Asian Volleyball Championship:
Iran eager to restore reputation on home soil
Head coach Behrouz Ataei will hope the upcoming Asian Volleyball Championship in Urmia will bring an end to months of turmoil for the Iranian seniors’ national team.
Ataei’s men will head into the continent’s flagship volleyball event in northwest Iran – starting Saturday – on the back of a disastrous run at the Volleyball Nations League in June and July.
Iran suffered 10 defeats in 12 outings to finish third from bottom in the 16-team table of the preliminary round, while Asian foe Japan took the event by storm to won 10 games, including victories over volleyball giants France and Brazil, before a triumph over reigning world champion Italy sealed a precious bronze medal for the Japanese – adding to the misery for the Iranian fans.
When Ataei, who led the country to the world under-21 crown in 2019, took over from high-profile Russian Vladimir Alekno following a disappointing Olympic campaign two years ago, he embarked on a rebuild project, with his ultimate goal being a successful run at the 2024 Paris Games.
Ataei, a first domestic coach on Iran’s bench in more than a decade, became an instant success by steering his young, rejuvenated side to a fourth Asian title with two months into his new job – thanks to a straight-set victory over host Japan in the final showpiece.
His team then recovered from a slow start to progress to the 2022 VNL Finals – before falling to a last-eight setback against Poland – promising an even better run in this year’s Volleyball Nations League.
However, the recent VNL fiasco resulted in Ataei’s descent from a hero to a villain, with a considerable part of the Iranian pundits and former players questioning his coaching skills and man management, urging the chairman of the federation Mohammadreza Davarzani to replace him with a top-notch foreign coach if Iran is to book a place in next year’s Olympics.
Ataei will be thrilled to welcome Milad Ebadipour back into the Iranian squad after the outside hitter missed the VNL campaign for family reasons.
The bad news for the Iranian coach, however, is that Philippe Blain, Ataei’s French opposite number on Japan’s bench, has named a full-strength squad, including the formidable trio of Yuki Ishikawa, Ran Takahashi, and Yuji Nishida, for the visit to Urmia as the outcome of the tournament will contribute to the teams’ status in the FIVB World Ranking – a decisive factor in the qualification process for Paris Games.
“Our main objective will be to secure a berth in Paris but first we will have to win the Asian title in emphatic fashion to keep up the momentum going into the Olympic qualifiers [in late September],” Ishikawa said in a recent interview.
Iran will begin its title defense with a game against Hong Kong on Sunday before capping the Pool A fixtures against Iraq a day later, while Japan is pitted against Thailand and Uzbekistan in Pool B.
The Japanese, who came out on top against both Iran and China at the VNL, will surely be the favorites to lift the trophy in Urmia but Ataei and his men will hope the home support in the volleyball-mad Iranian city will help them reestablish their reputation as the dominant force of the sport in the continent.