Veteran Iranian middle blocker Mousavi to withdraw from international duty: Report
Veteran Iranian middle blocker Seyyed Mohammad Mousavi has no intention of representing the country at the upcoming Volleyball Nations League, according to Varzesh3.
The Iranian website mentioned “a long-time injury” as the main reason behind Mousavi’s decision.
Mousavi, 36, was part of the provisional 39-man squad for the annual international event, which also serves as the last chance for Iran to book a place in the Paris Olympics in July and August.
A newly-crowned Iranian Pro League champion with Foolad Sirjan, Mousavi has informed new Brazilian head coach Mauricio Motta Paes, who was appointed to the job in February, of his decision though the Iranian federation is yet to confirm his withdrawal.
Mousavi was an essential member of Iran’s so-called ‘golden generation’ in the previous decade, winning four titles at the Asian Championships as well as double gold medals at the Asian Games.
Having been left out of the Iranian squad by former coach Behrouz Ataei for the 2022 Nations League, Mousavi made a return to the national duty last year, inspiring the team to a third Asian Games triumph in October, though the Asian powerhouse still endured a relatively below-par run over the course of the 12 months.
Iran finished third from bottom in the 16-team table of the Nations League, failing to reach the quarterfinals, before suffering a straight-set defeat against Japan in the Asian Championships final on home soil in August.
The latest episode in a dreadful international season came in October, where Iran conceded six defeats in seven outings in the Olympic Qualification Tournament in Rio de Janeiro.
Iran will be facing a mammoth task to progress to the Games in the French capital when the Nations League gets underway on May 21 as the remaining four slots will be decided through the FIVB Ranking by the end of the VNL preliminary round on June 23.
As it stands in the ranking, third-placed Italy, Argentina (sixth), Slovenia (seventh), and Serbia (ninth) are the favorites to punch their Paris tickets, with Iran lagging behind in the 15th place.