The coaches of teams participating in the FIVB World League final Group 3 and their team captains collectively stated in the press conference that the competition at the extra ordinary tournament in Bursa, Turkey will be very tough and Hosts Turkey along with Cuba, China and Slovakia have equal chances to claim the first position when the finals get underway on Saturday.
The press conference was held at Crowne Plaza, in Bursa on Saturday ahead of the Semifinal matches on Saturday where Cuba take on China at 14.00 local time, while hosts Turkey will play Slovakia at 17.00.
FIVB Control Committee President Mrs. Marta Centeno, Vice President of Turkish Volleyball Federation Mr. Akif Ustundag, Bursa Provincial Director of Youth and Sports Mr. Suleyman Sahin and Vice president of Bursa Metropilitan Municipalty Mr. Abdullah Karadag attended the meeting with the captains and coaches of four participating teams, China, Cuba, Slovakia and Turkey.
China coach Xie Gouchen, stated that they have been welcomed very well in Bursa and said “First of all we would like to thank to Turkish Volleyball Federation. When we arrived, we saw a great hall and have been welcomed with a great hospitality. This is the first time in Turkey, most of us. Turkish league is one of the top leagues in the world. We will learn each other during the tournament. For the match tomorrow, we will have a good preparation. Cuba is a very strong team. We will do our best and learn from Cuba team also.”
China Captain Zhong Weijun commented that they are very happy to be in Bursa and qualify for the finals and they want to show a good effort.
Rodolfo Luis Sanchez, coach of Cuba team, said “This is a great opportunity to be here. Our team came to the finals very strong. Tomorrow we will do our best against China.” and captain of Cuba Rolando Cepeda added “It does not matter how many matches you played in the past. We have to play good. We want the trophy of Group 3 Finals.”
Slovakia coach Flavio Gulinelli mentioned the excellence of facilities in Bursa: “First of all thanks to the organization for very good facilities. We hope to be in condition to exchange a good performance on the court. Being here is a good opportunity for our team. We would like to perform as good as we can in this tournament.”
“We will try to do our best. We are happy to participate in this organization. We will play against Turkey. We hope to play good volleyball and win against home team.” said Emanuel Kohut, captain of Slovakia.”
Emanuele Zanini, coach of Turkish National Team, stressed that there is difference in Women’s and Men’s volleyball: “I think women’s volleyball is one thing and men’s volleyball is another. These are two different worlds. Turkish league improved a lot. There will be a lot of great players in Turkey next season. It’s a pleasure to be here. We are here not for just we are organizer but we deserved it. We are here because we are the second placed team of our group. China, Cuba and Slovakia are all more experienced than us and higher in the world rankings than us. We hope that a lot of people to join and sport us in Bursa. We will do our best. We have great hope and will try to reach the final.”
Italian coach of Turkey Emanuele Zanini, who was in charge for the Slovakian team for 4 years, said that he is happy to compete against his old team: “It is pleasure to meet some players and people that I coached for 4 years. We won European League twice. It was an important experience and gave me satisfaction. We met last season and the match was very close. We lost 3-2 in the European championship. Tomorrow will be another fight. I hope the final result will be different.”
Captain of the hosting team, Arslan Eksi stated that they are very proud of hosting the Group 3 Finals in Bursa and expects a good support from their fans: “We are very proud to host FIVB World League Group 3 Finals. We are the host team and that is an advantage for us but we have three strong opponents. We played well during the group matches. If we will play our own game against Slovakia, I believe we will reach the final. This is an important competition for Men’s volleyball in Turkey. We want to be permanently in World League. We hope our fans will be there and support us as they do every time.”
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