Mirka Francia: I want to be the protagonist on the court

  • 24/03/2009


    -How did you start volleyball?
    While I was 15. In Cuba.


    -Cuba has a very strong volleyball tradition. Cuba was already a great volleyball team when you started volleyball. The generation you were a part of won the Olympics, the World Championship, the World Cup and many other tournaments. Cuba was the leader of world of volleyball for almost 10 years. What do you think made Cuba that much successful which is only a dream for many other teams?
    People see volleyball as a work to do, a daily errand to run, or even as an obligation in other countries or teams. But working everyday is already something routinely conducted in Cuba. It is very normal for us to work everyday. The situation is the same for any other sports in Cuba actually. Maybe this is the way it is because Cuba has such a tradition, because we have respect in what we do.


    -What was Fidel Castro’s role in the success of that team?
    I firstly want to point out something else. Money was never important for us in Cuba. We do everything for the country and for the citizens. Of course, every sportsman in Cuba is raised, since childhood, to eventually realize their full potential and display their whole capacity. We give a lot of importance to physical power. In this respect, I think volleyball is very suitable for the girls of Cuba. Jumping and power were always the main focus for us rather than technique. We were playing with two setters. Those players, having played in that system, are capable enough to play in every position.
    As for Fidel Castro… I still talk to him and hear from him.


    -You still keep you relations strong and uninterrupted with Cuba.
    Of course. My family is still there. Yes, I am an Italian citizen now after I married but Cuba is still my country.


    -But Cuba lost that power in the recent years. Regla Bell, Regla Torres, Ana Ibis Fernandez, Taismary Aguero, Yumilka Ruiz, you and many other stars who now take place in the best memories of volleyball mostly no longer play volleyball for the national team. Cuba of today may still be powerful today but those successes of your generation were never able to be claimed again. What do you think is the reason for that?
    Actually this is pretty normal. Every team has bad and good times. Cuba won everything for approximately 10 years. But now a new generation is adapting to the team. There is a new coach.


    -Do you think this generation can claim all those titles again and reach the level of the previous Cuban team?
    This is not easy at all. Now Brazil is a very good team. China and Italy are also very good teams. Maybe Turkey can also have some title in the future. But the team is in a constant change right now. That’s why the old success cannot be reached right away. In that respect, we may be considered successful even now. But some other things may have been influential as well. Today players want to go out of Cuba and play somewhere else when they think that they are qualified a bit. But there was no such thing back then. The team constituted a huge totality. There was a different team spirit.


    -You were later offered to play in the Italian National Team. Why didn’t you accept it?
    Because it is not my country! I live in Italy but my country is Cuba. Italian National Team could mean new possibilities and excitement for me. However, Cuba and Cuban National team is very important for me. Cuba embodies very different feelings for me.


    -If we return to your own volleyball career, how did you decide to play in Italy?
    Firstly I played in the second division in Italy. I already had important achievements in Cuba. Then I started to play in Perugia. I played there for years. Later I married in Italy.


    -You played in Perugia for a total of 10 years. What was the thing that connected you there? It must have been like a family there.
    Of course. They were like my family. Besides, why would you leave a club if you constantly win everything? This was the source of my motivation to stay there.


    -But, at the end of the last season, you, Simona Gioli, Antonella Del Core and many other good players left Perugia. What was the reason that led all the players who played there for years leave the club?
    We all wanted to work with a good coach. Massimo Barbolini was in Perugia years ago. Then he started to train the national team and Emmanuelle Sbano came to Perugia. Then there was not much reason for me to stay there. Because a good player always wants a good team and a good coach.

  • -You were playing as a middle blocker before 2004. But, as of 2004, you started to play as a spiker. Whose decision was that and how did you adapt to your new position?
    No, it was not my decision. It was my back-then-coach Barbolini’s decision. You know, if the setter does not get a good reception, the middle blockers might not get a lot of balls. I was not able to get a lot of balls, either. Life is more beautiful when you play as a spiker!:)


    -So you are quite happy to be playing as a spiker now. Or would you rather play as the opposite and not receive?
    No, I like to receive. That’s why I can say that I am quite happy to play as a spiker. I was in play only for 3 positions previously when I was a middle blocker. But when you are a spiker, all the responsibility falls on your shoulders. I want to assume responsibility in the game. I want to be the protagonist in the game.


