an experiment for participants in the second most important club competition, the Cup of Top Teams, where Russia is represented by the women's CSKA and the men's Iskra "(Odintsovo). The case when, last season, in the 1/8 finals of the CEV Cup, the Greek PAOK lost away to Padua (Italy) with a score of 1:3, won at home 3:0 and did not advance to the next round (all goals were simply counted on an accrual basis) , - these are still flowers. CEV President Andre Meyer, at a Sunday press conference in Varna, shocked those gathered by announcing the new regulations for two-game confrontations in the playoffs of the Cup of Top Teams, which will come into effect this season. True, with the caveat that it is still experimental.

Now the score in the games with which one of the teams wins the match does not matter - just the outcome is important. In the event of a tie at the end of two matches, an additional set of up to 25 points is immediately assigned to determine the winner. In this situation, the team that plays the return match at home receives a certain benefit. For example, the following case is possible: the club loses 0:3 away, wins 3:2 at home, and after the fifth set of 15 points, the sixth set is played to 25. At first glance, it looks monstrous and absurd. In addition, return matches can last from one to three hours, which is unlikely to suit the television crew.

There has also been a change in the selection system for the Grand Prix. Next year, the right to play in the 2008 world tournament will be contested not by eight, but by a dozen teams, of which 10-11 will be determined by the rating of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB). One or two more participants will receive a “wild card” from the EKB. The selection will take place in two stages. At the first stage, the weakest quartet will be eliminated from the eight candidates, and at the second stage, the four teams with the highest rating will enter the fight.

Ilya TRISVIATSKY, Varna