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Iran volleyball chief urges ‘realistic expectations’ after world meet exit
The Asian powerhouse gave away a one-set lead to suffer a 3-1 loss (22-25, 27-25, 25-20, 25-21) to Czechia and miss out on a maiden last-four spot at the flagship international competition on Thursday.
Despite the setback, Taqavi believes the national team had a commendable run in the Philippines, which included group-stage victories over Tunisia and the host nation, followed by a hard-fought five-set win against Serbia in the first knockout round.
“Everyone thought we would beat Czechia, and just like every Iranian, I wish Team Melli had made it to the semifinals. However, we should not forget where we were, where we are now, and where we wanted to be. Our primary goal was to reach the last eight, and that is where we are today,” Taqavi told the official website of the sport’s national governing body.
“Of course we had other objectives that we couldn’t fulfil, but let’s not forget that we finished second from bottom in the 16-team Volleyball Nations League table last year, and there were days when we were worried about being relegated from the 2025 edition. Now, here we are expecting to be among the last four at the World Championship.
“That’s a good thing to have high ambitions, and it’s the standard we must strive for. However, we also need to temper those expectations with a healthy dose of realism,” added the Iranian official.
The defining moment of Thursday’s game perhaps came in the closing stages of the second set.
With his team leading 22-20, Iranian captain and outside-hitter Morteza Sharifi missed an absolute sitter, spiking the undefended ball wide, as Czechia capitalized to level the match at 1-1, while the crucial error sparked a wave of criticism from some Iranian fans on social media.
“I totally understand and respect the fans’ emotions, even if they have been tough on the players. I’d rather see this in a positive way. Iranian people are fiercely devoted and their frustration comes from deep passion and pride. However, we now need to be a bit more logical and approach this with reason,” Taqavi said.
“People remember those tough times when any positive news could offer a ray of hope for the nation, and It was Morteza Sharifi and the entire team who, despite all the hardships and challenges, were the ones who brought happiness to the people.”
“No one wanted to advance to the semifinals more than the players themselves. If this match was just a memory for you and me, for them it was a milestone in their entire career and life. We need to realize that they gave it their all.
“There were surely errors and mistakes, and we’re all sorry about that. We could have been among the top four teams, but we aren’t. We are sorry that we should have been better, but we weren’t, but we still achieved our last-eight goal,” added the IRVF chief.
The World Championship was a second major event for Iran under Italian head coach Roberto Piazza, after his team narrowly missed out on a place at the VNL Finals, finishing eighth in the preliminaries in July. Upon his appointment in March, the Italian said his ultimate goal would be to lead Iran to a strong showing at the Los Angeles Olympics in three years.
Asked about the road to the 2028 Olympics, Taqavi said: “The Olympic qualification tournaments have been scrapped by the FIVB as it wants every major event to be significant in that respect.
“The five continental champions will qualify directly. Additionally, three quotas will be distributed at the 2027 World Championship. The United States, as the host, already holds the ninth spot, and three more berths will be allocated based on the world rankings during the 2028 Volleyball Nations League.
“We must give it our absolute all. We will face Japan at the Asian Championship next year. Japan is currently a global powerhouse in volleyball. It’s true they didn’t get the results they wanted at the World Championship, but that doesn’t take anything from their strength and stature.
“I hope we can secure the Olympic spot at the Asian event as we will have two full years to prepare for the Olympics.”