    -How did you decide to come to Eczacıbaşı after having experienced all the achievements a volleyball player could ask for both in the club and national teams?
    I knew that Eczacıbaşı had an important role in Turkish volleyball history. Here was a new source of motivation for me. I wanted start a new life here after Perugia. I am very happy to be in Eczacıbaşı.


    -We know that you had offers from different teams in the transfer season. What convinced you to play here?
    Yes, I also had some other offers from other teams but Eczacıbaşı’s offer was the most serious. Because here is a very serious club after all. I knew that it was one of the strong contenders for the Turkish Championhsip title. Eczacıbaşı had a good coach and good team. I knew Cuccarini too and I knew that he was a good coach.


    -What do you think about the competition level in the Turkish league?
    There is not much of a high competition here unfortunately. 4, or maybe 5, teams are very good but the others are not that strong unfortunately. These two groups of teams play at very different levels. Yet this level of competition may increase during a period of 2-3 years. I prefer fast game but it is played slower here. I think that Turkish League needs yet time and preparation.


    -Good players from Italy and many other leagues came to Turkey this season.
    But you always need a good coach next to good players. Good foreigners come here but, like I said, the league needs time.


    - What are your thoughts on the Final Four? You are going to play Dinamo Moscow in the semis. We know that you are close friends with Irina Kirillova ve Gioli.
    Friendship ends on the court during match hours for me! :) Leaving joke aside, the Final Four is going to be staged in Perugia. I have a history back there, and my friends and my house are there. But I am a professional and I will go out on the court to win. I want to play very well there. I have confidence in my team.


    -What do you think about your chances on claiming the title?
    We are going there to win and I think that we have a great chance.


    -Eczacıbaşı competed at the Turkish Cup, Turkish League and the European Indesit Champions League this season. You played very tough matches. You recently beat Fenerbahçe to win the Turkish Cup. However, you gave away important losses in the league while you were concentrating on the Turkish Cup and the Champion’s League. What are your thoughts on this issue?
    It has been a very tough season for us. We played matches which were as important as a final at every 3-day period. This was exhausting. We lost some matches in the league but I think we can compensate that. I think we can be the champions in the Turkish League because I trust my team.


    -What did you know about Turkey and the Turkish people before you came? Did your opinions change in the positive or negative direction after your experience here?
    I won’t be able to say a lot about Turkey because I was mostly in Istanbul. Istanbul is a very nice city. For example, Perugia is a small town but here is too big. I love Istanbul a lot. Turks are very sympathetic. But some are more introvert. Besides, The Turks are not so different from the Cubans as far as their mindset is concerned. I think the two nations are very similar.


    -How do you want to continue your career after you leave volleyball? Is volleyball always going to be in your life? Do you have plans to be a coach?
    I want to continue volleyball as a coach. I want volleyball always to be a part of my life because volleyball is my life!


    -There are many young players in Eczacıbaşı but also some experienced players like you, Nancy and Vesna. Were you surprised to find out that your main setter was 18 years old? How did that team form a composition or how did you succeed in that task?
    There are big age differences among the team but Esra, Naz, Gülden and others are very good players. We always work hard to achieve better results. The age difference was not that of a problem for us. For instance, Esra and Gülden are already experienced players. We always want to help and guide the youngsters as the experienced players in the team. Maybe it is a little tougher in the training.


    -What kind of difficulty arises in the trainings?
    Young players have to go to school during the week because they want to be the graduates of a university. But it may sometimes be a little hard for them to concentrate both on the school and volleyball. On the other hand, if you want to be successful in volleyball as a professional, you need to concentrate on the game and the training. This, of course, is not that of a big deal but everyone need to fully concentrate on volleyball for Turkish volleyball to improve.


    -Lastly, how do you rate the chances of the Turkish Women’s National Team in the upcoming tournaments?
    Your National Team has a good coach now. They have a chance in Europe but I think they need time for a success in the world.


    source: voleybolunsesi.com

  • Thanks for posting the interview Justyna!!


    It's interesting that Mirka Francia has a completely different point of view of Aguero about NT.