TEHRAN – The Iranian men's national volleyball team ended the first week of the 2024 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) on a disappointing note, finishing last with just one point from four matches. Four consecutive losses to Serbia, Italy, Cuba and Argentina have raised concerns about the team's chances of qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Team Melli, coached by Brazil's Mauricio Motta Paes, went into the tournament with the unlikely hope of qualifying for the Olympics, but the team's poor performance dashed those hopes and raised alarm bells among Iranian volleyball fans and pundits.
Iran have suffered four straight losses while struggling with lackluster performances, sparking calls for urgent action, with former Iran coach Mahmoud Afshardoust believing the team's struggles stem from long-standing issues.
“The national team's results in the first week of the VNL have sent a warning through the Iranian volleyball world,” Afshardoust said.
“But the alarm bells haven't just started ringing now. They have been ringing for the past four or five years, ever since the results of matches against rival teams started getting very close,” he added.
Afshardoust attributes the root of the problem to the team's repeated weaknesses. “I watched the national team's games during the first week of the VNL,” he explains. “I predicted this even before the games started. I noticed that the national team's weaknesses included weak first reception, attack, blocking coordination, and floor defense. The national team trained and the coaching staff worked hard, but this structure is not something that can be fixed in two or three weeks of training.”
Afshardoust also pointed to the pressure of qualifying for the Olympics as a factor in his team's struggles.
“The volleyball world expects more experienced players to perform better,” he said. “For the first time in the match against Argentina, the first pass reached the setter and was passed to the attacking line. If we had this problem in the first three matches, it means something is wrong. Coach Paez has also warned the players many times. This is a deep-rooted problem that is plaguing the team.”
The team's success has sparked debate about the future of volleyball in Iran, with some experts saying radical reforms are needed, while others have called for patience and continued support for the team.
