Translated material
Waiting for limit
The current Women's Champions League tournament promises to be historic for two reasons. Firstly, never before have such a large number of teams entered the fight for the trophy - two dozen (last season - 16). Secondly, there is a very serious possibility that from the next draw clubs will have to comply with the limit on foreign players, which will lead to a noticeable change in the continental table of ranks and the balance of power.
Quotas could be introduced by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) at its administrative council in March. The working option is no more than two players in each specific match and a maximum of three in a tournament application. Moreover, Russian teams have nothing to worry about. In our super league, two is the maximum number of foreign performers. Italian clubs have much more reason to worry, having won eight out of nine (!) continental cup tournaments in the last three seasons. The rules of the European Volleyball Confederation (ECV) do not yet contain absolutely any restrictions regarding foreigners.
As a rule, teams from the Apennine Peninsula have four or five girls from other countries on contracts. There is no longer a need, since there are rules that do not allow openly discriminating against home-grown personnel. Let's not forget that the Italian national team made a colossal breakthrough this year, winning the European Championship and the World Cup. The Squadra Azzurra players may already be thinking about the Olympics, but their club employers have begun to ring the bells. At a meeting of Serie A-1 clubs last Monday, the issue of possible negative consequences of introducing this limit was discussed. Club bosses are afraid of an outflow of sponsors and spectators, a decrease in television interest and a drop in the overall level of the championship. The summary so far has been accepted as follows: bring similar concerns to the FIVB and ask them to argue in more detail for the need for strict quotas.
It would be incorrect to compare the debut matches of our clubs in the 2007/08 Champions League. Still, the “blue and white” were opposed by almost the entire Dutch team, which won the world Grand Prix in the summer. In addition, Russian national team players Elena Godina, Ekaterina Kabeshova and candidate for the national team Lesya Makhno were absent from the Dynamo ranks due to injuries. Zarechye's rival, Azerrail, lost one of the best strikers in European volleyball, Natalya Mammadova, and several other experienced players in the off-season (to the Swiss Volero) and several other experienced players; a lot of unexplored youth appeared.
But we can compare the tasks assigned to the girls by their leaders. In Zarechye they are determined to win the Champions League and are already talking about their desire to host the Final Four, but for now the Dynamo team is simply required to enter the quartet of the strongest participants in the tournament.