The Cuban men’s volleyball team does not raise its head. This Thursday they added their eighth consecutive defeat in the League of Nations of this sport, by losing 2-3 against Serbia. The setback jeopardizes the team’s permanence in the tournament held in the city of Anaheim, United States.
The athletes, led by coach Nicolás Vives, lost 2-3 to the Serbs (25-27, 17-25 and 15-25). During the match, the Cubans delivered 39 points for their own mistakes to the rivals, who also made 30 blunders.
The team is taking its toll on the work overload that its members have suffered. The last week of June they had to travel to El Salvador from France, where they had been beaten by the Frenchmen with scores of 25-18, 25-20 and 25-20. The official press acknowledged that the team’s performance in the European country was “disappointing.”
Even so, the Cuban Volleyball Federation forced them to participate in the Central American and Caribbean Games, held this month in El Salvador, where they won the gold medal. The Volleyball Lions, as they are called, beat the Dominican Republic team 3-0 at the Palacio de los Deportes Carlos The famous Hernandez.
The Cuban ?? volleyball ? team that participates in the VNL, “resting” after the long trip from France to participate in the Central American Games in San Salvador.
All for a happy ? that nobody cares
Score another one for the Cuban Federation pic.twitter.com/Xv3dUjcYzv—Leonardo Ruiz (@LeonRR97) June 27, 2023
The lack of logistics to welcome these 14 Cuban athletes was made evident by the dissemination of a video on social networks where they can be seen trying to “rest” in the corridors of the airport after the long journey from France to San Salvador. “All for a happy medal that nobody cares about,” denounced the collaborator of Play Off Magazine Leonardo Ruiz. “Score another one for the Cuban (Volleyball) Federation.”
“To tell the truth, beyond a deliberate decision, this seems to be the result of the ineffectiveness (of the Cuban sports authorities). It is hard for me to believe that this medal from the Central Americans is really so necessary for the delegation and their eagerness to fight for the position in the medal table. Or, perhaps, it will be to come out as ‘outstanding’ in the balance of the year?”, opined the communicator in the sports magazine.
The Volleyball Nations League has 10 immovable teams, which are never relegated, with a system similar to that of the Euroleague Basketball; plus six other selections considered challengers, who fight to avoid descending. Among these are Cuba, China, Canada, Slovenia, Bulgaria and the Netherlands.
This Friday the Volleyball Lions face Germany in the USA in a match that they are bound to win if they do not want to be relegated.
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